“Yay, bath!” Bella cheers.
Laughing, I say, “Okay, I’ll be right back, but holler at me if you need anything. I’ll have my listening ears on.”
“Okay!” the girls say in tandem, already back in the thick of some intense mermaid pretend.
Apparently, the pink mermaids are trying to convince the blue mermaids to go on a quest to the land beyond the waterfall, but they’re scared.
Which is understandable.
A quest is not a thing to be undertaken lightly.
Neither is a nanny job, I’m starting to realize as I head downstairs, already feeling like I’m leaving a piece of my heart in the bathroom with those two squirrels.
Nine
CLOVER
I getto work cleaning up downstairs, my spiraling taking on a new flavor as I realize how much I dislike the thought of never seeing Bella and Ava again. That’s not a good thought. Not good at all.
I didn’t think I’d get attached this fast, but man…those girls.
They’re tugging on my every heartstring, and could they be any cuter?
Or sweeter?
Or smarter?
They’re really special little kids, and I’m not just saying that because I happen to know their father is one of the hottest men alive. Dean honestly has nothing to do with this. I’m saying it because it’s true, and because Bella and Ava are kindred spirits.
They’re my tiny sisters-in-arms, new recruits in the “My Mom Died, and I’m Still Just a Baby” club.
The worst club ever…
“Poor buddies,” I mutter as I quickly take care of the mess by the dishwasher, finish loading it, and start the wash cycle on “ultra-sanitize” mode.
I wish I could spare them the pain they’re feeling now and all the pain to come.
I can’t, of course, but Icanbe the nanny they need, the kind who understands exactly what kind of shitty epic quest they’re both on. They needme, not some other random nanny from the roster.
I’m not normally one to put too much stock in Fate or Destiny—I refuse to believe it was my “Destiny” to have my body ruined by a hit-and-run driver, for example—but there’s something at play here. Too many random events had to align perfectly in order for it to be me here instead of the woman who originally had the job.
If I hadn’t gone to meet the Hendersons early, if they hadn’t been ableist jerks who hate people with impaired bodies, if the other nanny hadn’t been willing to make a last-minute change, if Dean hadn’t been willing to do the same, then I might never have met Ava or Bella.
The thought is already enough to make my ribs clutch again.
And just like that, I know I can’t let Dean fire me. At least not without putting up a fight.
Before I can second-guess myself, I pull out my cell, typing out a quick manifesto on my way up the stairs—I know you were taken off guard this morning. And I know I probably wouldn’t have this job if you’d realized I was the one Tasha was sending.
But please don’t fire me, okay?
At least not until we can talk about this some more?
I think we can make it work! And I think it’s important that we try. Like I said the other night, I lost my mom when I was young. Just a little younger than Bella, in fact.
What I didn’t tell you is that it was hard. Really hard. It was something that affected me deeply for a long, long time, and caused a lot of pain and struggle. If I can spare your girls even a little of that, I would like to. And I think maybe I can. I’ve beenthrough what they’re going through, I can meet them where they’re at, and it just feels like I’m the one who’s supposed to be with them right now. To help in a way only someone who’s walked this road can.
I hope this isn’t overstepping, and I hope you’re having an easy drive to the airport. We’ll be here whenever you get back. No rush. I can already tell we’ll have plenty to keep us busy.
