Page 19 of Blindside Beauty


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The mammoth hands me my glasses. “Here you are, ma’am.”

I sniff quickly and slide them on my face. “Thank you.”

“What the hell happened?” Nick yells to Meany Pants.

“I got locked out. Obviously. And your daughter would not open the door.”

Hmm. That’s technically true, but if Hazel couldn’t hear us banging, it wasn’t deliberate. “Um, Nick. Sorry to interrupt, but I was told Hazel was wearing headphones and listening to music, so I don’t think she knew her nanny got locked out.”

Meany Pants scowls at me, but I’m not going to let Nick’s daughter get in trouble for something that was clearly an accident.

Another firefighter, who looks like Clark Kent, comes out with a black pot that’s still smoking. “We got here in time. It helped that Wonder Woman here got the door unlocked for us quickly.” He gives me a wide smile, and I blink. Yeah, this guy definitely saw my boobs.

Awkwardly, I flap my hand. “Don’t give me too much credit. Nick got here in time with his keys.” If I had just waited another few minutes, he could’ve unlocked the door himself.

Paige hooks her arm in mine and peers up at the man. “Are you single? Because my roommate Abby is single.”

Um, no. This is not the way I want to meet a man.

But then Clark Kent reaches out to brush a strand of hair away from my face, and I freeze. This guy is flirting with me, right? That would be cool, except I don’t like strangers up in my space. I try to smile, but I’m sure it comes out more like a grimace.

In my peripheral vision, I catch Nick watching the interaction. Those bottle-glass-green eyes sweep over me, and it sends goosebumps down my arms, but when I turn to him, his jaw tightens, and he looks away.

* * *

“How are classes going?” my mom asks.

“Fine, but we haven’t even had a full week of school yet.” I set the books I’m going to need for tomorrow on my desk.

“Are you still waiting tables? You know how much I hate when you get out of work late from the diner.”

“I’m still working at Moe’s and keeping an eye out for other jobs.” And sometimes, when I’m feeling extra adventurous, I climb through stranger’s windows and flash the neighborhood. I shake my head at myself. I’m definitely not mentioning that to my mother.

“It’s a shame you can’t be a nanny.” She sighs. “I know how much you were looking forward to building a family with Ezra, but if you take care of children, that might really help fill the void.”

My throat gets tight. “That’s not why I want a nanny job. You know I love that show The Nanny Whisperer. It looks like so much fun, and I already love babysitting. It’s just more of that.” I’ve seen every episode except last season, but I’ve been too busy to watch it.

“Hmm.”

“Mom, there really isn’t a deeper reason other than I like working with kids.” My mother is a high school guidance counselor, and she loves to ferret out the root causes of problems. She’s like a damn hound dog sometimes.

“If you say so. Before I forget, your father said he wants you to help him format a Mathletes study packet. He says you always make his handouts look better.” My dad is an award-winning math teacher, which means he’s a bigger nerd than I am.

“Sure. Tell him to email it to me.”

“What about your trip? Are you still planning to go this winter?”

“That’s when the holiday markets are, so yes. If I can afford it.”

My mother hums again. “Your father and I don’t want you to go by yourself. Have you looked more into that exchange program?”

“It’s too late to apply for this fall, and you know I can’t swing a spring semester.”

She groans. “I hate that it didn’t work out for you. I feel like I failed you. A semester in Spain would’ve been hermosa!”

“I’m going to England, Mom. I don’t speak Spanish well enough to go to Spain.” My mother only knows, like, ten Spanish words, so I don’t understand why she wants me to go there. “Besides, it’s not your fault. I’m the dummy who transferred schools.” She warned me it was a bad idea. She said I’d regret losing credits. Did I listen? No.

“You know, I just spoke to Beth—”