Page 15 of Nanny for the Damaged Ex-SEAL

"Amy and Dad better be ready to make their own babies if she's looking for babies to spoil, because it's not happening over here."

She raises a brow. "They need grandchildren."

"And here you are to give that to them."

She laughs out loud. "Don't worry. We'll both attend each other’s weddings. And I'll be here to say I told you so.”

I love how positive she is. But unfortunately, that isn't the state of mind I'm in. I'm gradually becoming one of those people who think they’re better off alone. I can already envision my future with twenty cats. I've been nothing but faithful to the men I've been with. But what do I get in return? Heartbreak. I get spat on and told to take my badly broken heart back.

To change the subject, I decide to tell Bria about the job proposal. "Amy told me about a job opening."

Our food arrives and the waiter lays our plates before us.

Bria already has a spoon of soup to her mouth. "Really? A teaching job?" she asks, then dumps the soup in her mouth. "Mmm. This is so good," she says, chewing a mushroom.

"No, a nanny job."

She stops chewing. "A nanny job? Where?"

"At Connor's."

"Oh. The same Connor? Amy's cousin?"

"Mhm."

"But you two don’t get along."

"Exactly. How are we going to work together if we can’t even breathe the same air?"

"Is it a live-in position?"

I scoop soup into my spoon, but I don't put it in my mouth. "You know, I never got to ask her if it's a live-in situation. All I did was tell her I'm not interested."

"What's the pay like?"

"I didn't ask. But she said it pays more than my teaching job did."

"That sounds good. But are you interested in being a nanny?"

"I'm not sure. I've been searching for a job for a while now, and I guess I could do it for a change. But not with Connor. He's mean for no reason at all. I can't take that."

"If you ask me, I don't think he's as bad as you think he is."

"As I think he is? I know he's as bad as I say he is. Did you see how he treated me at the party?"

"I did, but I think he’s going through stuff."

"Was he going through stuff years ago too? This whole thing didn't start today, you know."

She sighs. "I know. But I can only judge off what I see. I think he's hurting. You know his wife died and he has to take care of his son alone. You'd feel the same way if it was you. I mean, look at you, grieving the loss of a cheating boyfriend."

"I'm not grieving the loss of a cheating boyfriend."

"You are. You've not really been yourself lately. All I'm saying is maybe give him the benefit of the doubt. He can’t be that bad."

He is,I murmur to myself, but I don't dare say it out loud. I know, and that’s all that matters.

Bria drops me off at the end of the night. “It was a fun night. Let’s do it again soon, okay? And please, give the nanny job a thought. I wish I could get you a job, but all the jobs I know of are ones you're not interested in. Everything will be fine, okay?"

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