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“Will is great,” I said. “He’s very calm and sweet. He likes animals, so we have that in common, and so far he hasn’t shown any signs of being difficult. Then again, we’ve only spent a single afternoon together so who knows what he’s like once he gets more comfortable with people.”
“You’re a good judge of character, so if you think he’s a good kid, I’m sure he is. But what about your boss, you didn’t say anything about him.”
“Mr. Becker is nice. Oh, he told me to call him Matt. Matt is nice. His house is massive, so it’s pretty obvious that he hasa lotof money. Thankfully, he doesn’t seem like the type who really flaunts it, but again, I have only been here half a day. It takes time for people to show you their real colors.”
“Is he cute?”
I made a face to no one but myself. “Mom, what kind of question is that?”
“I’m just curious!”
“No, he’snotcute,” I said. “Er, I don’t mean he’snotcute, it’s just that he’s my boss so even if he was cute, I’m not really supposed to think of him as cute you know? So, for all intents and purposes, I don’t find him attractive, got it?”
She laughed. “I didn’t realize that question would be so hard to answer.”
“It’s not hard to answer.” I sat up, trying to take some of the defensiveness out of my voice before I went on speaking. “I answered it didn’t I? I told you, I don’t think he’s cute. What more do you want from me?”
“Nothing,” she said. “You’re right. I’m sorry, I really am not trying to upset you.”
I sighed. “I know you’re not, Mom. And you didn’t upset me. I’m just tired, that’s all, and I really want this job to work out. As much as I miss Riverside, and as much as I miss all the kids at our daycare, I do think this will be a good opportunity for me.”
“Not just good,amazing. Nobody expected you to live in Riverside for the rest of your life, least of all me. You’ve got big dreams, sweetheart, and working with people like this Matt Becker guy is going to open some doors for you.”
“You mean in the nannying world?”
My mom took a beat before responding. “You know what I’m talking about.”
“Mom—I thought we agreed that you weren’t going to bring up my writing anymore. If I want to talk about it, I will talk about it, but unless I bring it up—”
“I know, I know,” she said. “You’ve made some moratorium on talking about this passion of yours, Lord knows why. All I’m saying is that it doesn’t hurt to know people in high places. That’s it. Now I’m done bringing it up, you won’t hear me say the words writer, or book, or The Adventures of Wonder Nanny ever again.”
I shook my head. “I hardly believe that’s true, but thanks for promising anyway.”
“Tell me more about the city,” she said, excitedly changing the subject. I tucked my legs up underneath me and leaned back against the wall behind the bed, and we talked. Soon, I was telling her about my plans to take Will to the zoo and complaining about how I wasn’t sure if I’d ever see Lily because she’s so in love she couldn’t even seem to pick up the phone.
“I’m happy for her though,” I said. “And I know she’s got a lot on her plate right now, what with the engagement and her pregnancy, so I’m trying not to be so annoyed with her when all she does is talk about David or ask me my opinion on potential baby names.”
“You are going to be just as annoying when you find the love of your life and start a family,” my mom said. “Who knows, maybe Lily can even help speed up that process! You should ask her if she knows any other eligible bachelors in San Francisco that she can set you up with!”
“I don’t know,” I said. “I really want to focus on my new job right now.”
“I thought you said Matt gave you Friday nights off.”
“He did.”
“So it’s perfect! You can focus on your job every single day except Fridays after 5! Which is the perfect night to go out and find yourself a date.”
I rolled my eyes. “You are relentless.”
“I just want you to be happy.”
“I am happy,” I assured her. “With or without a man in my life. You raised me to carve my own path in life and not to look to the romance world for validation or fulfillment.”
“And I stand by those lessons,” she said. “But sometimes I worry you are missing out on a vital part of your young life. Stephanie, you’re a gorgeous, smart, caring woman who could be with any man she wants!”
I laughed.
“I’m serious!” she doubled down.
