Page 31 of Always Be Mine
His phone beeped, providing him with the perfect distraction from the conversation that was spiraling quickly out of control.
Everything’s great. Just waiting for Meri at school.
He tapped out a quick reply and tucked his phone in his back pocket.
“You know I’m right, Craig.”
His brother watched him with a smug expression.
“About the chocolate? Sure. But you’re not right about Lucy. She can’t live with me.” Even as he said it out loud, he knew it was going to happen. Because as much as he hated to admit it, his brother was right—again. It made sense for Lucy to live with them.
And there was no way he could tell Chase that the real reason he was so adamant against the idea was because he was attracted to the nanny. No. He wasn’t going to admit that to anyone.
Lucy finished responding to Craig’s latest text message and tucked her phone into the pocket of her backpack. She wasn’t annoyed by his almost constant check-ins—at least, notveryannoyed. It had to be strange to hire a nanny for the first time. Especially one who had no actual experience with childrenandhad quite literally applied for the job by not actually applying for it at all.
So, yes. She would be patient with Craig’s constant messages until he was a little bit more comfortable with the situation.
It was a beautiful day, with only a little bit of chill in the air, and to her surprise, the snow had all melted, so Lucy had decided to walk to the school to do the pickup instead of driving the short distance. She’d left early, unsure how long it would take her, but now she still had a few minutes before the dismissal bell was set to ring.
Normally, she’d flip through her phone, scrolling mindlessly through social media, but for the first time in a long time, the idea held very little appeal. Instead, she dug her phone out of the backpack once more and pressed the button to connect to her best friend.
“Hey. You caught me before work.”
“You’re working an evening shift now?”
“I’m working all the shifts.” Mandi laughed. “I don’t think anybody realized just how much work you did around here. We miss you.”
Lucy was pretty sure that wasn’t true for everyone. “I’m sure you’re filling the void just fine.”
“How’s the new job? You didn’t even tell me what restaurant you’re at. Do they even have that many places to eat in Trickle Creek? I’ve never actually been, but?—”
“Yes.” Lucy cut her off. “There are restaurants here. A few really nice ones, actually.” Instead of cooking for herself, Lucy had spent the last few evenings exploring the eateries of Trickle Creek. True, there wasn’t nearly the same selection as there was in downtown Vancouver, but what she’d experienced, she’d really enjoyed. “But I’m not actually working at a restaurant.”
“No way. I thought you were a lifer in the restaurant world.”
So had she. Once.
“Things change.” That was putting it mildly. “And you’re never going to believe this, but I actually took a job as a nanny.”
Mandi made a noise somewhere between a cough and a laugh. “Wait. I don’t think I heard you right. You took a job as a what?”
“A nanny.”
There was silence on the other end of the phone.
“Mandi?”
“Like a nanny for kids?”
“Just one,” she clarified. “But yes.”
“Have you ever actually been around a child before, Lucy? I mean, I’m not trying to sound rude, but…what the actual fuck? A nanny?”
Lucy had expected a reaction from Mandi, but she hadn’t been expecting quite so much incredulity. “Is it really that hard to believe?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Fair. I guess it’s a little different from what I was doing before.”
