Page 145 of Worst Nanny Ever
I need to talk to you right away.
We can get everything settled this afternoon.
Good.
I bristle a little that she still hasn’t asked to see Ollie again. It’s like she’s punishing him for not running to her with open arms.
Give me an hour.
I’d prefer to meet now.
I’m busy now. I’ll see you in an hour. We can meet here. [Drops pin for Tea of Fortune] Ollie’s there with Dottie.
Oh, good. I was hoping to see her.
Andour son?
Of course. That goes without saying.
It doesn’t, but I don’t want to get into a long, drawn-out passive-aggressive argument with Lilah. I have some “Blue River” to play for my girl.
When I get to Big Catch, I laugh at the printed sign on the door—CLOSED FOR A STAFF EVENT—and beneath it, written in one of the crayons they hand out with the kids’ menu?—
Welcome, Mrs. Applebaum!
I try the door and find it open. I don’t have to look very hard for Eugene, because he’s the only person sitting in the dining room, looking nervous as all get out in a button-up shirt, a blazer with elbow patches, and what I’m presuming are Hannah-selected horn-rimmed glasses.
I glance around to search for Hannah, but there’s no sign of her, so I head over to the man of the hour.
“Hey, Eugene,” I say as I get closer. “Looking sharp.”
“Good gracious, young man. You finally got a haircut.”
I laugh. “Yeah, It was about time. Where are Hannah and Liam?”
“Over here,” Hannah calls out in a whisper-shout that’s more of a shout than a whisper. I glance over and find a fake lighthouse, surrounded by decorative rocks.
“They’re hiding behind the lighthouse,” Eugene confirms. “They thought it might be more romantic if the music filtered out from behind it.”
I scan the bar for other staff. “You got anyone here to grab Mrs. Applebaum a drink, some food?”
“Liam offered to give us a tasting after you play the song.” He sighs heavily. “This is probably a terrible idea, though. Ihaven’t romanced a woman in years. The last time I went on a date, the woman tried to sneak out through the back door. They stopped her because they thought she was trying to dine and dash.”
“That’s exactly what she was trying to do.” I glance at the lighthouse, smiling, and look back at him. “If the chemistry isn’t there, you can’t fake it. But when you meet the right woman, it’s not hard at all. It sounds like you’ve had that feeling about Mrs. Applebaum for a while now.
“I think we can call her Moira off school grounds,” he says.
“Moira,” I say, nodding. “A beautiful name for a?—”
Frankly, I still haven’t had a single pleasant interaction with the woman, so I’m going to have to take Hannah’s word for it.
“—warm, loving woman. It sounds to me you’ve already made a good impression on her, Eugene. Just be yourself. Be open to possibilities.”
He gives me a severe nod. “I think my first impression of you was wrong, son. You’re not a long-haired hooligan.”
I open my mouth, realize I don’t have much to say to that, and give him a nod. “Thank you. I’m going to go hide behind the lighthouse now.”
A few seconds later, I start to round the corner, and I’m pulled the rest of the way by a small, surprisingly strong hand. Hannah pushes me up against the lighthouse and kisses me. Which would have been way hotter if her brother weren’t crouching next to us.
