“Hurry up, dear. Zane may prefer chocolate chip, but he’ll eat your blueberry pancakes if he has the chance.”
“Be right there!”
I wait until I hear her footsteps retreat down the hall before making my way out of the bathroom. I expect Boozer to rush me but he’s nowhere to be found.
“If you’re searching for Boozer, he’s outside,” Zane says when I enter the kitchen.
He hands me a cup of coffee and his mom cheers.
“Why is she cheering?” I whisper.
“Because I’m happy. Adele is Zane’s baby girl.”
I have a feeling she’s lying, but I am not digging deeper into the topic. I’m afraid to know why she’s happy and cheering.
“Good morning, Mrs. Raider.”
“Call me Jessica. You don’t refer to members of the family by their last name.”
“I’m not a member of the family.”
No matter how much I may wish it to be otherwise. I’m a family of one.
Jessica waves my comment away. “Of course, you’re part of this family. You’re Zane’s…nanny.”
“Mom,” Zane growls.
She bats her eyelashes at him. “What, dear?”
“Stop causing trouble.”
She clutches her chest. “Me? Cause trouble? I have six boys who cause trouble.”
“Where do you think we learned it from?”
She giggles and returns her attention to the stove, where she’s making pancakes. I inhale the sugary scent into my lungs and moan. “Those smell delicious.”
“Are you hungry?” she asks. “Did you have an arduous night?”
“Enough, Mom,” Zane orders. “Sloane is my nanny. She’s not my girlfriend.”
Those words pierce through my heart and threaten to break me in two, but I hold strong. He’s not wrong. We are not a couple. He certainly didn’t make any promises last night before he whipped off my pants and made me climax in his mouth.
“Nevertheless, she should come to Christmas at our house.”
“I don’t want to intrude.”
Zane squeezes my hand. “She’s right. You should come to Christmas at our house.”
“No.” I shake my head. “Christmas is for families.”
“And since you don’t have any family, you’ll be celebrating with us.”
I close my eyes to stop the pain from hitting me at his words. They’re true, but I don’t need a reminder.
“I’m working on Christmas.” I nearly forgot all about my job atRumrunnerat the invitation. No one’s invited me over for Christmas since I was a teenager and Mom flew off to Miami to spend the weekend with her boyfriend.
“Rumrunnerdoesn’t open until the evening on Christmas. You can spend the morning and lunch with us before you go to work.”
