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“Okay, okay. We’ll talk about that in a bit, eh?” Keir says, trying to calm her.
He turns to me, gesturing. “Saffron, meet Ella. Ella, meet my daughter Isla and my sister Saffron.”
“Nice to meet you,” I say. I feel unusually shy for some reason.
“Ella is here to fill in for the au pair,” Keir says. “Right, Ella?”
My cheeks burn and I wring my hands. “Uhh… right.”
Keir shoots me a glare. Saffron leans out, offering me her hand. I reach out and shake it briefly, my heart fluttering in my chest.
It would’ve been nice for Keir to introduce me without the lie about me being his nanny. But maybe there’s more than what I can see. I decide to keep my own confidence until I know more. I tuck my hands behind my back.
“Nice to meet you. I wish I had heard about you, but my brother is tight lipped about every single thing in his life, to the point of frustration.”
I just nod, uncertain what to say.
“Well, I, for one, am glad to have you here.” Saffron straightens, touching her waist-length red hair. “I’m more than just a nanny, you know. I’m supposed to be studying on the weekends, not watching Isla.”
Keir’s eyes narrow to slits. “That’s enough, Saffron.”
Her mouth twists bitterly. She looks at me and runs her hand through Isla’s curls.
“So you’ve found someone new to watch your daughter? Not just someone you think is pretty, right?” she asks Keir.
My cheeks heat. “No, we’re not… I’m definitely not—”
Keir cuts me off with a grimace, his fists bunching. “That is enough, Saffron.”
“Nice to meet you, Ella.” She looks at me, giving me a cool smile. “I hope you have better luck than the last eight nannies have had.”
She bends down to pick Isla up. Isla apparently doesn’t like it, because she lets out a screech.
“No! Let me go!”
Saffron stops and takes a step back, her eyes widening. “Sorry.”
Isla isn’t done, though. Her face is red and angry, her little fists balled up as she takes a step toward Saffron. “Don’t pick me up! You’re not my mother!”
She whips out a fist at Saffron. I lunge between the little girl and the young woman, pushing Saffron back a few steps. Then I turn on Isla with a frown.
“Hey! Hitting people is never,neverokay. Saffron said she was sorry.”
Isla scrunches up her face at me, her mouth opening wide.
“You’re not my mother either. You’re a nobody!” she screams.
Keir twitches, his expression black.
“Isla!” He grabs her by the hand and yanks her over to his side. “Apologize,now.”
“No!” She starts wailing and goes into a full-blown meltdown, sagging to the floor and flailing her limbs. “I want Mommy! You said she would be here this summer!”
She doesn’t seem to be aware that she’s exhibiting behavior that would only be tolerable in someone years younger than her. I glance to Keir, the person most responsible for her in that moment. He glances at me and I swear, I see a sudden flash of guilt.
What is that about?
“All right, all right.” Keir steps over, scoops Isla up, and flings her over his shoulder. “Let’s go upstairs, darling.”
