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Chapter 6
I’d done a good thing by seeking Myrla for Yasmine’s nanny. Eimy and Myrla met at Eimy’s apartment downtown, and evidently, it was love at first sight.
“We hit it off right away,” Eimy said later. “Thank you so much for finding her.”
“How’d the baby respond to her?”
“Just fine,” Eimy said. “Myrla held her the entire time we were together. She’s coming back to watch her when I have my interview with your father. I’m so grateful for everything you’ve done for me, Laura. There’s no way to repay you.”
“No, there’s no need. I’m glad we met. I hope we’ll be friends. New York is a big, cold place at times.”
“I agree. Would you like to have dinner before I leave for Taiwan? I’ll ask Myrla, and we can have a get-together.”
“I’d enjoy that. If you’d like, I can have it at my place. I have more room, and it’ll be closer for Myrla.”
“That’s a great idea. I’ll be in touch after the interview.”
“Okay. I can’t wait,” I said.
I can admit now that I had a slight pang of something akin to jealousy that I was being replaced. Maybe I felt left out, having a few regrets about not staying involved with Randy professionally. Now our chats were superficial, not much more than getting caught up with the mundane.
Finding my stride at the hospital job turned out to be much easier than I’d thought. There were few incidents, as they were referred to, that needed intervention. I hoped the job had the potential to be a stepping stone to something larger, like police work. In a fantasy, I could see myself walking a beat, working my way up to detective. All I needed to do was enroll in the police academy. I’d look into it, but as long as I had Yasmine to look after in the near future, I’d wait.
That afternoon, I was taking a break in the nurses’ lounge on my assigned floor, Labor and Delivery. Every day, seeing the pregnant women and their support people coming into the department, hearing their cries during labor and then the baby’s crying, just solidified in my mind that I was going to have a baby someday. Then my phone beeped, interrupting my reverie. It was Eimy.
“I couldn’t wait to get home to call you, so I’m in a coffee shop on Broadway.”
“Okay, quick, tell me,” I said, excited.
“Well, first of all, your father is so nice. I didn’t expect him to be such a down-to-earth guy.”
“Aw, he is a nice man.”
“Anyway, we hit it off right away. I’m going to Taiwan. But he also talked to me about coming on as a researcher. I met some of the people in the bull pen and think I’d work well in that environment.”
“It’s crazy in there,” I said. “I can see you in that group.”
“Okay, but here’s the coup de gras. He asked me to take your place in the Saving New York series!”
“Wow!”
It was all I could say. They were replacing me with Eimy? A nanny? I’d keep it together for the sake of our budding friendship, but I wasn’t happy. I felt betrayed by my father. It was almost like he’d picked someone I had introduced him to so I’d feel regretful about leaving the show. Was I regretful?
“I know! I’m still in shock. Of course I said yes. Ryan was there, by the way. Randy asked him if he agreed with me being in the series, and he said it all depended on what the screen test looked like.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. That was the right thing for my player boyfriend to have said. I could afford to be generous.
“I’m sure you’ll do great,” I said. “You’re beautiful and have a cheerful presence.”
“Aw, you’re so nice. Okay, my bus is here. I’ll talk to you later.”
My break was over, so I left the lounge and made rounds again, all the while picturing Eimy Simon standing next to Ryan on national television.
That evening, I got home from work feeling like a used dishrag. But Ryan was already there and had dinner ready and waiting when I walked through the door.
“What a lovely surprise. A gorgeous guy and a meal waiting. I don’t think it gets much better than this.”
He kissed me, pleased that I was pleased. “How’d your day go?”
