AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Still feeling small and unimportant?” I murmur. Shelley snickers.
“Yes. But I’m not feeling it alone.”
“That’s right. You and me against the world, kid.”
She makes a noise of agreement. Smirking, I stare at the sky, Shelley curled up against my side, in my arms. This feels pretty right too.
Chapter 19
SHELLEY
Sighing, I roll my eyes at Palmer as he strides into Lisa's office, slipping out and tugging the door shut behind me. Lisa lets out a little squeal right as I snap the door shut. I snort. Those two. Horny like rabbits.
Chewing my cuticle, I turn my eyes to the photographs. After that first day, no one has told me to move on. In fact, I think I’m becoming part of the furniture after five days here.
I can’t avoid Mom for much longer. She’ll send out a police search party. Weirdly, I haven’t missed my phone. I haven’t missed my car. I haven’t missed my life at all. I have spent a week at Merch’s house, holed up there while he fucks my brains out, and we learn to cook together, or here, with Lisa.
I can’t hear a breast pump from Wren’s office, so I tap on the door.
“Come in!”
She sounds kind of desperate, so I quickly shove the door open and step inside. She has Arianna over one shoulder, shushing her while trying to type one-handed.
“Everything okay?” I ask as Arianna starts whining. Wren’s wild eyes land on me.
“Help!” she wails. My eyebrows shoot up as I hurry across the room, taking Arianna, rocking her, patting her back, and cooing soothing sounds.
She calms down quickly, murmuring and stretching before settling in my arms. Wren looks up in surprise.
“You’re good with babies,” she says accusingly. I shrug, still bobbing to keep Arianna happy.
“I always wanted to be a Pre-K teacher, but my parents put the hex on that. Said it was beneath me. Other people looked after our kids and all that.”
Wren wrinkles her nose and rolls her eyes. They narrow as she watches Arianna settle on my shoulder.
“What do you do for a job, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“I don’t,” I reply easily. “I’m a poor little rich girl. I swan around in my parent's BMW and go to charity events.”
Wren snorts. “I used to be like that.”
“You miss it?”
“Fuck no. I love my job. I’d love it even more if I had someone to help out with Arianna. The problem with this place is the only available people are groupies. Call me snobby, but I don’t want anyone my husband’s dick has been in to be nursing my daughter.”
My nose wrinkles. I don’t blame her. Wren eyes me again.
“Lena was saying the same thing. She’s itching to get back to the café. Cooking is her passion, and she’s going out of her mind that they’re running the place into the ground without her. But she’s stuck at home with baby Ethan. Her mother-in-law helps out, but Lena can’t get back into the café as often as she likes.”
“I could look after two babies,” I offer. “I’d be happy to have something to do. I’d feel like I’m contributing.”
“We’d pay you,” Wren immediately assures me, the desperation written all over her face. She one hundred percent was hoping I’d make the offer. I bet if I didn’t, she would have finally cut to the chase and asked me. “We could set up the empty room across the hall as a daycare.”
“That sounds amazing,” I admit, my mind already whirling with plans of what to fill the space with. My very own creche to work with? That sounds like heaven. Wren grins, eyeing me carefully.
“Of course, if you’re looking after kids, you can’t randomly fuck Merch how Lisa fucks Palmer,” she warns. Duh. I snort, rolling my eyes at her.
“That’s not going to be a problem,” I assure her. “I have no issues with telling Merch to fuck off.”
