"The what?"
"The thing the nanny drives – that orange SUV."
It wasn't a "nanny-mobile." It was the vehicle Cami drove to make sure Willow safely arrived wherever she needed to go. It was also what Cami drove whenever she had an errand of her own.
It was a basic company vehicle, not too fast and exceptionally safe. I'd had it painted orange so it would be easy to spot in a pinch.
The funny thing was, Cami looked cute as hell driving it.
She didn't look like a nanny.She looked like a college co-ed or the girl next door, the one you couldn’t stop thinking about, no matter how hard you tried.
Lately, I'd been thinking about her a lot.It was a problem.Even worse, she wasn't living next door. She was living in my house.
It was making me nuts.
Chase was still talking. "So Veronica catches up with Willow and Cami as they're getting into the nanny-mobile. And she explains to Cami that she's living nearby and wanted to say 'hi' to Willow, you know for old time's sake."
I didn't like where this was going. "And Camilether?"
"Yeah, for maybe two minutes."
"What do you mean?"
"This is where it gets good," Chase said. "So, after a minute or two, Cami tells Veronica that they're running late, and she cuts the visit short."
I frowned. "Not short enough."
"Not the way Veronica tells it," Chase said. "Anyway, Cami gets Willow settled in the back seat, all calm and friendly like the three of them are best buddies. But as soon the door shuts behind her—"
"You mean Willow."
"Right. Cami and Veronica are still outside."
I could almost see it. "Go on."
"So Cami pulls Veronica aside –behindthe vehicle, where Willow can't see – and she tells Veronica that if she ever bothers Willow again, she'll have her hiney hauled away, pronto."
I paused. "Hiney?"
"It's another word for 'ass.'"
"Iknowwhat 'hiney' means."
"Are you sure?" Chase said. "Because you look confused."
I wasn't confused. I was unsettled, even more so when Chase went on to tell me that somewhere along the way, Cami called Veronica a "lunk-blaster" and kicked her in the shin.
I waited several beats before asking, "Why the shin?"
"Hell ifIknow," Chase said. "Why the lunk-blaster? What the fuckisthat, anyway?"
Now it wasmyturn to say it. "Hell ifIknow."
"Well, it wasn't a compliment."
No shit, Sherlock."What gave it away?" I said. "The kick?"
"According to Veronica, there wasn't just kicking." Chase grinned. "There was slapping, too."