Page 6 of 7+Us Makes Nine

I was going to be bombarded with it all damn day.

Three

Catherine

“I still can’t believe they fired you,” Natasha said.

“What a bunch of assholes. What the hell are they thinking!?” Emma asked.

“What’s done is done, and I’m honestly better off for it,” I said as I stabbed at my salad. “Because now, I can search for a job that makes me happy.”

“Were you not happy at Lawrence Day?” Natasha asked.

“I was. But it had its challenges just like any other place. I enjoyed it enough, but there are things I’d give up in an official school setting to have in a more private setting,” I said.

“Like what?” Emma asked.

“For one, those school lunches. I could make better lunches than that,” I said. “And all of the parent-teacher meetings after hours. My gosh. I need my evenings. That’s my wine-drinking time.”

“It sounds like you don’t want to go back to teaching at all,” Emma said.

“I don’t. I actually think I’m going to take the nannying route,” I said.

“Oh, you would be so good as a nanny,” Natasha said. “Your passion for helping children and educating them while keeping a relaxed schedule? Nannying is right up your alley. It turned out for me!”

“The only reason I didn’t pursue it in the first place was because I didn’t come out of college with enough references. It didn’t occur to me that nannying could be a position I could support myself on,” I said. “And that daycare? Don’t get me started.”

“That place was horrid. I’m surprised you didn’t report it,” Natasha said. “They had two cabinets full of unauthorized medication.”

“Which I threw out on an almost-daily basis,” I said. “And trust me, I reported them once I left.”

“You did?” Emma asked. “What happened?”

“They cleaned up their act before going right back to it, the last time I checked,” I said.

“That’s terrible. The childcare in San Francisco sometimes is despicable,” Natasha said. “It’s why I stay home with all the kids, and will for as long as I can.”

“Same here,” Emma said. “There are very few people I would trust with my children.”

“Any of you guys looking for a nanny?” I asked with a grin.

“Trust me, if I was you’d be the first to know,” Natasha said. “The one I’ve got helping though is phenomenal. You know she’s a trained masseuse as well? I take full advantage of that.”

“Yeah, I’m not massaging your nasty feet,” I said.

“Well, if you’re being serious, I am looking for a nanny that could come work for me. But it wouldn’t be a full-time position,” Emma said.

“Is everything okay?” Natasha asked.

“Oh yeah. Everything’s fine. I’m trying to get my own little business off the ground,” she said with a grin.

“Oh my gosh. Do tell,” Natasha said. “What is it? When are you starting? Is it one of those in-home ‘we throw parties and you buy shit’ kind of things?”

“No, no. Nothing like that. I’m taking on some writing gigs. Apparently, I’m pretty good at reviewing t

hings,” Emma said.

“You mean those Facebook posts where you slaughter other people’s products?” Natasha asked.

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