Page 75 of Worst Nanny Ever
“You’re not making a good case for yourself right now.”
He nods. “Go on.”
“But you owe me one good favor. A really freaking juicy one. I’m going to ask you to do something, and you’re going to do it, no questions asked.” I pause, then shake my head. “No, screw that. You owe metwogood favors. One for dating my friend, and the other for putting me in an impossible position.”
He considers this, then nods. “That’s fair.”
“You’ll do anything I ask, twice.”
He nods again. “Anything you ask. Twice.”
“And you’ll never, ever, in a thousand million years date another one of my friends.”
“Nice to know you think so highly of me, Han.”
I glare at him, and he laughs.
He looks like our mother when he laughs. He knows this, which is one of the reasons why he doesn’t do it much.
“Okay, have it your way,” he says. “I’ll never, ever, in a thousand million years date another of your friends. You know, you’re supposed to put the bigger numbers first, the smaller ones second. Besides, the human lifespan is?—”
“I don’t care, you agreed. Now, let’s shake on it and then get that gum out.”
He grins at me and holds out his big mitt, and I feel something settle inside of me. It’s been harder than I realized to keep this distance between us. Liam and I didn’t even tell our brother we were at odds, because it would only worry him, and he’s got enough to worry about, running his own kitchen.
I shake hands with Liam, then pull him into a hug.
“Whoa, have you been working out more? Don’t become one of those gross bodybuilder guys. I’d have to pretend I don’t know you.”
“I’ve had lots of time on my hands, since I haven’t been running your pointless errands,” he says.
I shove his arm, and just like that, we’re good with each other again.
It doesn’t hurt that everything turned out okay after the huge fallout from the Margaret situation. Sure, I lost some friends, but Travis was right: if they’d been true friends, they wouldn’t have turned their backs on me for something that wasn’t my fault. And, yeah, I stepped away from a job I loved, but if I hadn’t done that, I wouldn’t be working with Ollie. I wouldn’t have gotten to know him and Travis as well as I have,and I probably never would have met the powerhouse that is Eugene Peebles.
We head back out to attend to little King Ollie, who’s enjoying his setup.
Liam’s good with him, not that I expected anything less. He probably sees Ollie as a version of our little brother, or maybe even me—another kid abandoned by the people who were supposed to care. I used to see Ollie that way, too, but that has changed over the last couple of weeks. I don’t just care about him because he’s in the same position we were in all those years ago. I love him because he’s Ollie.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
TRAVIS
Drake, the guy we just auditioned, gives us a two-fingered salute, grinning like he thinks he’s God’s gift to the guitar, and heads out the door without looking back, offering us a perfect view of his party-in-the-back hairstyle. I’m guessing it would give Hannah hives.
None of us say anything for a few minutes—our usual habit after the colonic cleanse guy overheard Bixby bitching about him. Good thing, too. I’ve got the feeling this guy is probably listening in at the door, waiting for us to sing his praises.
I start wiping down my gear. I have a different kit here, so I don’t need to pack it up, but a drummer takes care of his drums.
When it finally feels like enough time has passed, I glance over at my friends. “He wasn’t a good fit.”
“Are you kidding?” Bixby protests, pissed and making no attempt to hide it. “He was awesome, Trav. You’re the one who wasn’t playing right.”
His words hit me like a fist to the gut. He’s right. My heart wasn’t in it today. I’d gotten to practice late after heading home to hide the presents, and I’d arrived in a shitty mood. Drake was already jamming with the guys, and it had felt like I wasinterrupting something—like they were the unit, and I was the outsider.
A dumb feeling, because it’smyband. They’remybuddies, and he’s a stranger none of us know. But there it is.
The truth? Drakeisgood.
