Page 38 of Nanny for the SEALs

I sighedas the sun settled. I was hungry, but the whole idea of leaving my room and bumping into Pete was too much to bear. I was so embarrassed by my outburst and the way he told me the truth, and I let pride stand in my way. I’d managed to not only upset one brother but two in the first month of me staying here. Great going.

I toyed with the keyboard until I did what I wanted to do. Then I remembered having a couple of candy bars in the side closet. I went to grab them, and stuffed them into my mouth as I drummed up the courage to call Mom.

I should have called her weeks ago. I’d done it once in a while since I’d been here, but every time we talked, she asked if I was happy, if I’d made the right move. I’d usually change the conversation and hang up the phone. This was the real reason I needed to find courage to speak to her. I needed to not only hear her voice, but to tell her something I should have done a long time ago.

I dialed her number, then stood and paced before I sat back on the bed.

“Katie, is that you?” I heard her screech as I moved the phone away from my ear and put it on speaker.

“Yes. It’s me. This is my number.”

I really need to stop being so defensive.

“I know. It’s just I tried it a couple of times and it went to voicemail, so I thought maybe you changed your number. And besides, Will said to me, no one in L.A. listens to their voicemail, they all Insta or something like that…” She laughed, and I could picture her playing with her hair. Mom sounded as nervous as I was.

“No. I haven’t changed. Still same number. Must have been busy.”

“Hanging out with all your friends, I’m sure. Is it always a party there?”

She had this vision, one I’d created when I first came here. We went out to parties, ones we weren’t invited too, until they found out and threw us out. The fun times. The idea of being here and not thinking this was all a big mistake never entered my mind. How things change in such a short span of time.

“Katherine? You still there?”

It felt weird hearing her call my full name. Ben had told me that it made me sound like an old-maid, which was why I started telling everyone my name was Katie. Even when I did give them my ID. I told them I preferred being called that name.

“Yes,” I whispered.

“I haven’t heard from you for nine months. I just didn't want it to be another eight before I heard from you again.”

Had it really been that long?

“I’m here.”

I felt guilty, as if the candy I’d been eating was about to come up my throat again. I hadn’t called her in nearly a year, and when I did call, she was nervous about me not calling her again.

“I was just coming in myself. I’d been on a date.”

I choked, happy for the change in direction. “Date. You? No way, who with?”

She chuckled. “I do have some life left in me. Do you remember Ken, the guy who fixes the car all the time?”

“The one who always fixes the car for free, cause he has a thing for you? Of course, I remember him. How’s he doing? And his daughter too, Sarah. How’s she doing?”

“Oh, fantastic. She’s applying to med school. She’s loving college life and comes home regularly. She always asks about you.”

Again, the conversation changed. Sarah, the one who Ben constantly picked on at school. The one who begged Mom to talk to Ben, to see if the bullying would stop. Our town wasn’t small, but it was big enough for bullies like Ben to be seen as the popular guy who could do whatever they wanted and people like Sarah, the intelligent ones, to be classed as boring.

“That’s nice.” I sighed as a chill crept down my spine at the idea of Sarah asking about me. Probably hoping Ben had dumped my ass and given me a little taste of my own medicine.

“I want to hear about your date.” I smiled as I rolled my head back on the pillow and listened to her talk about Ken. It was weird, her talking about him like that, then again, talking about any man. I tried to remember as she said, after all these years he just came out and asked her out. Something Ben said he should have done a long time ago.

Men like that are cowards. They deserve to be single.

I agreed when Ben called him that, knowing full well the reason why Ken had struggled to ask Mom out. He was a widower, like Mom, and he had raised Sarah by himself. Something admirable, but Ben took it as a sign of weakness.

The man who stole from women.

Broke my heart.

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