AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What happened is that you should mind your own fucking business,” I replied.
She recoiled. “Hey…”
“You’re here to do a job. To nanny our daughter. You’re lucky we’ve told you anything about our missions, let alone the past. It’s about time you accepted your role and stopped trying to stick your nose where it doesn’t belong. You aren’t a part of this family. You’re on the outside.” I waved my hand around the table. “All of this? The three of us, and Kaylee, andyou?It’s temporary. It ends when this mission is over and we all go home. It’s about time you remembered that.”
Trish flinched like she had been struck, and for a moment I felt guilty for what I had said. I was too harsh. I was always too harsh with people who were outside the family. Lowering my guard didn’t come easy.
But then I dismissed that guilt as easily as throwing away a tissue. I didn’t owe this woman anything. She was just the nanny.
Before she could argue, I got up and went to my room. She didn’t try to stop me, though I didn’t know why I expected her to. I opened my laptop and checked my email there, as if it might be different than my email on my phone. There was still no news on Kadyrovic. Last we had heard, he was in Volgograd for some kind of strategic meeting.
As I hit refresh on my browser, I felt annoyed. At Trish mostly for butting in… but also at myself. I didn’t know why she had that kind of effect on me. Usually, I was good at pushing people away without them getting under my skin. I should have been able to keep her at arm’s length, just like everyone else that had ever crossed my path in life. Just like every other woman, especially.
Too much time has passed since Karina,I thought.I’ve forgotten what betrayal feels like.
Yet as I listened to Trish and Kaylee laughing in the other room, I found myself wanting to get closer to her. To open up, even just a little bit. To break off a piece of my soul and share it with her. To see if she would accept it.
This is all temporary,I reminded myself.And even if it wasn’t, I can’t open up. It only leads to heartbreak.
I hit refresh on my browser for the hundredth time and cursed Archer for making me sit at home.
28
Trish
“Daddy said a bad word.”
I stared down the hall to the bedroom door Harrison had slammed. “He sure did.”
“He says bad words sometimes,” she said. “He tries not to do it when I’m around. All my daddies do. But Harrison is loud, and sometimes I hear.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, he’s loud, isn’t he?”
“That’s why I love him!” she said happily. “Did you mine more iron? We need to make better tools.”
“Oh, sorry,” I said, turning my attention back to my computer. Kaylee was serious about her Minecraft.
As I dove back into the game, I thought about what Harrison had said.You’re on the outside. This is temporary.
On the surface, I knew it was true. It was what I had been trying to avoid thinking about since we left Wilmington. But having him say it bluntly, like he was counting down the days until I was gone, stung in a way that surprised me. Since I began this nanny job, Harrison made it very clear that he didn’t like me. Or didn’t approve of my presence. So his comments weren’t exactly a surprise.
Yet still, as soon as he said them, I struggled to hold back tears.
Why do I care so much about what he thinks? I’m not involved with him the way I am with Archer and Jordy.
This job was almost over. We were on the third of three missions. And when it was over, I was gone. Sure, they were generously giving me several months of extra pay, but I would still be searching for a new job. That was a depressing thought, and not just because it meant I would be back at square one. I was sad to leave Kaylee, and the guys.
I wondered what would happen when it was all over. Would I still date Jordy or Archer? Or both of them? Even if they wanted to, I wasn’t sure that was for the best. On my nanny profile, I listed that I would be willing to relocate for the right job. I could be sent anywhere. Staying in Wilmington to date one of them—or both!—would limit my future opportunities. I didn’t want to prioritize a relationship over my career again.
Relationship, I thought with a scoff.Right now, I don’t even know if that’s what we have. We have sex, which is great, but then we spend the rest of our time pretending like nothing is going on.
Whatever thing I had with Jordy and Archer, I felt a powerful attachment to them. Even Harrison, for all his faults. I glanced in the direction of his room, where the door was closed. Without the beard, he had a strong, square jaw. His skin looked smooth and fair, except for the scar that crossed underneath his eye, which was more pronounced, now. And without the mess of a beard, his auburn hair seemed more neat and tidy. He reminded me of someone famous, but I couldn’t quite place who.
Kaylee and I called down to the concierge to order a late breakfast. As Archer had instructed, I told them to leave the food outside because we were concerned about COVID. When it arrived, I looked out the peephole and waited until the delivery boy had walked all the way down to the end of the hall before I opened the door.
As I wheeled the cart inside, he gave me a wave from the other end of the hall. “Please enjoy, madam!” he said in an exotic accent. He punctuated it with a crisp bow before disappearing into the elevator.
What a nice man, I thought. It was a small thing, but that interaction made me feel more welcome here.
