Page 9 of Curvy Nanny for the Nerd

“Goes with the job,” she said, handing me a big bowl of sweet potatoes and nodding towards the small table in the middle of the room.

“This looks good. Thank you for letting me crash your meal.”

Toni shrugged like it was no big deal and Layla rolled her eyes, just in case I was starting to think things had changed between us. “It’s your food, and I’m pretty sure you haven’t eaten in a few days. Have you?”

“Uncle Brady is too busy and important to eat,” Layla offered in a snide tone.

“Oh yeah? How important?” She arched her brows and a playful smile formed on her lips as if she was teasing me.

“Not important,” I rushed to answer before Layla told her who I was or what I did for a living. “Just incredibly busy right now.”

Something that looked a lot like disbelief flashed in her bright green eyes and she turned her attention to her food. “Whatever you say.”

“How long have you been a nanny?” Layla asked, seemingly content to pretend I don’t exist.

“Six years, maybe seven at this point?” Toni thought about each answer as Layla fired them at her, it was a rare thing with most people. I couldn’t keep my eyes off her.

The best part was that Layla’s friendly interrogation gave me a chance to learn a lot about Toni without any effort. She obtained a master’s degree in childhood development and early education in New York before she came to Texas for her first nanny gig. She’s originally from the east coast and has a strained relationship with her parents. It wasn’t much, but for some reason I was desperate to learn anything I could about her.

“What about you Layla, what do you do in your free time?”

She looked away, uneasy with the focus on her as she answered in a quiet voice. “I like to draw and I like to write stories.”

“Like comic books or graphic novels?”

Layla’s eyes went wide with excitement. “How did you know?”

“Writers who draw are a rare breed, my friend. I think it’s incredibly cool, and if you ever want to share, I’d love to hear what you’re working on.” She stabbed a spear of broccoli and shoved it in her mouth, knowing that her easy acceptance of this hobby took the pressure off Layla.

She was, in a word, amazing. And more than that, her skills highlighted my own failures as I sat and listened, realizing that my niece was a complete stranger to me.

“Thanks,” Layla muttered quietly and shoved a spoonful of potatoes in her mouth.

I ate a second helping of everything, and when I was done, I sat back and patted my belly. “Thank you, ladies. I really needed that.” Eating for me was mostly about giving me enough fuel to keep working, but the meal was simple and delicious.

“No problem,” Toni said and stood with a sigh.

My phone rang and I jumped to answer it, noticing the way Layla glowered angrily at the interruption.

“Hey Cal, what’s up?” My creative director rarely called, which meant something was wrong. I stood and left the kitchen, well aware that I was letting my niece down.

Again.

Chapter 6

Toni

“Where are we going?” Layla’s question put a smile on my face because she was an incredibly curious child. The best part was she didn’t have any hangups about asking questions. It was a good trait for a youngster to have, as long as you weren’t the person tasked with answering them all. I didn’t have all the answers, hell I probably didn’t’ have most of them, but her curiosity made me want to find discover new things as well.

“We’re almost there,” I answered her question without really answering it.

“Okay,” she smiled. “Are we going somewhere indoors or outdoors?”

I shrugged. “Yes.”

“Toni,” she whined. “Will there be food?”

“They have food, yes.” I smiled again at her grunt.

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