“I’m impressed. Are you sure you don’t have a psychology degree?”
“No, but I did do some modules in early childhood psychology.”
“I hope you get to do that master’s degree of yours one day. I think you’d do very well.”
“Thanks. I hope so, but it’s a long-term plan because I really like being a nanny.”
“Have you ever considered part-time study? Is that an option?” he asked, his face scrunching slightly as if he was trying to remember something. “I think Hannah did her master’s part time… yeah, she did, because she didn’t want to stop working. Oh, that reminds me! I’m sure I mentioned it, but Hannah is back this weekend, so she’ll be taking Jack on Friday night and then dropping him off at nursery on Monday morning. She’d love to meet you, and I promise she’s not nearly as terrifying as I’ve made her out to be.”
I grinned. From everything I’d heard about Hannah, she was clever, sharp, no-nonsense, brilliant at her job, and most of the reason for Jack’s sass. “I can’t wait to meet her.”
There was a moment of silence and in the background, I could still hear Jack singing to himself from the playroom. Something about being a little bug on a wall, but with random additions from theRobin Hoodsoundtrack.
“Right,” Matty said, slapping his hands on his thighs. “I’m going to try and convince our frog prince to have a bath and then I’ll make us some dinner, and maybe we can watch something. I don’t suppose you’re a fan ofDrag Stars, are you? I’m catching up with the latest UK season at the moment. I got into it a couple of years ago when I took Jack to a drag story hour to support my teammate West’s boyfriend, and now I’m kind of addicted.”
“Er, yeah, I love that show. I’ll absolutely watch it with you! Also, does that mean Lincoln has a drag scene? I haven’t been to a drag show in ages.” My head was spinning from his sudden revelation, gleeful butterflies swirling in my stomach. I didn’t know if he realised how much he’d really said without saying it, but knowing there were queer members of his team he actively supported said so much about him as a person. Also, I needed tofind out if there were still drag story hours in the city because I’d love to take Jack to more of them.
Assuming Matty didn’t make it a regular part of their schedule.
“Awesome! And yeah, The Court is probably the best place to go because it’s a dedicated drag bar and queer club, but there’s a few other places that do things like drag brunch.”
“Okay, I know where I’m going this weekend,” I said. I’d have a look and see what was on and if I needed a ticket when Matty took Jack upstairs. It felt like ages since I’d been to a proper queer space, and it would be fun to see what Lincoln had to offer.
Last weekend I’d mostly done the touristy things like the cathedral and the castle, as well as having a good wander around the shops, with plenty of breaks in cafes, coffee shops, and restaurants to rest my joints, especially after climbing up Steep Hill.
And while I’d had a great time, I wanted to find places where I could let my hair down and be myself. Because even though I didn’t drink, I still appreciated a good night out where I could dance my butt off. I’d just need to make sure I wore the right shoes, and that meant insoles and ankle support, not flimsy soles or heels.
“You’ll have a great time,” Matty said, shooting me a smile as he walked around the kitchen island. “Right, I’ll be back in a bit. And if water starts coming through the ceiling, maybe call the Coastguard.”
“Aye, aye, Captain,” I said as I watched him go, pulling my phone out of my pocket and turning it over in my hand. It would be crossing major boundaries to ask if he wanted to come with me on Saturday night. He was supposed to be my employer, nothing more.
So why did I want to do it anyway?
CHAPTER TEN
Matty
“We know your secret,”Mason said, sitting down beside me with a piled-up lunch tray while West, Jonny, and Devon sat down around me, boxing me in. The four of them were virtually always together, and while occasionally they reminded me of a group of ginger cats sharing one brain cell or the penguins fromMadagascar, they were a good bunch.
Except for the fact they were incredibly nosy and interfering, and while Danny and Charlie might be the biggest gossips on the team, nobody was as curious as Mason.
“Oh? What secret is that?” I asked, tucking into my curry and trying to pretend I wasn’t sweating bullets. Sure, they might not always be the most observant but if something piqued their interest, the four of them would figure out what was going on in two minutes tops.
As long as it didn’t relate to their personal lives—then they all needed a nudge in the right direction.
But since they’d all found themselves in very happy relationships, they seemed to have decided, as a group, theyneeded to get involved in everyone else’s. It was like having a resident group of nosy nanas, except all of them could squat double their body weight and two of them were built like tanks.
“You have a new nanny,” Mason said in a low voice, leaning closer so we wouldn’t be overheard. I froze.
“What makes you think that?”
“Are you really going to make him list out the evidence?” asked West with a wry smile as he scooped some of his enormous portion of rice onto his plate.
“Evidence?”
“Obviously,” Devon said. “We have a list.”
“Wouldn’t be much good confronting you without it,” Jonny said, shrugging casually.
