Page 146 of Worst Nanny Ever
“Jesus, Hannah,” he mutters under his breath as I pull away to grin at her.
“That’s a hell of a welcome,” I say, hugging her close before I let her go.
“You sounded like a greeting card when you were talking to him,” she whispers. “It was so heartfelt I nearly started crying again.”
Liam grunts and rolls his eyes. “Let’s get this over with.”
He hands me my guitar case. He’s already got his out. The plan is to start with a performance of “Blue River,” and then Liam will use his phone to put on a playlist over the sound system.
“I talked to Rob about you,” I tell him as I pull my guitar out.
“Yeah?”
“We’re grateful you’re willing to stand in. Can you practice over the weekend?”
“Probably. Unless Hannah tells us we have to follow this old guy around and sing to his date,” he whispers gruffly. “Let me see your fist?”
I flex it, then show it to him, flinching a little at the pain that radiates through it.
“I’ll have to teach you how to throw a punch,” he says with a grunt.
“I’m hoping I won’t have to put that knowledge to much use.”
“Maybe not, but it’s something a man should know.”
“How about blocking a punch?” I ask. “Can you teach me that in case you decide to beat me up some day?”
He grins at me. “If I decide to do that, my friend, all the angels in heaven couldn’t save you.”
Hannah stamps her foot. “Come on, guys,” she whisper-hisses. “Stop this posturing nonsense right now. She’s going to be here any minute.”
Speaking of…
“Hey,” I say, grabbing her hand. “I have to leave soon to meet Lilah at Tea of Fortune. She says she’s ready to talk.”
She raises her eyebrows. “But you still came here?”
“I wasn’t about to let you down. I know how much this means to you. Besides, if she’s serious about having a realconversation, I want to have it, but it can’t just be on her terms.”
She squeezes my hand. “Thank you.”
The front door creaks open, signaling a new arrival, and all three of us freeze like deer caught in the headlights. Hannah peeks around the lighthouse and then starts doing a little dance on her feet, her eyes full of excitement.
“Eugene?” I hear Mrs. Applebaum say with wonder. (Sorry, Eugene, I don’t have it in me to call her Moira.) “Is that you?”
“It is,” he says. “You look breathtaking.”
Hannah turns to us urgently, holding her hands in a heart shape over her face and pulsating them.
I grin at her, because sheshouldbe proud of her work.
There’s a sound of a chair being pulled out, and then Eugene says, “I realize this invitation probably seems like it came out of the blue, but I’ve…admired you for years, Moira. Of course, I never would have said anything about it while you were married. I shouldn’t have said anything while we were working together. I’ve been beating myself up about it for years. But the truth is, I’ve always thought very highly of you.”
Liam gives me an amused look, because I said the exact same thing to him about Hannah a week ago, in this very room.
“And I’ve always thought very highly ofyou,” she says. “I didn’t say no because I wasn’t interested. I have tremendous respect for you, Eugene. You’re a man who believes in attention to detail. Why, the hedgehog you gave me was immaculate. Much better than the one Mr. Roberts gave me. It’s too bad it was broken, but?—”
“Broken?” Eugene asks, his tone piqued.
