“The coyote didn’t mean to pee on Dad’s shoes!” Leo defends, and a laugh tears from my throat, imagining Evan’s less-than-impressed face waking up to a sneaker full of coyote urine.
“Still doesn’t mean he liked it, kid.” She sticks her hand out to me as she reaches the porch. “Hi, I’m Gracie, Evan’s sister.”
“I’m Flo, this week’s nanny,” I joke with a light tone, and Gracie’s lips flatten.
“Yeah, Evan is… hard to please in that department.” Her eyes slice over to the fort, and she releases a whistle in admiration. “Wow, good work, kid. I’m impressed.”
“Flo helped!” Leo can’t wait any longer, and he drops to his knees and crawls into the fort, splaying out on the couch cushions we’d thrown in there to make it more comfortable than just lying on the hard decking.
“Do you need help bringing anything inside?” I gesture down to the bag full of ribs, steaks and burgers and hitch a brow up. “Carnivore only diet?”
“Oh, no, I’m helping supply the meat for the Storks’ team barbecue tomorrow. Ironic to be given that task as a vegetarian, but the boys need to get their game fuel somehow, huh? I’m good, though, thanks.”
I have no doubt the team eats like animals, so I hope Gracie has more meat where that came from because that’s definitely not going to be enough.
“I hope Evan’s being easy on you.”
A casual shrug rolls my shoulders. “He’s being…. Evan, I suppose. He was in a rush this morning and left a little early, or maybe he just didn’t want to spend any more time with me than necessary, but we’re just trialling it for the moment, ” I say with a chuckle. “But I’m not here for him, I’m here for Leo.”
Gracie stands a couple of inches above me, and I’m considered relatively tall for a woman, standing at five feet seven. She’s slightly intimidating, and I’m not too sure why. There’s just something about her that screamsI don’t like people easily.
“Well, that’s a first.” Her lips curl slightly.
“What is?”
“Someone being here for Leo rather than Evan.” She keeps her voice low so Leo can’t hear us. “It’s not usually what happens around here.”
I understand Evan is a good-looking man, but do people really go to the trouble of applying for the nanny position just to be in with a chance of hitting it off?
“I mean, he’s a grown man who can look after himself. He doesn’t need a babysitter.”
I’ve never liked the idea of being a housewife. It just doesn’t appeal to me. Over my dead body will I wake up at the crack of dawn to fold a man’s laundry, or get ontomy hands and knees to clean the whole house while they sit around and drink beer all day.
Sure, I have maternal instincts, and I’d love to have a family one day, but I’ll do it alongside having a job because the thought of relying on a man to pay the bills, while I cook and clean, isn’t something I want. Others might, and that’s fine, but working has always been something Iwantto do.
Gracie snorts. “Tell that to the countless women who’ve only taken the job in an attempt to jump into bed with my brother.” She shivers, disgusted with the thought. “It makes it easier that you two aren’t crazy about each other. It means Leo will remain the priority.”
It’s not the first time my boss has disliked me, so it doesn’t bug me too much. Alexander constantly pitted me and my colleagues against each other for no reason other than entertainment. “That’s why I’m here.”
“Well, I’m here now, so you can clock off if you’d like? Evan was very clear about giving you free time when someone’s around.”
My eyes drift over to my cabin. It just looks so… lonely.
The sun’s also beginning to set, and any average person would take the time to go and visit a friend or head to the grocery store for a browse, but I can’t. My mind just won’t let me. Ever since… that night, the thought has terrified me.
It would be the normal thing to do. But I’m not in a hurry to do the normal thing tonight. I should spend the time researching and planning my six-monthtrip—I only have a certain amount of time to commit before the company closes the applications—but I want to put it off for the night. I’d rather spend time with Leo.
“I think I’ll help Leo with the fort for a little while longer if you’re okay with that?”
“You cool with that, Leo?” Gracie yells through the blankets, and we hear a loud, “Yeah!” in response.
She turns to me, laughing. “If it’s alright with him, it’s alright with me. I’ll be inside if you guys need anything.”
I watch her disappear, and I clamber inside the fort, the immediate humidity taking me off guard and making it hard to breathe.
“Flo, will you sleep out here with me tonight?”
“I don’t know, Leo, I’m not sold on the idea of a coyote peeing on my shoes. These are new.” I grin at him, gesturing down to my tattered sneakers, which are most definitely not new.
