Page 56 of Nanny and the Beast

"How could you have?" I say.

Emma worries her bottom lip between her teeth.

"Don't stress about it," I say. "She'll be okay."

She nods and picks up the cookie that Rosalie was working on.

"She's so talented," Emma says. "Look at this."

Rosalie was supposed to be working on a ghost. Instead of drawing it as a plain white blob with eyes, she made it in intricate detail. It looks like a woman in a white nightgown. The effect is both haunting and beautiful.

"She used to paint," I say, "but she doesn't anymore."

"Why not?" she asks.

I don't like this line of questioning. Emma Turner has been in our lives for two days, and she already knows way more than she's supposed to.

"Because Rosalie and Mommy used to paint together," James answers softly.

He pushes aside his plate of cookies, done with eating. A sudden gloom has descended over us like an invisible fishing net, trapping all of us against our will.

Losing someone you love is never easy.

Just when you think you can finally move on with your life, the aftershock hits you when you least expect it. It paralyzes you while shaking up everything around you.

But moving forward is the only choice.

I clear my throat. "Shall we go shopping now?"

13

EMMA

There's a small army of bodyguards at the mall.

"This is a joke, right?" I turn to look at Mr. Sinclair.

"Do I appear to be amused?" he replies.

"This is some POTUS-level security," I say, walking toward the mall entrance. Ten massive guards are standing on either side of the entrance. They're dressed in civilian clothes, but it's apparent that they're armed.

"As I've mentioned before, I don't take the children's security lightly," he says, pursing his lips. "And neither should you."

There's an edge to his voice that silences me.

There's no trace of the man sitting at the kitchen table decorating cookies just an hour ago. This man is all business. His eyes scan the surroundings even though there's nobody else here but us.

The children don't notice anything odd about this situation. This is normal for them.

"How did you manage to have the entire mall evacuated?" I ask. There's truly not a single person in sight.

"I own this town," he replies matter-of-factly.

"And I can see it's done wonders for your humility," I say under my breath.

We enter the department store. Only two sales staff members are present, and neither of them makes eye contact with me.

"We have twenty minutes," Klaus says, glancing at his watch.

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