Page 40 of Falling for the Nanny

He raised his eyebrows again, but his mouth hardened. He still hated it when I questioned him about Lily.

“It’s a lot, David,” I said, trying to make it sound like an appeal instead of a criticism. “She works so hard all year. Don’t you think she deserves to relax over the summer? Recharge?”

“She’s not a battery, Cat.” His voice was as close to a snap as it had been since we began sleeping together. It stiffened my spine.

“Exactly,” I said, putting steel in my voice. “She’s a seven year old child, and it’s her summer vacation.”

David threw an impatient glance at his Model S. He was too busy for this conversation right now, but I was hoping that would work in my favor. How hard would it be to agree to let her drop a class or a team?

His eyes still simmered and snapped with irritation when they returned to mine. “I thought I made it clear, Cat. When it comes to my daughter, I call the shots.”

“And no one else’s opinion matters?” I waved my hand at the door. “Not even hers?”

David’s mouth was already open to state unequivocally that my opinion definitely didn’t matter, but he stopped at that. He looked toward the door as if we could see Lily in the back of the house, finishing up her breakfast. “Lily likes staying busy,” he said finally. “She’s like me.”

“Maybe, but she also likes having a say in how she stays busy. Like you.”

Clearly aggravated, David tugged at the knot of his tie like it was too tight. My heart leapt when he bit off the word “fine.” I thought he was about to agree that she could drop something, but instead, he reached for the door handle. “Let’s ask her.”

“She’s not going to tell you she wants to drop something!” I cried before he could open the door. “She worships you, David.”

He was already opening it and stalking back toward the kitchen. I followed, knowing exactly what was going to happen.

Lily looked up at him, wide eyed, the last bite of toast still in her hand. “Dad?”

“Lils, do you have any objections to your summer schedule?” he asked in the same breezy, offhanded way a customer service agent at an airport would ask if you had any explosives. With every expectation that the answer would be an emphatic oh no, of course not.

And that was exactly what he got. He didn’t catch the hesitation, or the look Lily threw at me first. He just heard the confirmation he expected and said, “Great. I’ll see you tonight, Lils.”

This time, I didn’t bother following him down the hall. There was no point. Instead, I sank down in the chair opposite Lily and put a bright smile on my face. I didn’t want her to think I was disappointed that she hadn’t told him the truth. I understood completely. David was a hard person to disappoint.

“So kid, what’s your summer bucket list? What’s something you’ve always wanted to do?”

She glanced toward the pool, shimmering like a blue jewel in the green nest of her expansive backyard. “Well,” she said slowly, “I really wanted to go to Busch Gardens with Mackenzie and her mom last year, but…”

Lily trailed off, probably unable to remember which club, class, or activity had derailed that plan. “Great, let’s go.” I jumped up. Busch Gardens was a drive, but it was only 8:30, and we had to capitalize on these last few days of unencumbered summer. “Let’s ask Francesca if she wants to come.”

Francesca decidedly did not. “I’ve been trying to find time to plan a little trip,” she said when I invited her. “I’ll do that while you two are out.”

I went back to the pool house to put on my bathing suit underneath my shorts and t-shirt. When I opened the front door again, I found Lily bouncing on the front step. She had rapidly changed out of her pajamas and even had a small fanny pack around her waist. It was partially unzipped, and I could see a tube of sunscreen and a few packets of electrolyte drink mix. A laugh and a knot of love tangled in my throat. At seven, I never would have thought to pack anything other than my Tamagotchi and maybe the book I was reading.

“Let’s go, let’s go!” she chanted, springing around on her thin legs like a frog. I grinned at her. She’d never looked more like a seven-year-old than she did then.

“Hold on, I haven’t packed my sunscreen yet.” I propped the door open and doubled back. “And I don’t even think I have electrolyte mix.”

“I brought enough for you, too,” Lily said, tucking a packet in and pulling the zipper closed. She followed me, still bouncing. While I got two bottles of water from the small refrigerator, she bounced around the perimeter of the room. I was still looking for a good bag to carry when suddenly, she stopped.

“Hey, are these my dad’s cufflinks?”

My heart lodged itself in my throat. Heat washed over my face, and I was glad I was facing away from her. Surely the guilt was all over it.

“Um,” I stalled for time. “Maybe? Are you talking about the ones on the table?”

Composing myself, I turned around to see Lily pick one up.

“They are,” she announced. “See? They have his company’s symbol on them.”

I hadn’t looked at them that closely when I was helping David get his shirt off, but now I could see the distinctive DKI logo stamped into the silver. “I guess they are,” I said, struggling to keep my voice neutral. “They’ve been there since I moved in.”

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