Page 40 of Bellini Born
Manipulating her hand, I curled her pinky around mine so that we could shake. “When we do this with our pinkies, that makes it a promise I can’t break.”
She mulled it over for a minute but finally nodded. “Okay.” Then she scurried across the room to join her classmates on the carpet.
Leaving the room, I latched the door behind me and blew out a heavy breath. The learning curve was steep when I had two little ones counting on me, and I needed to get my shit together. Fast.
As promised, I was early for pickup. Bouncing a bundled-up Serafina in the tightly packed hallway while those gathered awaited dismissal, I could feel eyes on me.
It wasn’t any wonder why. I was surrounded by upper-class suburban housewives who were dressed in a style more befitting the runway than preschool pickup, and I stuck out like a sore thumb.
When I’d gotten home after drop-off, there’d barely been time to feed Serafina before her nap. And that childfree hour was spent taking a shower, one where I didn’t bother to wash my hair, knowing I didn’t have the luxury to dry it before we had to leave again. So, the shoulder-length strands were thrown haphazardly atop my head, pieces already having been pulled loose by the strong winds during the short trek across the parking lot.
I looked like a hot mess in my leggings and oversized crewneck, standing next to women who wore custom-tailored outfits, had designer handbags draped over their forearms, and were decked out with enough diamonds to appear as though they’d robbed a jewelry store.
And if their staring hadn’t made me uncomfortable enough, then came the whispers, which weren’t very hushed. It was almost as if they wanted me to hear them. More likely, they just didn’t care if I did.
“Must be the new nanny for the Bellinis.”
“She’s so much younger than the others.”
“Think Matteo’s mommy shopping?”
“Probably more interested in getting her into his bed.”
“Lucky bitch. I’m stuck with a man old enough to be my father panting on top of me, and she gets the hot, virile billionaire.”
“I give it six months before he wifes her up.”
“I’ll take that bet. Wanna up the ante and place odds on whether he gets her pregnant first?”
One of the women snorted. “A man like that can get a woman pregnant just by looking at her.”
I bit down on my tongue hard enough to taste blood. Thankfully, before I lost the battle waging within me to give these women a piece of my mind, the door to the classroom opened, and a rush of children flooded into the hallway.
My eyes landed on Bianca, and it nearly broke my heart as an expression of relief stole over her face when she saw me waiting for her.
“Summer!” Her sweet little voice carried over the crowd as she ran toward me.
Keeping a tight hold on Serafina, I dropped to one knee. “Hey, girlie! How was school?”
With a bright smile on her face, she chirped, “Good! I got to be the line leader!”
“Well, aren’t you a lucky duck. What do you say we head home and have lunch?”
“Can we go to Clucky Chucky’s and get nuggies?”
I arched an eyebrow. “Does your daddy let you have fast food?”
Her head bobbed on an enthusiastic nod. “Papaalwayssays yes.”
My eyes lifted to the ceiling. “Why does that not surprise me?” Though I’d only observed a handful of interactions between Matteo and his eldest daughter, I could already tell he was a complete pushover. I mean, the man had let her paint his nails last night.
Rising to my feet, I extended my free hand for her to take. “All right. Just this once.”
“Yay!” Bianca cheered, bouncing along beside me as we exited the building.
That girl was a charmer, and if I wasn’t careful, I’d end up no better than her father, catering to her every whim.
We’d survived my first full week of nannying, so I’d planned a fun Friday night for the girls as a reward. After a little trip downthe internet rabbit hole, I landed on the perfect activity. It might be a little messy, but I had no doubt they’d love it.
