Cleo propped her elbows on the table and leaned forward, eyes sparkling with mischief. “So what’s the deal? Surprise pregnancy? Secret baby mama in the Alps? Or is he just running a private nursery out of his penthouse?”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “You’re unhinged.”
“Vi,” Imani breathed. “Be honest with us. This isn’t just a quick favor, is it?”
My fingers tightened around my water glass and Cleo and Imani’s teasing energy melted away.
I sighed, slumping back against the booth. “It’s… complicated.”
Imani reached for a sugar packet, rolling it between her fingers. “Yeah, babe. We figured.”
“It’s temporary.”
Cleo gave me a knowing look over the rim of her drink. “Uh-huh. How temporary?”
“End of the season.”
Imani let out a low whistle, dropping the sugar packet onto the table. “So you’re a full-time nanny for four months.” She let that sit for a second, then shook her head. “Be serious. You barely trust people to load a dishwasher correctly. You think you can just... hand a child back and be done with it?”
“Yes,” I said flatly.
Cleo squinted. “And this is definitely just about helping out?”
“Of course it is.”
Cleo made a thoughtful noise, stirring her drink with her straw. “Hmm.”
I leveled her with a look. “What does hmm mean?”
Imani drummed her fingers against the table. “It means we’re debating whether to believe you.”
“Believe whatever you want.” I huffed. “I agreed to help for a couple of months, and then I’ll be back to my actual life.”
Cleo tapped her chin. “And in your actual life, you famously hate drivers.”
“Exactly.” I pointed at her like she’d made my case for me. “I hate drivers. Hazel’s dad is no different.”
Cleo tipped her head, eyes narrowing. “Wait. What exactly is the arrangement here? Do you live with him?”
I sighed. “Yes.”
Both of them froze.
Imani’s brow shot up. “You—You live with Griffin Michaels.”
Cleo made a high-pitched sound in the back of her throat. “Under the same roof? With him?” She clapped a hand over her mouth like she’d just uncovered the biggest scandal of the year.
I rolled my eyes. “It’s not like that.”
Imani blinked at me. “Vi, you hate drivers. You literally call them feral.”
“Exactly.” I threw my hands up. “They are feral!”
Cleo let out a disbelieving laugh. “And yet you willingly moved in with the most insufferable one of them all.”
“I didn’t willingly move in,” I muttered. “It was… logistically necessary.”
“Wait.” Imani stared at me, her brows pulling together like she was solving a puzzle. “Oh, Vi.”
