Page 141 of Worst Nanny Ever
I grit my teeth.
We’re sitting at Travis’s kitchen table, drinking tea from a china set I can only assume Dottie brought over herself or purchased for Travis on an earlier occasion, because I’ve never seen it before.
“Thank you,” Lilah says, throwing a haughty look my way as if she expects me to repeat the compliment.
It’ll be a cold day in hell.
Logically, I know I can’t bitch-slap Ollie’s mom, but that doesn’t make me want to do it any less. I don’t just hate her for that little boy’s sake. I also hate her for what she’s done to Travis. This woman has caused him so much pain—first, for throwing him out like discarded tissue paper, and second, for hiding his son from him. She’s got a permanent place on my shit list.
“Dottie says that to literally everyone,” I say. Because if I can’t bitch-slap this woman, I can at least prick her ego.
Lilah glowers at me.
“Now, it’s natural for Hannah to be protective of her man,” Dottie says, nodding to me. “She should be. And she’s taken such good care of your son. He’s blossomed over the last few weeks. It’s been lovely to see.” She sets a hand over Lilah’s, and to my surprise Lilah doesn’t pull away. “We all want what’s best for Ollie. That’s what joins us together at this table.”
“I do want what’s best for him,” Lilah says. Her eyes look dewy with emotion, and I’m guessing she hopes there’s a hidden camera in the wall.
“Of course,” Dottie agrees. “And you also need to look out for yourself.” She takes a contemplative sip of tea. “Because if this goes to court, and the judge sides against you, you might have to pay child support to Travis. That could be a financial strain.”
“I don’t have an income,” Lilah says, pulling her hand away, her tone frosty again.
“Oh, you poor thing. Do you need help finding a job?”
I look at sweet Dottie in wonder, because damn, this woman is a force of nature. I already knew that, but here she is proving it to me again, in a different way.
“No,” Lilah says. “I’m in the middle of a divorce. My soon-to-be ex-husband is a very wealthy man.”
“I hope he gives you your fair share,” Dottie says, clucking her tongue. “I’ve been through a divorce myself. Did you sign one of those agreements?”
“Yes,” Lilah says. “But we were married for over seven years, so the settlement will be substantial.”
“That’s lucky, but when you’re doing your budgeting, my dear, make sure you consider that any assets you have will be considered by the court if they grant Travis primary custody. Their decisions aren’t solely based on income. One of my dear friends is a family law attorney here in town, and she has allkinds of stories. You wouldn’t believe some of the things I’ve heard.”
“He won’t get primary custody if I ask for it,” Lilah snaps, pushing her teacup away. “They always favor the mother.”
I snort. “Tell that to my father. My mother abandoned us too, for over a year. She came back, but the judge sided with my father. It’s a good thing, too, because she instantly took off again.”
“I’ve been gone for less than two months.”
I tilt my head, studying her. Seeing the uneasiness in her gaze. “Maybe,” I say, “but you also left him with someone he didn’t know. My mother left us with the man who’d raised us. I’m guessing a judge will have thoughts about that.”
“Oh, dear,” Dottie says, tsking. “Yes, you were lucky that Travis is such a good man. Plenty of the men I dated in my youth couldn’t be trusted with a houseplant, let alone a child. If he were less of a man, he might have treated the boy poorly as a kind of revenge.”
A hint of guilt flickers in Lilah’s eyes.
“Being a parent isn’t an easy job,” Dottie says ruminatively. “The work is never-ending, day in, day out, week after week, month after month. My niece wasn’t suited for it, and it hurt my heart watching her struggle to give her little boy what he needed. She left him with me, eventually, and I raised him with my whole heart. My boy has a family of his own now. I couldn’t be prouder of him.”
Lilah doesn’t say anything. She just takes a sip of her tea, her expression far-off.
“Now, drain that down, my girl,” Dottie says. “I have a talent for reading tea leaves.”
“You do?” Lilah says, and I can already tell she’s ready to be a true believer.
“Oh yes, it’s my calling.”
I watch Dottie closely, certain she has a plan, while Lilah gulps her tea down to the dregs and hands the cup over.
“I sense this is a very significant cup,” Dottie says, which is BS, but Lilah, who clearly thinks she has main character energy, perks up.
