Page 79 of The Nanny

“What in the world?” I find myself asking for at least the fourth or fifth time as the final curtain goes down. “I still can’t believe this was a school play—wasit a school play? Is Isla secretly some kind of famous actress, and I just didn’t know about it until now?”

He laughs as we rise to our feet to give the cast a well-earned standing ovation. “The performing arts department is top notch here. It should be, considering the astronomical amount they charge for tuition.”

I’m still in a state of shock as the crowd starts to filter out of the auditorium. “I’ve never seen anything like that. I’m so proud of Isla. She did an amazing job.”

“She really did,” he beams, ushering me toward the door. “It might be a little while before we get a chance to see her, though.”

“Oh? Why? Should I go back there and see if she needs help changing out of her costume?”

“No, didn’t I tell you? There’s a reception immediately after this for the kids—dinner, awards, the whole nine yards.”

“What? Really?” I’m shocked all over again for the second time in as many minutes. “I mean, that’s great. I’m just… a reception? Like a big, fancy thing?”

He nods. “Yeah, a big, fancy thing. It’s pretty tedious for the adults but Isla will love it.”

A tedious, fancy dress banquet for children? This is the very definition of rich people's problems. I can’t even remember getting this kind of treatment when I was with the New York City Ballet.

I almost have to laugh at myself as we walk across the prep school campus. Am I jealous?

Maybe a little. It’s not hard to see why these kids are able to excel in life when they get treated like rockstars and royalty from the very beginning. But honestly? I’m not mad about it. Isla put in a lot of hard work and she deserves whatever awards or recognition she might get.

I just wish this was the sort of thing public school kids could experience, too. It would literally change the world after a generation or two.

“Oh, shit,” Keir stops in his tracks and I have to grab his arm to keep from falling over in my heels as I try to avoid crashing into him.

“What happened? What’s going on?”

“Sorry,” he says, reaching out to steady me without taking his eyes off whatever he’s seen in the distance. “It’s James.”

“No,” I gasp, craning my neck to see. “Seriously? Here? Why would he come to Isla’s play?”

I feel a momentary rush of panic when I spot him. I’ve tried to move past what happened the other night—or to at least avoid thinking about it for now—but the prospect of running into James again so soon after he nearly attacked me makes me want to turn around and run.

Keir makes an angry rumbling noise and I can see that James has spotted us. “He’s actually going to come over here. Un-fucking-believable.”

The pent-up rage is radiating from him and I’m seriously worried he might try to fight his brother right out here in the middle of this school campus.

“I still don’t understand why he’s here, though. What does he have to gain from showing up at a kids’ play?”

“Because this is what he does. This is classic James. He gets to score political points by coming out here and supporting his niece, showing that he’s part of the community and he cares about the kids—all that typical politician bullshit.Andhe gets to come here and taunt the two of us, knowing I won’t kick his ass at my daughter’s school play. It’s a win-win for him.”

I would have been hesitant to believe someone could be so cold and calculating, especially when it comes to a kids’ event, but I’ve found out firsthand just how horrible and nasty James can be. I wouldn’t put anything past him after what he did the other night.

Keir takes a step forward, planting his feet and placing himself between James and me. “Just stay right there,” he half-growls, half-whispers to me. “He’ll have to get through me first if he wants to say anything to you this time. Looks like he has someone with him, so he might actually be on his best behavior tonight.”

I’ve been trying not to look in James’ direction at all, but I can’t stop myself from glancing over to see who he brought as a plus-one to Isla’s play.

“Oh my God,” I suck in a sharp breath and take a step back before I even realize I’ve moved. “I know that guy.”

Keir looks over his shoulder to shoot me a confused look. “You do? How? From where?”

What fresh hell is this? Am I actually living inside a nightmare right now? “He’s, um, an ex.”

Keir’s brows knit together. “An ex what? Please tell me he’s an ex-con.”

My throat is closing up as I shake my head. “No, not an ex-con.” Lord, I can’t believe how quickly this night has gone from good to bad to worse. “He’s an ex-boyfriend. We dated back when I was in the ballet.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” he mutters. “This is a new low for my brother, and that’s saying a lot.”

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