Page 75 of Late Nights & Love Lines
“That’s not the adjective I had in mind,” I say grumpily. “But yeah. We’ll be back later tonight.”
18
ORPHANAGE FOR LOST SOULS
ROWAN
“Some people pay good money for hair that color,” Seren grumbles as she carries the cleaning supplies to the next stall.
“They do when they ask for it,” I reply. “You’re lucky Leo is accepting this as reimbursement.”
“Aren’t there child labor laws or something?” she asks when she enters a stall and gags. “Why are boys so gross?”
“That, my dear, is an age-old question. When you’re done with this bathroom, you’re done for the day. But you’ll do this daily until the end of July.”
“Did you tell my dad what you’re making me do?”
“This is much more lenient than I would have doled out.” Sebastian’s voice echoes against the metal dividers of the stalls. He can’t see Seren from where he’s standing, but I can.
Her little body freezes, and her face crumples, making me think this might be the first time she’s ever really been in trouble.
“What were you thinking?” Sebastian yells. “I understand that this is hard for you, Ser. It’s hard for us all. But lashing out isn’t the answer. You’re lucky those women aren’t suing us.”
The little girl slams the stall door closed and locks it.
Sebastian’s face shows his shock. His jaw is still reaching for his chest when he stalks toward the stall, and even though it’s not my place, I hold up my palm, and he stops immediately.
“Talk to her later,” I whisper.
He stares at me for long moments with his jaw twitching and the vein in his throat throbbing while I prepare myself for when he inevitably tells me to go to hell. But it doesn’t come, and after an intense stare-off, he spins on his heel.
“Find me in my office the second you’re done, Seren. Don’t make me come to you.”
The toilet flushes, and Seren exits the stall, washing her hands and studiously avoiding eye contact. But I catch her reflection in the mirror—it’s a mixture of sadness, regret, and rage.
Crap. She’s not done—I recognize the anger swirling in her pretty green gaze.
“What else do you have planned?” I ask gently.
This catches her attention, and she defiantly lifts her chin. “Nothing.”
“Seren, I thought we had an agreement. You said you’d tell me, and we were going to prank your dad instead. What changed?”
“What does it matter?” she yells, catching me off guard.
“I know you’re angry, but you don’t get to be disrespectful. I’m on your side here.”
She scoffs and pushes the mop bucket toward the exit. “That’s the biggest lie of them all. If you were on my side, you wouldn’t already be planning your next job. I heard you talking to your boss this morning—you can’t wait to get away from us.”
“What?” I ask, genuinely surprised. I did speak to Lottie this morning. She said she wanted to schedule a meeting to discusssomething big for my next assignment, but nothing’s set in stone yet. Is that what Seren heard?
“Forget it. I didn’t expect you to stay. You’re all just like her.”
Seren’s words knock me back a step, and it doesn’t take a genius to guess why, but the worst part is, she’s right, and it hurts so damn bad. How can it hurt this much after only a few weeks?
She slams the door on her way out, but I stand mute.
I’m not her mother. I’m not even her real nanny. I’m a stranger helping out for a couple of weeks. She couldn’t have grown attached in such a short amount of time—could she?
