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Chapter Nine
***Autumn***
Intheplayroom,holding Grace after Jones had pushed her, I was miles away from whatever euphoria I’d felt the night before. Already that day, I’d been startled awake by Grace and Caroline before being smugly told by Jones that he would be taking his breakfast in his room. His jerk of a father had just shrugged and allowed it. So, I’d delivered room service to Jones, listened to three Caroline meltdowns, and was debating how I should punish Jones for pushing his cousin. All before lunch. All before I was able to grab any food of my own.
Something had to give with Jones. His father clearly wasn’t going to step in and do anything, so I was going to have to take the chance of punishing him. If his dad didn’t back me up, then so be it. I couldn’t be another adult in his life that let him get away with anything and everything.
And none of my crankiness had anything to do with the fact that I’d heard in passing that Zeke had left that morning and no one was sure when he’d be back. I didn’t care what he did. Hell, it was easier to ignore what I’d done when he wasn’t around. It was fine. I wasn’t feeling like the slutty help at all.
I was just standing up to tell Jones how I felt about him pushing Grace when movement in the doorway caught my eye. Expecting one of the brothers, or Greta, I was shocked to find a woman I didn’t recognize. From around the house, anyway. I’d have had to have lived under a rock for the past decade to not recognize her at all. Stacy Laray. She was a supermodel.
Shocked by her sudden appearance, I stood up. What was a woman I recognized from the magazines in the teacher’s lounge at work doing in the house?
Caroline spotted the woman and squealed. “Mommy!”
Jones looked up, and his frown lessened, marginally. He stood up and looked at Stacy, his hands fidgeting in front of him like he wasn’t sure what to do.
Stacy squatted in her tight dress and stilettos like a graceful fairy, all delicate and smooth. Her smile was tight as she took Caroline into her arms and looked over at Jones. “Come here, Jones.”
He walked over and let his mom hug him, but his arms stayed limp at his sides. If his mother noticed, she didn’t say anything.
She turned her gaze on me and frowned. “And you are?”
“Autumn. I’m their nanny.” I forced a smile. “And you’re their mother? It’s nice to meet you.”
“Of course, I’m their mother. And I’m taking them out for lunch.” She looked me over and clearly found me lacking. “You’re dismissed.”
Caroline jumped against her mom’s side. “We get to go with you?”
“Dad said—”
Stacy cut her eyes at Jones and shook her head. “Your dad is not my concern. Come on. Let’s go and grab lunch.”
I cleared my throat. “No one mentioned anything about the kids going out today.”
If looks could kill, I would’ve been a burn spot and a trail of smoke from the look Stacy gave me. She scowled and took a step closer, her eyes ice-cold as she took me in. “Look, Pollyanna, these are my kids. I’m taking my kids for lunch, and you can try to stop me if you want, but you’ll be something I have someone clean off my shoes tonight. Stay out of my way. I’m their mother. You’re the hired help. How dare you try to stop me.”
Thoroughly chastised, I just scooped Grace into my arms and nodded. “Of course.”
Stacy scoffed once more. “Stupid whore.”
I was frozen as she left, my eyes stinging from being talked to that way. I wanted to fight back, but she was their mother and I was just the hired help. That didn’t mean I wasn’t going to find Griffin and give him a piece of my mind for not giving me a heads up about Stacy coming by. Ironically, he was the less threatening of the two parents.
“She’s scary.” Grace shivered against me. “I don’t like her.”
I hurried down the stairs. “I’m not sure I do, either. But that’s our secret.”
Griffin was at his desk, focused on his computer, when I barged into his office. He scowled darkly at me and spoke to someone on his screen before shutting his laptop. “I’m working, Autumn. If you can’t understand that, maybe this position isn’t right for you.”
I ignored his sting. “If you’re going to have the kids’ mom come and take them, can you just give me a heads up? It’s hard to plan their day for them if I don’t know that they’re going out.”
“What?”
My stomach dropped at the look of fury that came over his face. “Stacy? She just stopped by and took the kids for lunch.”
Griffin stood up so fast that his chair toppled over, and then he was rushing at me. “When did she take them?”
I stepped back, afraid he was going to run me over. “Just a minute ago. What’s wrong?”
“You just handed my kids over to their drug-addict mother. Fucking great.” He ran past me and out of the room, shouting at someone on the way. “The fucking nanny just handed over the kids to Stacy. Stop her!”
I stood there, feeling like the worst person in the world. My heart plummeted to my feet as I worried about what would happen to the kids. I squeezed Grace to my side and cradled her head. “It’s okay. Everything’s okay.”
She was silently crying, the tension in the house palpable even to her. “I want my daddy.”
I didn’t know where Con was. I didn’t know what to do. I’d had no clue about Stacy. How was I supposed to know? I had no idea she was a danger to the kids, or I never would’ve let them go with her. My mind raced as I paced the floor in Griffin’s office.
I lost track of time. I assumed that Griffin would come back as soon as he got the kids. It’d been a while, though. I was terrified something bad had happened. Still, I spoke quietly to Grace until she fell asleep against me.
Con appeared in the doorway and spotted Grace and me working ourselves into a tizzy. Well, I was in a tizzy. She was napping. He frowned and rushed over. “Hey, it’s okay.”
I handed Grace to him and turned away, hiding the tears in my eyes as I thought about what Jones and Caroline were dealing with. I ran my hands through my hair and wrapped my arms around myself.
“Autumn, it’s okay. Griffin and his security caught up to Stacy just down the road. The kids are fine. They’re in the dining room, eating lunch.” Con gently touched my arm. “Griffin should’ve come and told you right away.”
Fury exploded in my body, and I blinked away the last of my tears. “Yes, he should’ve.”
“Let’s get you some lunch and maybe some nice relaxing tea.” Con smiled, but I could see the concern in his eyes as he looked me over. “You look like you’re going to break my brother’s neck at any second, and, though I agree he’s a fucking idiot, violence might not be the answer.”
I shrugged his hand off and stormed out of the room. I was going to murder Griffin.
