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Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as Grace’s entire body sagged, her spirit deflated from his ungrateful attitude and his unwillingness to utter even a single caring word after she gave him a present. She ran out of the room crying, leaving me standing there alone with him, and something inside me snapped.
I’d had enough of this man, and now he was going to get a dose of his own medicine.
“You couldn’t even say thank you? What kind of person gets handed a homemade gift from a child like that and can’t say thank you?”
Rolling his eyes, he sat back in his chair and shook his head. “I don’t thank people for bringing me garbage. Are you going to clean up this mess? No. I’m going to have to get someone in here, and that’s going to take more time out of my busy day.”
“You are the worst person I’ve ever met in my life. How on earth did anyone in your family think you were the best choice to take care of this little girl?” I barked.
“My sister, in her infinite wisdom, got herself thrown in prison for insider trading, and since she reproduced with some nutjob who spends his time worrying about his aura or other bullshit real adults don’t give a damn about, I got stuck with this job since I’m her only sibling. That’s how this happened.”
I shook my head, utterly disgusted by the man sitting in front of me. “She asked me this morning why you don’t like her, and then she made that picture just for you because she so desperately wants you to like her. We had to go shopping for the construction paper, the glue, and the glitter, which by the way, she agonized over what colors to use to make it manly enough for you, her dear uncle. She shouldn’t have bothered. You’re no kind of man. A real man would be kind to a child no matter what when she handed him a gift.”
As I turned on my heel to leave, he tried to stop me. “Now see here, Miss Morton. I won’t let you insult me like that. You work for me.”
I glanced back and him and shrugged. “I work for Mr. DeVille, who warned me you could be brusque. He didn’t warn me you were a petty asshole who got his kicks being cruel to little girls. Feel free to fire me, Mr. Allen, but I’ll tell you this. I won’t let you be nasty to Grace anymore, and if I go, then I’m going to make sure I contact the authorities to tell them how you treat that child. Good day!”
My entire body shook as I marched down the hallway from his office. I’d never spoken to anyone like that in my life. I was usually mild mannered Tia, the woman who barely made a peep when people did things to upset me. But something about the way he made her feel so terrible and the look on her face as she ran out of his office made it impossible for me to hold back my anger.
Unfortunately, I probably just got myself terminated. I hurried toward Grace’s room to comfort her, pushing that reality out of my mind for the moment. I found her on her bed crying, so I climbed in next to her and wrapped my arms around her as her tiny body shuddered from her sobs.
“I’m sorry, honey. Some people just don’t know how to accept gifts.”
“He hated it. I tried to make it pretty, but he hated it. Why did he hate it, Tia?”
Because he’s a selfish jackass.
I couldn’t tell her the truth, so I gave her a tiny squeeze and said quietly, “Some people just don’t know what to do with kindness. You’re going to find that in the world, but don’t let that change you, Grace. You keep being exactly how you are, okay?”
She took a deep breath and sighed. “Okay.”
Desperate to make her happy again, I whispered into her ear, “What do you say we go outside this afternoon and eat s’mores at the picnic table in the backyard? Michael told me he has all the things we need.”
Grace eagerly rolled over to face me and smiled. “Can we do it now?”
I nodded, unsure if I’d still be here as her nanny this afternoon. Better to let her last memories of me be happy ones full of chocolate, marshmallows, and leaves swirling around us as we gorge ourselves on too many sweets.
“Sure! Let’s go!”
A half hour later, the two of us sat at that picnic table with the autumn wind making our cheeks red and stuffed from too many s’mores but happy. And that’s all that counted. Kids needed to know nothing, not even the hurt a family member could deliver, lasted longer than a good time and chocolate.
While she chased leaves around the yard, her energy level amped up from way too much sugar that morning, I saw Mr. Allen standing in his office window watching us. How a man could be so cruel to a child who simply wanted to show him she cared left me wondering what in the world could have happened to make him so empty and cold.
Not that it mattered much. He was who he was. Nothing was going to change that. I likely wouldn’t have much of a chance to do anything at this house since he probably had called Mr. DeVille and fired me already.
I regretted nothing, though. If defending a child’s happiness got me canned, so be it. There were far more egregious things done in this world, and if that was my biggest crime, I’d wear it as a badge of honor.
When I glanced over at his office window again, I saw him standing there with a woman who looked like some supermodel. Nearly his height and definitely around six foot tall, she wore a long black sweater dress that looked like someone had spray painted it on. Like him, she didn’t seem to be impressed by Grace’s joyful racing around the yard chasing leaves either.
The two of them made a perfect pair. Both attractive people who couldn’t find a reason to smile to save their lives. I just hoped she wasn’t going to be a fixture around this house because after I left, I didn’t know who would make sure Grace was protected from Mr. Allen’s cruelty.
It certainly wouldn’t be his model friend there, that’s for sure.
Chapter Four
Nico
Amanda huffedher disgust at the scene unfolding outside in my yard and then marched over to sit on the couch near my desk. I stood at the window for a few seconds more, staring out at the mouthy nanny who had basically told me to go fuck myself not an hour before. She saw me looking at her and glared at me, practically boring holes through my head and never turning away.
