I walk up the porch stairs to the doorway, and let myself in.
As soon as I step through the front door, I immediately sense the energy is…different.
Different than normal, and different than what I was expecting.
A quiet night in?
I hear laughter coming from the main dining room.
I slowly walk in the direction of the merriment.
When I pull the door open, I am surprised at what I see.
I am walking in on a dinner party in full swing.
There are about 20 people around the table, drinks clinking and conversation flowing. My eyes scan the room. Finally, they land on Reid, who looks guilty as sin. The only other person I recognize is… Chef Gabriel Aranda sitting to his right.
“Naomi, what are you doing back so soon?” Reid wipes the corners of his mouth with the napkin in his lap, then stands up and walks over to me.
I speak so only he can hear me. “I wasn’t feeling well so I decided to come back home.”
“Really? Should I call my doctor? He makes house calls.”
I look at him with a straight face. “It’s New Year’s Eve. What doctor is going to be available to make a house call tonight?”
“My doctor,” he says, as if the idea that his doctor would be unavailable tonight is ridiculous.
“Well, that’s great, but I think this is something I just need to sleep off.”
“Who is your friend?” The blonde woman sitting to the left of the chair Reid just vacated asks.
Reid turns around and addresses his guests. “Everybody, this is Ms. Naomi Davidson. She is Ethan’s nanny.”
Ethan’s… Nanny.
IamEthan’s nanny.
And we’re not serious enough for him to introduce me as anything else.
Still, that introduction struck a nerve.
“Well, why don’t you come back to the party? I’m sure Naomi can keep herself busy.” The blonde woman flips her hair over her shoulder.
“She’s right. You should get back to your guests.”
“Naomi—”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll take care of myself.” My voice is curt. He knows not to argue with me.
He sheepishly returns to his seat. The blonde woman immediately pushes out her chest and rubs his arm as she resumes her conversation with him.
I roll my eyes and turn to walk out of the room. Just as I’m approaching the door, a thought flashes through my mind.
I should introduce myself to Chef Aranda.
Take matters into my own hands.
This, after all, is the opportunity I’ve been waiting for.