She shoots me a big smile and turns on her heels, heading toward the hallway.
When I hear the door to her bedroom click shut, I walk over to the window facing Cal's driveway and confirm that Meghan's car is gone.
Chapter 30
Cal
Hannah and I are in her bedroom, putting away some of the new clothes and toys Meghan got her for Christmas.
"Did you have fun at mom's house?" I ask, noticing that she's being unusually quiet.
"I met my new nanny," she says as she folds the last T-shirt and tucks it into one of the cubbies in her closet.
"Nanny?" I repeat, just as the doorbell rings. "I'm going to go get the door, baby, but I want you to tell me all about it."
I head downstairs to open the door, feeling my blood boiling. Nanny? The idea that Meghan takes Hannah home only to leave her with a sitter instead of spending time with her is unconscionable.
"Hi," Elle says as soon as I open the door. Her hazel eyes meet mine, and all the tension I’d been feeling fades away.
I reach for her, pulling her into my arms. I kiss her lightly on the lips. "I missed you," I say.
"It's only been an hour," she says, wrapping her arms around my neck.
Her scent is a balm to my frayed nerves, and her gaze envelops me in peace.
The contrast between the feelings Meghan draws out of me every time I see her and how Elle has made me feel since the day I met her is jarring.
"You make me happy," I whisper in her ear as I pull her even closer.
"You make me happy, too," she whispers back, her smile growing wider.
"Where’s Hannah?" she asks, looking around the room.
"She's upstairs, putting some clothes and toys away," I respond, taking her by the hand and guiding her to the couch.
I pull her down next to me, and after glancing down the hall to make sure Hannah’s still upstairs, I turn to Elle. "Get this," I begin. "Hannah just told me she met her new nanny."
"Okay," Elle says, clearly confused.
"Hannah’s never had a nanny," I say. "Meghan doesn’t have her enough to warrant paying for one."
"What are you thinking?" she asks.
"I think Meghan is up to something," I say. "Hannah didn’t call her a babysitter—someone you'd pay forty bucks to watch her for an evening. No, she called her a nanny. Something more permanent."
"You might be reading too much into it, babe," she says, squeezing my hand gently.
I shake my head, my mind already drawing some logical conclusions.
"Come with me," I say, standing and gently pulling Elle to her feet. "Let's go question my five-year-old."
Elle chuckles. "Only if I get to play the good cop," she says, following me up the stairs.
***
"Elle!" Hannah exclaims as soon as she sees her.
Elle smiles, sitting on Hannah's bed to give her a hug. "Hi, sweetie! I missed you."
