Page 12 of The Secret

Payton perched at the end of the couch opposite me, tucking her long legs underneath her. Most of her thick dark hair was twisted up in a knot on top of her head, but as always, there were still some long tendrils which had escaped, falling down the side of her face and framing her perfect cheekbones. She was one of those people who looked put together no matter if she’d just woken up and thrown on whatever she’d found on her floor – which she usually had – or if she’d spent four hours getting ready, which she’d rather die than do.

We’d met on our first day of college, where we shared the same dorm, and courses. Both studying English Literature, we’d become best friends by the end of our first class after Professor Higgins spent the entire session talking about the cleanliness of pigs, having drastically veered off the topic of George Orwell’s Animal Farm,and we’d struggled to hold in the giggling.

“You can stay here for as long as you need.” She sipped on her own margarita, wincing. “Oooh, I think I put too much tequila in this.”

I chuckled at her reaction, and sighed. “Thank you, but hopefully I’ll find somewhere else. I have six weeks. I just really,reallydidn’t want to be traipsing around in the cold to find another place to live. I had plans the next few weeks; we were going to go out, I was going to start dating again, seeing as I don’t have to study all hours of the day and night anymore, and now I have to change them. I love you for offering though.”

“You’re welcome. You know the couch always has your name on it when you need it.”

“I know. You can always come apartment hunting with me again,” I added, with more than a little hope in my voice. It would make it more bearable if I wasn’t on my own.

“Of course,” she scoffed. “I need to make sure we’re closer together this time. Maybe I can persuade Mrs. Kellerman upstairs to finally move into her son’s house, and then you can have her place.” Her eyes lit up and she clapped her hands together. “Ohmygod, that would be amazing! Like college, but better.”

“Think we can start on her today? Take her one of these,” I waved my empty glass around at her, “you’d only need to give her half before she signed it over.”

She leaned forward with the jug and refilled my glass with no objections from me. I’d decided it was acceptable to get drunk before noon under extenuating circumstances, and eviction certainly qualified as that.

“Yeah. We’ll finish this and I’ll make a fresh one,” she grinned.

I took another large gulp.

“Urghhhhhh.” My head fell back against the back of the couch, still smarting at the situation I was in. Reaching underneath me I discovered the culprit of what was digging into my shoulder – a well-thumbed copy of a mafia romance with a naked, tattooed torso - Payton’s current literary obsession - and dropped it on the floor. “This is so frustrating. I was supposed to be looking for a job, not an apartment.”

Payton and I had graduated together six years ago, and while she’d gone straight into work for a publishing house to begin her dream of becoming a book editor, I had stayed on, earning my doctorate in Early Childhood Education. I hadn’t quite figured out what I wanted to do with it yet, but I did know I wanted a career where I’d be shaping the minds of the next generations. During those six years, I’d spent time teaching in an elementary school in Brooklyn and then moved on to become a part-time nanny to save more money while I studied. And I’d saved enough so that when I graduated I had some time for a few months while I figured out the path I wanted to take - as well as catching up on sleep.

Except that had all gone to shit at approximately ten thirty-two this morning.

“Still haven’t changed your mind about the Columbia position?”

I shook my head slowly. My old professor at Columbia had offered me a place as a research fellow on her program, and though it was a great opportunity and an honor in itself, I didn’t want it. Or, more accurately, I didn’t want to take the first job I’d been offered because I’d been her favorite student. I wanted to prove to myself all the years of study I’d put in had been worth it, which is why I’d worked so hard to save some money.

“No. Although now I’m thinking it’s good I have it to fall back on.” I slurped my drink. “But I probably shouldn’t be making this decision until I’m sober.”

A ringing stopped Payton from saying whatever she was about to, as I felt around underneath me trying to find my phone which was still wedged into the side of the couch where I’d thrown it.

“Hello?” I answered, without checking the caller ID.

“Hi, Kit, it’s Marcia. How are you?”

I immediately sat up straight, my drink sloshing over the side and down my top, and tried hard to make sure my tone didn’t convey the three very strong margaritas I’d just drunk on an almost empty stomach. Marcia was the owner of the nanny agency I’d been working for part-time while I studied. She ran a tight ship, like a stern English matron, and even though she couldn’t see me, she had a sixth sense for when someone was misbehaving. Not that I was misbehaving. I was twenty-eight and well within my right to drink a pitcher of margaritas on a Wednesday morning if I chose to. But still, I would never slouch in Marcia’s presence.

“Hey, Marcia, I’m good thanks. How are you?”

“Good, good. I’ve had an urgent request come in for you, for an interview this afternoon. It’s a brand new assignment. Can you do a call in an hour?”

I slumped back down slightly, though not enough that she’d notice through the phone. “Not really, no. I’ve graduated now and you know I’m taking a break from work before I make any more decisions. Can’t you offer them one of the plenty of other very qualified nannies you already have?”

“Kit, they’ve requested you. Just you,” she reiterated firmly, as though that explained everything, and making it clear she hadn’t listened to a word I’d said.

My lips pursed, because I knew I was on the losing end of a battle. This morning wasn’t going to plan, at all.

“How do they even know me?”

“It’s one of our current families. They remembered your résumé from when they were looking.”

I sighed. “Marcia, thank you, but I really don’t have time. I just got evicted and I need to look for a place to live.”

“This is live-in, so it’s perfect.” I could have sworn I heard her clap. “And they’ve doubled your salary for the short notice.”

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