Page 43 of Worst Nanny Ever (Babes of Brewing #2)
But I paste on a smile and power walk right beside him until we start getting close, which is when I realize there’s a problem.
If we keep power walking, we’ll power walk right past them, and while we’re nearly at the end of the atrium and can double back, passing them again, we won’t overhear anything.
“Fake a muscle cramp,” I hiss as we get closer.
“What?” he asks, way too loud.
“A muscle cramp. Fake one. ”
He taps his ear, indicating he still didn’t catch what I said.
We’re close enough to Rachel and Karen that I can hear them now. Rachel is saying something about a kid in her daycare class who picks his nose and fling the boogers.
“God, I could never work at a daycare,” Karen says.
“Because you hate kids,” Rachel replies with a laugh.
“What’s to like? I guess I should be happy Travis broke it off again.” She pulls a disgusted face. “I don’t care how loaded he is, I don’t have it in me to be a stepmom to some snot-nosed brat.”
Crap! I’m coming up on them too quickly. In a couple of seconds I’ll be practically next to them. I was so focused on listening to their conversation, I didn’t pay attention to our speed.
I stagger to a stop. “Oh, no. My leg. I’ve got a really bad muscle cramp, Dad. I was going at it too hard. ”
“You should have eaten that banana,” he says in a tone I’m guessing his son is very familiar with.
“Yes, you were right. You’re always right.”
Karen glances back at us with a small smile, then does a double take.
“Hey, I know you,” she tells me, stopping in her tracks and turning to face us.
“No,” I say, “I’m pretty sure you don’t. I remember faces.”
“So do I.” Her face creases into a deep frown. “You’re that redhead who’s always at the Garbage Fire shows checking out my ex-boyfriend.”
Okay, fine, the power walking gig is up. Time to take a direct approach.
“Oh, yeah,” I say, standing up straight. “That is me. I’m surprised you noticed, since you’re always so busy eye-fucking him yourself.” I smile at Eugene. “Sorry for my language, Dad .”
“That guy is Karen’s ex-boyfriend,” Rachel says, putting a hand on her hip. “She has rights.”
“ Ex -boyfriend. I figure she doesn’t have rights anymore. I’m guessing you agree with me since you made a pass at him a couple of weeks ago.”
Rachel gapes at me.
“Oh yeah, I know all about that.”
Karen steals a glance at her friend, clearly confused. “What’s she talking about?”
“It’s no big deal. You know I hate my job, so when I saw Travis was hiring a nanny, I took an interview with him. But he was a jerk, not that I’m surprised after everything you’ve told me, and?—”
“ Everything you’ve told her? ” I ask, glancing between them before letting my gaze settle on Rachel. “Like the fact that he’s Evan Thomas’s son? You’re the one who blasted that little chestnut all over the internet, aren’t you? ”
“I don’t know anything about that,” Rachel says, pink in the face now. “All I said online was that he was very rude to me, which he was.”
Karen looks ready to…well, pull a Karen.
“What did you do?” she hisses at her friend. “I told you not to tell anyone.”
“I didn’t . I wouldn’t. You told me in confidence. I just…” She shrugs. “I tried to get a job with him. Why do you care, anyway? You just finished saying you hate kids, and the guy has a kid. A rude kid.”
“A fantastic kid,” I snap. “I’m his nanny. And neither of you deserve to have him in your life. Actually, you don’t deserve either of them.”
Maybe that’s unfair. For all I know, Travis really was a dick to Karen.
But if he says he didn’t mislead her, I believe him, and she’s been making him uncomfortable, showing up at show after show.
She’s also sharing his secrets with other people, which sucks, even though it’s starting to look like Rachel may not be MaritimeLaw69.
Travis isn’t my boyfriend, exactly, so maybe it’s not my place to defend him, but he basically declared himself to me this morning. Maybe it’s time for me to do the same.
“In fact, stay away from both of my guys,” I add. “No more shows. No more skulking around him in low-cut dresses, hoping he’ll fall and face-plant onto your boobs. Trust me when I say you’ll both want to listen to me. I’m unhinged.”
“She is,” Eugene says, nodding easily. “She stabbed the slowest member of our power walking group after we lost our last competition. If he heals fast enough for the next one, I’m sure he’ll walk like the wind.”
“I can’t leave Travis at the mercy of some obsessive psycho,” Karen sputters. “I’m going to warn him about you.”
“Let’s not throw stones in glass houses. But please do tell him.” I give her my best naval salute. “I’m sure he’ll double down on what Dad here told you. Just wait until you hear what happened to the person who ignored the no-soliciting sign on the door.”
“You’re nuts!” Rachel says, taking a step back.
“Yeah, that’s kind of the point.”
They turn and hustle away, their heels click-clacking on the floor.
“That was invigorating,” Eugene says, his eyes shining.
I pat him on the back. “Taking a stand usually feels that way. Now, let’s go spend a lot of money on you. That always feels good too.”
Some of the glow seeps out of him. “Those kids at the brewery are going to laugh at me. They’ll think I care what I look like.”
“Eugene, my friend, there’s nothing wrong with caring what you look like. And, trust me, if they want to laugh, they’ll find a reason. Better for them to poke fun at you for having a kick-ass mini makeover than for being a jerk.”
He has to concede I have a point.