Page 19 of Knot Just Their Nanny
He answers straight away. “Hey.”
“Hey. So, I’ve gone over the statements. It’s not looking good, mate.” Why beat around the bush? Pleasantries aren’t going to make the money issues go away.
“Fuck,” he sighs. “How bad?”
“Pretty bad. There’s got to be cutbacks, but I don’t think Zara is one of those.”
A silence that is almost deafening.
“It’s a lot of money,” he mutters.
“I know, but without her, you can’t go to work. So, we have to be practical here. She gives you the time to get back on track. Yes, it might end up a lean month or two while your salary catches up again, but she is a necessity you can’t afford to lose.”
“So where then?” The desperation in his tone rips at me.
“I need to dig deeper. In the meantime, don’t be reckless. Stick to the basics. Yeah?”
“Yeah,” he says. “Thanks, Henry. I know you’ve got better things to do with your time than help me figure this shit out.”
“No, actually, I don’t,” I chide him gently. “I’ve got the expertise to do this, and you need someone who can see the wood for the trees.”
“Thanks,” he whispers and hangs up.
I sigh. I wish I could’ve given him better news. He needs a second income, but from where? Christ only knows.
I blink, focusing on the picture of me, Liam, and Benjamin down by the lake before Mia was born. Thick as thieves, even aftershetried to undermine our friendship. I refuse to call her by her name. She doesn’t deserve that respect. What she did was despicable, and if I ever see her again, I won’t be responsible for my actions.
Tamping down the anger I feel over this situation, I inhale deeply, and then I have a Eureka moment.
“Fuck!” I snatch up my phone again and dial Liam on video call.
“Yeah?”
The TV is on in the background, too loud, and he’s staring at it, not me.
“Give me your full attention, dickhead, this is serious.”
He picks up the remote, turns it down, and faces me. “Who died?”
I grimace at him.
“Oh, fuck. Who died?” he asks, panicking.
“No one, you idiot. But Ben is in deep shit.”
“Why? Did that cunt come back?”
“No,” I growl, “and she’d better fucking not.”
“Then what?”
“I have a proposition for you. Hear me out before you say no, okay?”
“I don’t like the sound of this.”
“Hear me out?”
“Okay,” he capitulates.
