The Nanny

Chapter 10

While Tina scraped the uneaten pieces of cake off the plates and handed them off to Queen to rinse, the rest of the Emerson family laughed in the other room, enjoying each other's company. Lucinda, unsurprisingly, had been the loudest all evening and spoke the most with endless stories to tell. She'd even told the family about all the fun she had camping with Kyrie and the boys, leaving out the part about her fiancé sharing a tent with Queen. She was thankful for that. Lucinda also failed to tell the family that she'd complained the entire time on that camping trip and got drunk as soon as they were back in the cities.

Although Tina had been quiet most of the evening, she couldn't take the silence from her friend anymore, so she spoke up. "My car's still out there. You could just stay with me for the weekend."

"I have to get to the boys to bed," she said as she loaded up the dishwasher.

"But it's the weekend."

Queen shrugged. "Kyrie was clear that I'd be needed on the weekends sometimes."

"Oh, Queen," Tina said, offering her a hug. "You do too much for that man."

"I knew what this job entailed when I signed that contract." Turning to the sink to wash her hands, she gazed out the window. There was nothing she could see but a few trees in the yard and a faint light in the distance. "I'm sorry that this weekend didn't turn out how you expected. You don't have to stay."

Tina rolled her eyes, playfully nudging her friend. "I got to meet Ava Emerson. Best weekend ever. But I'm not one for family drama, so I am gonna get out of here. Are you sure you don't want to come?"

Queen nodded to confirm and dried her hands off with a towel. "I'll show you upstairs."

"Queen," Maddox said, stumbling into the kitchen. His hands were on his stomach, and his forehead was dripping with sweat. "I don't feel good."

"I'll show myself out," Tina told her friend before making her way upstairs.

Queen kneeled beside Maddox and studied his face. He looked visibly sick. "Tell me what's wrong. Was it something you ate?"

He nodded and pointed to the cake on the counter. "I ate too much. Am I in trouble?"

"You're not in trouble," she assured him. She rubbed his back to soothe him and led him to the stairs. "How does a nice warm bath sound?"

"What's going on?" Kyrie asked, emerging from the living room. He looked at his son and frowned. "Are you not feeling so well, buddy?"

Maddox clung to Queen. "I want to throw up."

Kyrie picked him up and carried him to the bathroom upstairs. Queen was close behind, watching as the father comforted his son. With his hand on Maddox's back and encouraging words in his ear, Maddox vomited his dinner and dessert into the toilet bowl. He turned to the tub to start up a bath and continued to soothe the young boy.

"I can stay with him if you want to get back to your family," Queen offered.

Kyrie shook his head to decline. "My baby needs me right now."

They were both silent for a moment. Then he spoke up again.

"I need you, too," he admitted. He was looking at her, his eyes pleading. "Earlier, I was looking at applicants that I turned down to hire you. I needed someone lined up in case you decided you wanted to quit. You still haven't answered me."

She suddenly felt guilty. It wasn't her intention to make him scramble for a replacement. "I'm not quitting, but we should talk about our professional relationship when it's just the two of us."