I am silent in thought for a moment then I say, “No, you’re not fired. However, I am not confident in your abilities just yet. I’ll have Ruth watch over you for the next week or so to make sure you do indeed rise to the occasion.”
“Is that really necessary?” she asks with a sneer.
“I think it is.” I give her my fakest smile.
That earns me another eye roll, but this time she doesn’t try as hard to hide it. “Well, then I guess I’ll be heading out now. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
With that she turns around and walks away from me.
I know I was a little hard on her.
Stephanie’s first day was 10 times worse, but I need to keep this sassy little girl in her place.
I think she will do. Yes, I think she will do very well.
5
NAOMI
Ihave to say I’ve surprised even myself.
By some miracle I’ve managed to get the hang of this whole nanny thing. I have little Ethan wrapped around my finger. I mean, he still does have his moments, but I feel like that’s to be expected with a toddler. For the most part, he and I get along like a house on fire. The boy is adorable, and in many ways he is wise beyond his years.
Maybe that has something to do with his father’s insane schedule, but I will never admit that out loud.
It’s only been a week and everything is going fine. I have to admit, before I started, I had a serious case of imposter syndrome. Can you even call it imposter syndrome when you’re an honest to God imposter? I was living in fear that I would be found out at any moment, but that’s a worry of the past.
I’m moving right along, faking my way through my days like my life depends on it.
And Reid has no idea.
Now, I just have to bide my time until I get the opportunity to present myself to Chef Aranda.
Tonight,I am working a shift atAlchemy, the bar where I work part-time. I got my first weekly paycheck from Mr. Harris earlier today, and I can totally afford to quit bartending, but I’m not going to do that. Although I’m making way more than I have ever made at any one job in my entire life being Ethan’s nanny, I’m still new at that job. I don’t know where it’s going to lead, so I’m not ready to burn any bridges just yet.
So, I will continue to wither away slowly atAlchemyuntil I am more secure, either in my position as Ethan’s nanny, or as Chef Aranda’s protégé. Plus, it’s another source of income. The tips are great, and it’s not theworsttime burden I guess; I work evenings, 8 pm to midnight.
“So how are things going with the bazillionaire?” Morena, the other bartender on my shift, asks.
“Things are going fine. I’m just the nanny, so it’s nothing exciting.”
She whistles. “I can’t believe you’re wasting such an opportunity.”
I laugh. “Can youpleasestop with this?”
She groans. “I’m serious! I can’t believe you. The man is richer than God. If you marry him you’ll be set for life.”
Wiping down the counter, I say, “Although that may be true, I would rather be a billionaire than a billionaire’s wife.”
“Yes, so would I, but you’re not going to become a billionaire being a bartender. So, the next best thing? Marry a billionaire!”
I roll my eyes. “That’s not the next best thing. Plus, it’s not like I can command him to marry me.”
“Oh my God. Let’s end this conversation right now, because I am afraid I’ll be tempted to knock some sense into your head, literally.”
And that’s exactly what we do, end the conversation. And it’s perfect timing, because the foot traffic starts to pick up at that same moment
.