Page 73 of Worst Nanny Ever
Hot damn. There’s our in. If Eugene made the pencil pot, he can remake the pencil pot. Maybe he can even write his invitation onto it!
Slam-freaking-dunk.
I consider my subject and come to the conclusion that he will also need a little more coaching before I send him back into the dating world with a pat on the back and a Hail Mary.
So I tip an imaginary hat to Mrs. Applebaum and head into the hallway. I figured Ollie would be playing on my phone, but he’s waiting outside with a solemn look on his face.
“How good is your hearing?” I ask.
“It’s normal, I think,” he says, “but you’re pretty loud.”
Out of the mouths of babes.
“Let’s get that gum out, Ollie. I know someone who’s aces at getting gum out of hair. In fact, he’s done it for me on more than one occasion. We’re gonna go see my brother Liam.”
I text Travis, filling him in on the situation, and ask him to head home before band practice to hide the spoils of our toy store trip, so they’re not all sitting out on the table when we get back. I may not be the best nanny ever, but I’m guessing it’s a bad idea to give a kid a dozen presents on the same afternoon he shoved someone.
Travis:Dammit. Is he okay?
Me:Getting gum out of hair is Liam’s special talent, and if he can’t do it, I’ll give Ollie a haircut. I give a mean haircut.
Me:What I’m saying is that either way, I’ve got this.
Travis:Thank you.
Travis:Should I cancel practice tonight?
Me:Nah. Go. You need it.
Then I text Liam, asking if he could help, and he immediately responds. Probably because I haven’t suggested any hangouts for weeks.
Liam:Yup. Bring him over. I’ll get out the oil and peanut butter.
I’ve missed my brother. Longed for him.
But I’m still figuring out who I am as just Hannah, not half of the unit who helped raise Connor.
I’m also working through the rest of my anger about what happened at Big Catch. I hadn’t thought my friends would abandon me like that. Like I was nothing to them. It brought back a lot of hard memories. Maybe it’s also made me feel more attached to Ollie. Because we’ve both learned the hard way that people can just walk away from you. They can be there one day, a bitter memory the next.
Of course, my brother carries that same burden, so I’ve made sure not to completely cut him out of my life, even temporarily. I’ve been texting with him, and whenever he calls, I answer.
I wait until Ollie and I are in the car to ask what happened with Mickey.
“He said something mean about Travis.”
“It was nice of you to stand up for your dad,” I say, feeling a swell of emotion in my chest. “But we can’t just walk around shoving everyone who annoys us. If someone aggravates you, you give them a piece of your mind, without any violence. Besides…I think this whole war with Mickey might be based on a misunderstanding.”
“Oh, there’s no misunderstanding. He’s made it very clear that he doesn’t like me.”
“What if that’s because he thinks you don’t like him?”
“Idon’tlike him, Hannah.”
I hold back a laugh. Truthfully, I’m biased and think anyonewho messes with Ollie is automatically a twat, but I’ve been reading a few nanny blogs about teaching valuable lessons, and unfortunately they’ve rubbed off on me.
“I have an idea,” I say. “Why don’t we watch someTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesat Liam’s place while he works on your hair problem?”
“The movies aren’t very good. The special effects make them look like monsters.”
