I stopped at the edge of the porch as she helped Audrey out of the car, then Alice.
Woah, that was a lot of makeup for two little girls. And those dresses were ridiculous.
From the expressions on their faces, Audrey and Alice agreed with me. Two little matching thunderclouds who were far from happy.
They looked like tiny beauty pageant contestants, and the sight of it made something ugly twist inside me.
“I know, right?” Natascha was still on her phone, adjusting Alice’s dress with one hand. “Anyway, babe, I have to run. Dropping the girls off. Love you, mean it.”
She ended the call and glanced up, her eyes landing on me for the first time.
Her whole face transformed.
“Oh my GOD.” She walked towards me, her heels clicking against the concrete. “Hi! You must be the babysitter!”
“Emily,” I managed, trying to smile. “Nice to meet you.”
“Natascha.” She was close now, too close, her eyes scanning my face with an intensity that made my skin crawl. “Wow. WOW. Your bone structure is insane. Like, you could literally be a model. Have you ever thought about it?”
“Oh, um, well, I?—”
“No, seriously, you’re stunning.” She was circling me now, actually circling me like I was a project she was assessing. “Very natural, very clean girl aesthetic. That’s so in right now. The no makeup look? You’re literally living it.”
I looked past her at the girls. Alice was tugging at her collar, while Audrey had her arms crossed, her jaw set in that stubborn way that meant she was not happy.
“What’s your Instagram?” Natascha pulled out her phone, already swiping. “I need to follow you. Oh! We could do a collab! My followers would die over you. I could totally help you build your platform.”
“I don’t really... I’m not on Instagram much.”
Her head snapped up, eyes wide with genuine shock. “What? But with your looks, that’s like... such a waste!” She was typingnow, rapid fire. “Here, let me give you my handle. I have three hundred and forty thousand followers. I do lifestyle content, mommy influencing, beauty, fashion.” She looked up, her smile bright and plastic. “I could introduce you to my photographer, my injector. Not that you need it, but preventative Botox is key, trust me.”
“That’s really kind of you, but?—”
“Just one quick pic for the gram!” She was already moving beside me, holding up her phone at that practiced selfie angle. “My followers need to see this face!”
“I should really get the girls inside.” I stepped back, putting distance between us and her camera before she could take the picture. “They probably want to get changed and have dinner.”
“Oh. Right.” She lowered her phone, slightly deflated. Then she turned toward the girls, her smile snapping back into place. “Okay, babies! Come give Mommy kisses!”
She crouched down, her arms open, and both girls trudged over. The goodbye kisses were careful, precise. Air kisses that didn’t actually make contact, probably to avoid smudging Natascha’s lipstick.
She smoothed down Alice’s dress. “You both look so beautiful today.”
“Bye, Mommy,” they chorused, their voices flat.
“Love you, love you!” She blew them more kisses as she moved toward her car, already pulling out her phone again. “Emily, so nice to meet you! Let me know if you change your mind about that collab!”
Then she was in her car, talking on her phone before she’d even started the engine. She backed out of the driveway, her attention already somewhere else entirely.
The three of us stood there in the sudden silence.
“Well,” I said finally. “That was?—”
“Can we take this off now?” Audrey’s voice was small, her fingers pulling at the ribbon in her hair. “It’s itchy.”
“I hate this makeup,” Alice announced. “It tastes yuck.”
“Let’s get you guys inside and cleaned up. Sound good?”
