Page 18 of Beguiled and Broken

*

The doorbell rang and before I could go open it, people just started walking in.

“Yo!! The party has arrived. And by party, I mean me.”Who the hell is this guy?Before I could speak, Vinny rushed and bumped past me, laughing.

“Shut it, you joker. I would say come in but…” they were all laughing. I cleared my throat. “Oh, Cat. Hey, this is Carter, one of my best friends and his wife Lex. You guys, this is Cat…uh Catarina, our nanny.” I stared at Vinny as he introduced me.

“Oh hey, Catarina. Nice to meet you.” Carter shook my hand and was very welcoming. Lex on the other hand not so much.

“Nice to meet you, Catarina. How did you find this gig?”

Why does she care?“I used to work at the restaurant with Vinny. I decided to go back to school to become a nanny and that’s when Bianca said she really needed someone to help take care of the kids while she’s running the boutique.”

“And you were there, right on time. That’s super convenient.”

“Lex…don’t start.” Carter said and gave her a look like this is something he’s used to her doing. That’s fine. I could handle little miss nosey.

Lex rambled on, “What? I’m just curious about our new friend here. I can’t wait to learn more about you over dinner. Assuming you’re staying for dinner?” I thought,Ok, Lex...whoever. You want to do this, let’s do this.

“Yes, I am. I did make it, after all.” Everyone had gotten quiet. I probably didn’t need to throw in that last bit, but I was done with the pissing contest she was in with me.

Vinny cleared his throat. “Let’s head over to the table. Has anyone heard from Hudson? Is he coming?”

Carter spoke up, “Nah, man. I did try and get him here, though. I think it’s almost time for an intervention. Cole and Darla will be here pretty soon.” I wondered who Hudson was. Vinny and Carter kept talking and I listened to try and learn as much as possible.

Vinny looked sad and said, “Hudson...poor guy. It’s almost fall. Maybe we can do a bonfire at your place or somethin’ and pull him out of that house. Something’s gotta give. I know he’s strugglin’ but life is passin’ him by.” Vinny was always so sweet thinking about others.

The doorbell rang again, so I went and opened it. “You must be Cole?”

“Hi. Yeah, and this is my friend, Darla.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Catarina, the nanny.” I smiled at them, shook their hands and led them into the dining room.

Bianca was pulling dinner out of the oven. Shet set it on a hot plate on the table while everyone seated themselves, laughing and talking. I kept noticing Lex staring at me.Stay calm, Catarina. You can handle this. Remember your story.I knew it was going to be an interesting dinner.

Chapter 12

Bianca

Family dinners with our friends always grounds me and makes me feel connected and grateful. I looked around the table and said, “Hey everyone! Thanks for being here. I love it when we get a chance to come together, even if itislast minute. I wish Hudson were here. Boys, get to work…” I looked at Vinny, Carter, and Cole. They nodded, knowing they needed to pull him out of the house more. “By now, you’ve all met Catarina. Cat is our nanny and she’s been doing an amazing job with the kids as I run the boutique and Vinny runs the restaurant. I’m so grateful you’re here, Catarina.” I raised a glass in a cheer to her, to which everyone toasted. “Please, eat, everyone.”

We passed the food around the table, everyone dishing up their own plate. Lex leaned over to me in a half whisper, “B, who is she?”

“She worked at the restaurant with Vinny. It just kind of worked out.”

“Well, she’s gorgeous. What do you know about her though?”

I tried to be discreet while talking to Lex. She’s always so protective and suspicious of everyone that isn’t part of our immediate circle. I love her to death though. I told her, “Well, I know Vinny trusted her enough when she was working at the restaurant, so that worked for me.” Lex made a face that told me she wasn’t buying it.

“Listen, I just think you should know more about her than the fact that she used to work at the restaurant. She’s taking care of your kids and living in the same house as your husband.”

“I hear you loud and clear babe.” I winked at her. She wasn’t wrong, but I trusted Vinny, and Catarina was great with the kids and taking care of the house.

Lex turned to Catarina and said, “So, Catarina, tell us a little bit about you. I’m sorry that I don’t remember meeting you at the restaurant, even though we’re regulars.” Lex really wasn’t afraid of anything. Everyone got quiet and looked at Catarina. She set her fork down, grabbing a napkin to wipe her mouth before she spoke.

“There isn’t much to tell, really. I worked at Leonardo’s with Vinny for a few years before I decided that I wanted to go back to school for childcare, specifically to become a nanny.”

Lex goes in again, “So no family? Friends? And you’re our age, right? Or close? What made you want to be a nanny now? I mean, seems like perfect timing when these guys needed someone you were right there.” I was getting nervous for Cat with Lex grilling her, but I was also curious what Cat’s response would be.

---