Page 40 of The Night Nanny

I heave a sigh. She’s right, but Ned won’t agree to that easily. If at all. It’ll ruin the aesthetic of his beloved house. The once-and still-perfect bachelor pad. I’m glad when Marley drops the subject.

“Isa’s room, however, is so charming.”

“Thank you. I loved decorating it.”

“Well, if I ever sell my screenplay and become rich and famous, I want you to decorate my house.”

“It would be my pleasure.” In my head, I envision a gorgeous all-white living space, with large sculptural pieces of furniture and lavender accent pieces that match the color of her eyes.

Nurse Marley smiles. “I hope you’ll also fill it with flowers.”

“Yes…lots of white and purple orchids everywhere.”

A slow, melancholy smile blooms on her face. “Orchids are my favorite flowers. They were also my mother’s.”

Her use of past tense is not lost on me. “Your mother died?” I hedge.

“She was taken from me when I was very young.”

“I’m sorry,” I say, though questions dance in my head, begging for answers.

“It’s okay, but I really don’t want to talk about it.”

I switch the subject. “What about your father?”

“He died before I was born. An aneurysm.”

Wanting to learn more about her, I don’t tell her that my father died too. “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

She hesitates before answering. Her face grows sullen. “No.”

“So, you’re an only child…like me?”

“So to speak.”

I don’t question her somewhat cryptic response. “Were you close to your mother?”

She smiles in a strange, sad way. And toys with the silver rosary around her neck. The locket. “Very close. She was a saint.”

The last word I’d use to describe my overbearing mother.

She quiets. Silently, she stares into space, her eyes watering. And for a moment it looks like she might be about to cry.

Just then, Isa begins to wail.

Nurse Marley jumps up. “That’s my call. It’s time to feed my little munchkin.”

“Can’t I feed her?”

It’s like my words have fallen on deaf ears. Ignoring me, she hurries to the kitchen to fetch a bottle.

As she whooshes past me, I absentmindedly pick up the lifelike Baby Reborn doll and think about our conversation. I can’t help wondering why a beautiful single young woman like her chose to become a nanny.

Is she, too, hiding a secret?

TWENTY

AVA