Page 60 of Worst Nanny Ever
“Iwantthem to eat me,” Constance says. “I’ve always loved the phrase sleeping with the fishes. I figure this is my big chance.”
Dottie catches sight of us. She gives us a luminous smile as she tugs over a chair, the feet screeching. “Join us, Eugene, please. We’re all eager to get to know you better. Right now,we’re discussing what we’d like our loved ones to do with our remains after death.”
Eugene gives me the pleading look of a man on the gallows. I could save him, but what better way to force him to practice his social skills than to push him into the middle of an impossible conversation with a few strangers?
“You’ll do great, Eugene. I’ll be in touch.”
He clears his throat. “Uh…ah…”
But then the door to the tea shop open, and Travis walks in.
He’s wearing a button-down shirt, the sleeves rolled up to reveal his muscled forearms. There’s a smear of powdered sugar on his cheekbone, and he has the look of someone who just survived a battle…barely.
“Who’sthathot hunk of heaven?” asks the fourth woman, Ann, famed for her lip-reading abilities.
“He’s my boss.”
“Sign me up for your employment agency,” she adds with an appreciative look.
“Ann, you’ve got to stop taking all that ginseng,” Constance says with an eyeroll.
“Ginseng?” Eugene says as Travis reaches us, coming to a stop beside me. I can feel him there, his presence sturdy and unshakable. I have an insane urge to wrap my arm around him and soak up some of that energy, but I restrain myself.
Dottie pats Eugene’s hand. “It gives a wonderful kick start to the libido. I’ll be sure to make you a nice tea blend so you can prepare for meeting your lady.”
“Well, this has been fun and all,” I say, “but duty calls.”
“Aren’t you going to introduce us to your friend?” Ann asks.
Ginseng,Constance mouths to her.
“Of course.” I gesture to him. “This is Travis. He enjoys playing the drums, making rules and schedules, and…actually, I’m drawing a blank, Travis. Do you enjoy anything else?”
He gives me a dark look, then says, “Walks on the beach and piña coladas, naturally. And glitter.” He turns to face the Wise Elders’ Club. “I’ve already met Penny, Dottie, and Eugene, but who are you lovely ladies?”
I smile at him, impressed by his hustle. Without thinking, I reach up and swipe away the sugar on his cheek. His skin is warm, and even though it should have been a lightning-quick maneuver, my finger lingers on his cheek until his gaze tracks to me, deep and searching.
“Are you smearing something on my face, Hannah?” he asks, deadpan.
“I was wiping somethingoffyour face. It’s these new nanny instincts. They’re impossible to turn off. Anyway, we should get going. We have a lot of work to do.”
“Is that what they’re calling it these days?” Ann quips, making it perfectly obvious what she means.
Eugene’s mustache twitches. “I have a lot to learn about the modern working world.”
“Goodbye, dears,” Dottie tells us. “Don’t worry about Eugene here. He’s in excellent hands.”
He shoots me a slightly panicked look, and I feel a bit like Travis probably did when he dropped Ollie off at school that first day.
“You’ll do great, Eugene,” I say. “I can tell you’re someone who has a comprehensive body disposal plan.”
Travis smiles at me, shaking his head slightly, and then we turn to head out of the tea shop.
I’m not sure whether I imagine it, or feel it just because I want to, but it feels like his big, callused hand is hovering just over my lower back as we leave.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
TRAVIS
