“I don’t want to talk later,” Jillian said tersely.“Say whatever you are going to say now.”
Cat arched her brow.“I’m sorry.I don’t take orders from little girls who deliberately inconvenience adults.”
“I’m not a little girl,” Jillian gritted.
“But you are when you act the way you did today.That was incredibly immature.And to take Olivia with you?Dangerous and selfish.”
Jillian’s cheeks flushed.“That’s not very nice.”
“It’s nicer than what I want to say but I’m really trying hard not to hurt your feelings and make you cry.”
Olivia’s eyes widened and she glanced at her sister.
Jillian’s chin notched up and her lips pressed flat.“You’re a terrible nanny.”
“So I’ve been told.”Cat nearly smiled.
This whole battle of wills was almost funny—now that the girls were safe.It hadn’t been funny, earlier though, and Cat still hadn’t decided what to say to Rhys.She would tell him, that much she knew.He needed to know.He needed to make sure the girls understood that Cat wasn’t going anywhere, and that she was the boss when he wasn’t around.
At the same time, Cat sympathized with the girls for struggling with Christmas without their mom.It was not just the first time that they hadn’t been with her for Christmas, but it was the first time they weren’t at home.
Christmas without both of your parents didn’t feel much like Christmas at all.Never mind the fact that Rhys made the decision to take the girls to Derbyshire for their winter break.What were they supposed to do here, in the middle of nowhere, for weeks while he worked for a good portion of each day?
Worse, their beloved nanny Charlotte, the girl who had cared for them for years, before and after the divorce, was gone for their winter break, leaving them with a stranger for weeks.
An American stranger.
No wonder the girls weren’t happy.
Now that Cat could see the whole picture, she didn’t blame Jillian for acting out, but at the same time, she wished Jillian could find a less exhausting way to express her frustration.
Exhausting or not, Cat had a job to do, and she would do it.She wouldn’t hold a grudge, either.They were going to move forward after lunch and try, if possible, to start over.
Jillian reluctantly ate her sandwich and apple slices.Olivia carried her empty plate to the sink and rinsed it off.Cat nodded and smiled at her.
“Did you brush your teeth today?”Cat whispered to her.
Olivia shook her head.
“Go brush your teeth and then come down with a book.We’re going to read for a little bit by the fire.”
Olivia darted a look in her sister’s direction before confessing.“I didn’t bring any books.”
“What did you bring?”
“My phone and tablet.”
“Okay, then brush your teeth and come downstairs without your phone and tablet.I’ll see if we can find a deck of cards and play a game.”
With Olivia gone, Cat went to the table and sat down across from Jillian who was still slowly eating, doing her best to chew each bite for as long as humanly possible while staring at the wall.Again, Cat’s lips quivered and she desperately wanted to smile.Jillian’s acts of defiance were rather clever and hilarious, and if Cat were twelve going on thirteen, she’d want to be Jillian’s friend, or at the very least, in Jillian’s circle of friends.
“Olivia and I are going to play some cards when she comes back downstairs,” Cat said evenly.“Would you like to play with us, or read?”
Jillian didn’t even glance at her.“No, thank you.”
“It’s one or the other, Jillian.”
“I don’t want to do either, so no, thank you.I’ll just stay in my room.”
