Page 7 of Crush
“Listen, Estel. I don't think this is going to work out anymore.”
“Huh.” Estel took a second to let that sink in. “You sure, Shea?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, okay. Do you need time to find a replacement first or anything …?”
“No, I think I'll just pay you the last of what I owe you.”
“Okay.”
I have to admit, I wasn't entirely sure about firing Estel. I was expecting her to plead to keep her job, or at least ask what went wrong—and maybe I'd reconsider. But the fact that she didn't even try to fight for her job told me all I needed to know.
The search for a decent nanny continues.
Chapter 3
Brynn
Brad the paramedic was excitedly telling me about the gory details of his day thatprobablyweren't appropriate for a dinner date. Luckily for him,I was having a hard time hearing the actual words coming out of his mouth—I was engaged in an epic debate.
Should I tell him?
God, Brad looks so young.
Heisso young.
There's no way he'll be ready to hear this.
But how much longer am I willing to invest in a guy if he can't even talk about kids?
Indecision: it's enough to drive a person crazy.
I tuned in right at the tail end of Brad's spiel. “Anyway, that wasmyday trying to save some poor dude's life. Pretty crazy turn of events, eh?”
“Yeah, um, sounds like it.”
Brad gave a sturdy shrug. His features were so boyish and young—he was only two years younger than me but could've lookedfiveyears younger if not for hissleek, military-style haircut. He wore a high and tight, with the sides of his head shaved, and only a shock of hair at the top.
“Enough about me, though,” he said, wiping a hand through the air. “So now that you're moving on from the Gibsons, what areyougoing to do?”
“Er? What am I going to do about what?”
“I mean, maybe you'll want to take some time off? Rethink things, maybe?”
“Rethinkwhatthings?” I asked, genuinely confused.
“I don't know.” Brad took a gulp of his beer. “Maybe you'd like to go back to being a personal trainer? Or maybe you'd like to go to school and study something else? I mean, you don'treallythink you'll be a nanny forever, do you?”
Oh. Is that what this is about? What's up with people being judgmental about my job today?
“Iprobably couldbe a nanny forever,” I said, and I'll readily admit that I might have sounded a tadbit defensive. “Would that really be a problem for you?”
Brad realized he'd stuck his foot in his mouth. “Hey, I'm not saying it'sbadto be a nanny or anything like that.”
Yet everyone seems to want to imply it,I thought to myself.
“And I can tell you're a badass nanny, Brynn. I'm just trying to say that it must get old, taking care of other people's crotch-spawn.”
