After all, how many people named “Keely” are there in New Orleans?
I mean, probably at least a few, but not Keelys who have ties to the Voodoo, or who leave messages for my boss on the landline, reminding him that he has to stay late for team photos on Friday.
I don’t like overhearing things drunk people might regret saying to a stranger at the best of times, let alone when the drunk people are people I might run into when taking the girls to a game.
I start to extricate myself with a sympathetic smile and an offer to bring the menu, when Keely adds, “Never mind, you don’t have to answer. I know you know. All women know. Men love, but then the love just…evaporates. Poof. Like spores jumping off a mushroom to fly away and make baby mushrooms somewhere else.” She sniffs before adding in a softer voice, “The other woman is pregnant. With twins. They’re having twins. Probably conceived in my bed. On my favorite Egyptian cotton sheets. I just found out. Today.” She exhales a shuddery breath. “That’s why I’m drunk and sad and obnoxious. I’m sorry.”
Empathy tightening my chest, I reach out, covering her small hand. “You are not obnoxious. And no need to apologize. I’m so sorry that happened to you, and as far as I’m concerned, Zack should go eat a bag of dicks.”
She sniffs, nodding seriously, “He should. Moldy, rotten dicks.”
Capo pulls a face as he pats Keely on the back again, “There you go. That’s the spirit, girl.” To me, he adds, “We’ll take oneof every quesadilla on the menu, please. And nachos with extra salsa. My treat.”
Keely’s eyes widen, a hint of hope flickering in their watery depths. “Aw, thank you, Capo. Really. I needed a girls’ night, but this is almost as good. You’re a good friend.”
“And he smells great, too,” I agree, catching a familiar scent in the air. “Is that Again by Sea?”
Keely groans, rolling her eyes as Capo’s face lights up. “Yes, it is,” he says. ‘It’s my signature scent. From my fragrance line.”
“Here we go,” Keely mutters. “Now, you’ve done it. As if his head wasn’t already big enough. Now that he’s had his ‘signature scent’ recognized by a gorgeous supermodel bartender, we’ll never hear the end of it.”
I laugh. “I only recognized it because my boss wears it, too. Probably because you gave it to him.” In response to Capo’s confused look, I add, “I only tend bar on Saturdays. The rest of the time, I’m Dean Kate’s nanny.”
Capo’s eyes go wide. Keely’s go even wider.
Then they both just…stare at me.
Neither one saying a word.
I force my smile to stay in place. “What? He’s a great boss. And a great guy. Right?”
“Oh, yes, amazing guy,” Keely hurries to add as Capo says at the same time, “Dean’s great. The best. And yeah, I should have recognized you. I think I saw you with his kids on the Jumbotron last weekend.”
“Yep, that was me,” I say. “We were there for his eleven-hundredth game.” I bite my lip as they continue to nod awkwardly. I’m torn between asking them why they’re being so weird and potentially making things weirder, and the driving need to know why my nanny reveal landed so strangely.
Finally, my curiosity gets the better of me, and I ask, “Is there something I should know? About Dean or…something else maybe? If so, I’d appreciate a heads up.”
They exchange a brief, awkward glance before Capo, the more sober one, says, “It’s really not my place to say, but… Well, I’d hate to get blindsided by something like this, so…” He looks to Keely, who nods, just once, before he turns back to me. “He just took a two-week emergency leave of absence.”
I blink, shocked.
Dean didn’t say anything about an emergency when he got home from practice yesterday. Maybe this is something that just happened today, while I was out having brunch with Beatrice, then getting ready for work? God, what happened? I hope he’s okay, and the kids are okay.
Surely, he would have told me if the kids weren’t okay. He has to know I’d want to be there for Bella or Ava if something had happened. Maybe it’s something with his mom or one of his relatives in Minnesota.
Before I can press him for more info, Capo adds, “He said he had to find a new childcare situation. We assumed his nanny quit without notice, but…”
My eyes fly wide. “Quit? But I… I didn’t…” I trail off, my throat tightening as my mind races.
“You didn’t quit,” Keely supplies, her brow furrowing sympathetically. “And now you’re finding out that you’re about to be fired by two drunk losers at the bar. I’m so sorry, I really?—”
“I’m not a drunk loser, and neither are you,” Capo cuts in. “And we don’t know that she’s fired. Maybe Dean just needs to hiremorechildcare or something. Additional childcare.”
I force a smile, proud that my voice only wobbles slightly as I say, “Doubtful. Pretty sure this is a one-woman job. But maybe I’m just…not that woman, anymore.”
“I’m sure he was going to tell you soon,” Keely says. “Probably on Monday. The approval for the leave only went through this morning.”
This morning…which means Dean waved at me from the front yard while I was heading out to meet Beatrice, knowing full well that he was planning to fire me. That I was already as good as gone, with zero notice. Not only is it a low-down, dirty thing to do, but I’m pretty sure it violates the contract addendum we signed not long ago, when he decided to keep me on full-time.
