Page 30 of The Surrogate Nanny

“This may come as a shock to you, but I was a kid once.”

Simone smiled and shook her head as she fixed our breakfast plates.

“My bad.”

“What do you have planned for the day? Thank you,” I said once she set my plate before me.

“I was thinking about taking Nori to the zoo.”

“That sounds lovely. Would you mind if I tagged along?” I asked, hoping she wouldn’t reject my company.

“I don’t have a problem with you going, but that’s a lot of walking, Anthony.”

“I’ll be fine. My leg just needs to wake up.” She eyed me skeptically as Nori picked at the pancakes on my plate. “I’m serious. I’ll be fine.”

“If you say so.”

I might have to take my narcotics to get through the day, but there is no way I’m missing the zoo with my daughter...and Simone.

Chapter Fifteen

Simone

My stomach teemed excitedly, even while Nori drenched me during her bath. Her father bathed her last night, but Nori thought giving her hair a yogurt mask treatment was a great idea. I wasn’t upset. I was too eager about the zoo. Nothing could ruin my day.

“Today will be your first day at the zoo, and I know you’ll love it. You’ll see penguins, sea otters, lions, and elephants. There are more animals than that, but those are my favorite,” I explained as I washed her face.

Why was I excited? Because for the first time in what felt like forever, I was happy.

Let me be clear: any time away from my child feels like forever.

I spent the next thirty minutes getting Nori ready for the big day. Usually, she rocked two ponytails, but I intended on her wearing a hat the entire day and left it down.

“You’re all done. Let’s go see if your dad is ready to go. I want to arrive before the heat gets too bad,” I said, kissing her cheek before heading downstairs. Halfway down, I caught sight of Anthony trying to fit a small cooler into the bottom of her stroller. I laughed a bit to myself and edged closer.

“I don’t think it’ll fit.”

He looked up at me, and his frustration faded, leaving a large grin behind. “Oh, it’ll fit. You two look adorable in your matching outfits. Sky blue looks good on you...on you both,” he complimented before returning to his task.

Don’t fall for it, Simone.

That was a phrase I’d consistently told myself for the past week. The unexpected rain showers forced us to postpone our zoo excursion, confining us to the house. I dreaded our involuntary confinement because, despite the 6,000 plus square feet, I couldn’t escape Anthony Powell.

My job as Nori’s nanny did not meet my expectations. I was fully prepared to be responsible for Nori’s day-to-day care and hadn’t expected Anthony to be so hands-on. When it came to Nori, Anthony and I did everything together, resulting in the three of us becoming closer. It was confusing, but I’d take our awkward co-parenting friendship over bickering and arguing.

“Do you need any help?” I offered, setting Nori down. She crawled toward him and grabbed onto the hem of his shorts for leverage. She pulled herself up and clung to his leg while he still attempted to fit the cooler into the bottom of the stroller.

“No help is required. I’m almost—got it!” Anthony exclaimed. He lifted Nori and hugged her tightly in celebration. “See! Didn’t I say I could do it, Little Shark? Even if it did take me,” he glanced back at the stove with a wince, “twenty minutes. That’s humiliating.”

I chuckled, took his arm, and led him to the couch. I forced him to sit despite his protest.

“It’s okay. Everyone struggles with strollers at least once in their lifetime. I’m convinced they’re an invention from the devil himself.” He shot me a grateful smile while playing with Nori. She slapped her hands on his cheeks, laughing while he made faces at her. “She’s never gonna let you stop doing that now.”

“I think we can all agree that Daddy deserves a couple of slaps.”

I really wish he would stop referring to himself as Daddy. It makes me...

I cleared my throat before launching into a mini lecture.

---