Page 90 of Beneficial Misfortune

Oliver walks in behind him as I reach the foot of the stairs, and his presence shakes me from my less-than-savory thoughts.

“We’ll be just down the road.”

Oliver nods, waving Nathan off toward the door. “I’ve got it, just like always.”

I look between them, unwilling to interpret and glimpse one of Nathan’s rare smirks before he turns to me.

I’m not sure what he’s looking for—maybe my bag or maybe something else—but he must find it as he quickly turns to the door, pulling it open and holding out his arm to me.

“Ladies first,” he offers, every bit the gentleman.

As if his good looks aren’t enough to make me weak.

In order to make it to the door, I have to pass Oliver. Usually, that wouldn’t be a big deal, but right now, I can feel his gaze on me, his eyes damn near boring into me as if he intends to look through me.

I’m not sure why, but I want to run. I know Oliver doesn’t seem to care much for me, though he doesn’t seem to dislike me exactly, either. I tend to try to stay out of his way, but lately, that seems as if it’s becoming harder to do, and I’m not sure if that’s on me or him.

Before I can think too much about it, I stop walking and turn to face him. Even with his glasses, his green eyes are so intense that I damn near lose my nerve. Instead, I force a smile to my lips and stand up straighter.

“Thank you for watching Addison for the night. Please let her know I’ll be back soon and not to worry. I don’t want her to think I left her.” I say in a rush before I can chicken out.

Oliver’s brows pull together slightly, but he nods, and I let out a sigh of relief. I hadn’t even realized how worried I was about her being upset, but knowing Oliver is with her makes me feel much better.

With the weight off my shoulders, I turn and head out the front door and down the stairs to the car that waits in the driveway.

It’s not the same car that Vince usually drives when we’re not in the limo, but I’d bet it’s just as expensive; it has the same kind of style. It's a style I’ve never seen before, but that’s not crazy; I don’t know much about cars, and I never really cared to. Carter had a Lamborghini he loved more than himself; it was like his baby, but these cars look nothing like that. This one’s a deep purple color that I’d mistake for black in the darkness, if not for the lights that illuminate the driveway and front of the house.

“Don’t you dare.”

I snatch my hand back a moment before I grab the door handle, whipping around to watch Nathan as he descends the stairs toward me, his brow raised and his jaw tight.

Clearly, this is another situation like Carter, and this is his baby.

Nathan moves past me to pull the door open before gesturing for me to get in, and I almost laugh. This isn’t like Carter at all; if anything, it’s more like Vince, only this is far from Nathan’s job.

Shaking my head, I climb in, and he closes the door behind me before making his way around to the driver’s side. He’d caught me off guard this time, but now I know better. Just like with Vince, I won’t be allowing this.

The drive doesn’t take more than five minutes. After leaving, we head down the road and turn left before turning onto the street that I imagine sits right behind the mansion. The houses are still big—huge, really—but not quite the same as the Lawson mansion. Big enough that I’m sure they’re owned by some very important people nonetheless.

“We own every house on this street. We had them built for staff a few years back. It used to be a part of the original property that the house sits on, but it was easy enough to do without it.” Nathan says, breaking the silence for the first time since we got in the car, and I’m glad I’m looking out the window and not at him because I’m sure my eyes are cartoonishly big right now.

When he originally mentioned me working as Addison’s nanny, he said they had housing for the chef, groundskeepers, and other staff. However, this…

This isn’t at all what I expected. No, I pictured a house a lot like the one I grew up in—enough space to live, with necessities and maybe some fun extras like a pool or something. But this feels like overkill. Each house could easily fit ten or more people, and while I guess these people could have families, I find it hardto believe they can afford these houses, even knowing how well Nathan pays.

We pass five houses before pulling into the driveway of the sixth. It’s not the last house on the street. I can see at least two more past it, but they’re all dark. I assume the first few are occupied, and these ones aren’t.

Holy shit.

It’s beautiful, not that I should be surprised given everything else the Lawson’s own. I mean, hell,they’rebeautiful.

The door opens, and I’m confused for a moment until I see Nathan’s no longer in the car. He’d clearly taken advantage of the fact that I was distracted.

Pursing my lips, I huff in annoyance that he got to open my door again, but I quickly swallow it down and grab my bag before climbing out. I’ll just need to do better, it seems.

I follow Nathan to the front door and can’t help but hear the sound of shock that leaves my lips when he simply turns the handle and opens the door.

No way they don’t lock the door!

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