incredulous look said it all.
“I know!” I pulled my hand through my hair. “I have some explaining to do.”
“I think I got the gist of it. You live here. And you are not the nanny.” His voice echoed and bounced off the high ceiling of the garage.
“Are you mad?” I asked with a wince.
He shook his head. “No. I’m just surprised, I guess. Actually, I feel like a bit of an ass. I made a fool of myself complaining about these people, the rich people in this town, and you just let me. Then I find out you are one?”
“That, right there,” I said as I poked him in the chest, “is exactly why I didn’t tell you. I didn’t want you to lump me together with ‘these people’.” I used obnoxious air quotes to drive my point home.
“Uh,” his face clouded with confusion. “In case you haven’t noticed you are one of these people. You live in a freaking mansion. You drive a car that’s worth a small fortune.”
“Hold up. First off, the car was my dad’s. Phillip’s money has nothing to do with my car.”
“Your dad? So Phillip’s not…?” He left the question hanging there.
“He’s not my dad. I’m not a Calhoun. He married my mother. The twins are my half sisters,” I explained.
“Okay. Well, you know what? It’s obviously not any of my business.” He started walking backwards, putting some distance between us. “So I’m just gonna—”
“Get in,” I said.
“What?”
“Get in. I was serious before. We’re going to lunch. Trust me, if we don’t leave soon Phillip will be poking his head in here to see what’s going on.”
“Doesn’t the guy work?”
I shrugged as he walked around the front of the car. “Sometimes. But mostly he has people that do that for him.”
He paused when he reached the passenger door. He looked at me over the roof of the car. “If I go with you,” he started, “are you going to give me an explanation?”
I smiled because he didn’t sound nearly as mad as I thought he would be. He simply sounded curious. “I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”
* * *
I grabbed a napkin off the picnic table and swiped at the trickle of grease that had made its way out of my bacon cheeseburger and was now trickling past my wrist. Gross. And yet…
“This is possibly the best burger I’ve ever had,” Eric said as he finished off the last bite.
“Grass fed beef,” I explained. I gave a subtle nod toward the burger stand. “They think if they use all natural ingredients, they can lull you into thinking the burgers are almost healthy.”
“Whatever the reason,” he said with a laugh, “that was really good.”
Now that our food was gone, a moment of silence settled between us. I had expected him to start peppering me with questions the moment we got in the car. He hadn’t. In fact, he’d been more than willing to answer mine.
I found out that his foster dad was able to help him find another job right away. He actually really liked working for the lawn care company. He usually worked with a guy named Mason Alexander, who I happened to know from school.
By the time that discussion was over, we were at my favorite burger place. We ordered. I paid with Phillip’s money, left an insane tip because I could, and we’d been lucky enough to find a picnic table that a family was vacating.
Until this point, my minor indiscretion hadn’t been mentioned. I could tell by the look on his face that my short reprieve had ended.
“So,” he started, “why did you let me think you were the nanny?”
“First off,” I said, “I more or less am the nanny. I just happen to be the nanny of my little sisters.”
He motioned with his hand, prompting me to give more of an explanation.
“I guess to fully explain I’ll have to go back a little ways,” I said.
He glanced at the time on his phone. “We’ve got about ten more minutes before I need to head back. Is that enough time?”
“I’ll make it fast.” I was relieved about
“I know!” I pulled my hand through my hair. “I have some explaining to do.”
“I think I got the gist of it. You live here. And you are not the nanny.” His voice echoed and bounced off the high ceiling of the garage.
“Are you mad?” I asked with a wince.
He shook his head. “No. I’m just surprised, I guess. Actually, I feel like a bit of an ass. I made a fool of myself complaining about these people, the rich people in this town, and you just let me. Then I find out you are one?”
“That, right there,” I said as I poked him in the chest, “is exactly why I didn’t tell you. I didn’t want you to lump me together with ‘these people’.” I used obnoxious air quotes to drive my point home.
“Uh,” his face clouded with confusion. “In case you haven’t noticed you are one of these people. You live in a freaking mansion. You drive a car that’s worth a small fortune.”
“Hold up. First off, the car was my dad’s. Phillip’s money has nothing to do with my car.”
“Your dad? So Phillip’s not…?” He left the question hanging there.
“He’s not my dad. I’m not a Calhoun. He married my mother. The twins are my half sisters,” I explained.
“Okay. Well, you know what? It’s obviously not any of my business.” He started walking backwards, putting some distance between us. “So I’m just gonna—”
“Get in,” I said.
“What?”
“Get in. I was serious before. We’re going to lunch. Trust me, if we don’t leave soon Phillip will be poking his head in here to see what’s going on.”
“Doesn’t the guy work?”
I shrugged as he walked around the front of the car. “Sometimes. But mostly he has people that do that for him.”
He paused when he reached the passenger door. He looked at me over the roof of the car. “If I go with you,” he started, “are you going to give me an explanation?”
I smiled because he didn’t sound nearly as mad as I thought he would be. He simply sounded curious. “I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”
* * *
I grabbed a napkin off the picnic table and swiped at the trickle of grease that had made its way out of my bacon cheeseburger and was now trickling past my wrist. Gross. And yet…
“This is possibly the best burger I’ve ever had,” Eric said as he finished off the last bite.
“Grass fed beef,” I explained. I gave a subtle nod toward the burger stand. “They think if they use all natural ingredients, they can lull you into thinking the burgers are almost healthy.”
“Whatever the reason,” he said with a laugh, “that was really good.”
Now that our food was gone, a moment of silence settled between us. I had expected him to start peppering me with questions the moment we got in the car. He hadn’t. In fact, he’d been more than willing to answer mine.
I found out that his foster dad was able to help him find another job right away. He actually really liked working for the lawn care company. He usually worked with a guy named Mason Alexander, who I happened to know from school.
By the time that discussion was over, we were at my favorite burger place. We ordered. I paid with Phillip’s money, left an insane tip because I could, and we’d been lucky enough to find a picnic table that a family was vacating.
Until this point, my minor indiscretion hadn’t been mentioned. I could tell by the look on his face that my short reprieve had ended.
“So,” he started, “why did you let me think you were the nanny?”
“First off,” I said, “I more or less am the nanny. I just happen to be the nanny of my little sisters.”
He motioned with his hand, prompting me to give more of an explanation.
“I guess to fully explain I’ll have to go back a little ways,” I said.
He glanced at the time on his phone. “We’ve got about ten more minutes before I need to head back. Is that enough time?”
“I’ll make it fast.” I was relieved about
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