The Nanny

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The next few days went by in a haze. I had to pack several suitcases worth of clothing and accessories. I was promised a room to myself in their apartment, and that thought alone made my stomach stir uncomfortably.

“Good luck,” Angie said as I left my room, my suitcases trailing behind me.

“I feel so bad about leaving you here.” I walked up and squeezed her tightly. “Maybe this isn’t right for me.”

“Stop that!” She lightly tapped my back. “You deserve this kind of job. He’s pretty laid back, right?”

I nodded, shrugging.

“Good. Then if you ever have a day off or Haley’s gone, we can hang out. Plus, you will have to introduce me to McHottie.” She winked.

“That nickname stays between us and only us, got it?” I snapped.

Angie held up her hands innocently, holding in a laugh. She bit her lip. “Look at you. You’re all nervous. Hey, on the bright side, if he doesn’t like you, at least Haley will.”

“I guess that’s true.” I did remember him saying that it was basically Haley’s decision about whether or not I was suited for this role. I hugged her again, suppressing the tears welling up in my eyes. I didn’t want to leave my only true friend.

“And just to warn you, I will still be paying rent for a while,” I added.

“Oh no you won’t!” she responded. “This is my opportunity to blossom on my own. See how long I can last before Leonard finally gets the balls to kick me out. He’s so done with our shit.”

I rolled my suitcases down the steps and found a cab parked on the curb, which I was pretty sure was illegal in this area. “Where to, Miss?” the driver asked, his gray eyes staring into mine through the mirror.

“Um…” I searched the piece of paper for Andrew’s address. “One seventy west…Seventy-fifth street.”

The bigger and better apartments were on the other side of the city. I had only visited the “wealthy” side once, and I never went back.

The building Andrew lived in was gigantic, and I was beginning to believe it was just my silly imagination screwing with me. Yeah…that was definitely it.

I was proved wrong once again when a man in the lobby who wore cufflinks greeted me at the door. “Good afternoon, Miss. Can I take your bags?”

My desperate look made him snap his fingers and a much younger bellhop grabbed my luggage. “Oh, thank you.”

When we reached the elevator, the bellhop turned to me again. This time I could clearly make out his name tag: Reggie. “What floor, ma’am?”

Ma’am—fancy. “Eight.”

Reggie led me to Andrew’s place, apartment 845. I had to mentally ingrain that into my brain. This was my new—most likely temporary—home.

“Thank you, sir.” Reggie took that as his cue to leave me alone with my bags. “I can take it from here.”

I knocked on the door once he left, and I heard the pitter-patter of someone’s feet. Oh, Haley. To my surprise, she was the one who opened the door, but Andrew, the beautiful man, was standing right behind her, wearing his typical lopsided smile.

“Natalie! I’m so happy you’re here!” She wrapped her arms around me, and I held her back.

“So am I,” I said, peeking at Andrew. He looked so proud.