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“Stay there.” As much as it irks me to have to give her a cent, it’ll mean getting rid of her. I don’t need her hanging around, stirring shit up. My wallet is in the drawer next to the door, and I quickly count out the cash I have on hand. “This is two hundred bucks,” I tell her, shoving the bills her way. “And that’s as good as it’s going to get. Looks like you’re going to have to get a job if you want to support yourself because I’m not doing it anymore.”
She wants to turn me down. To call me names, to make me feel small. But she also wants the money. I watch her arguing with herself before finally, she reaches out and snatches the bills from my palm. “This isn’t nearly as much as I need.”
“Like I said. Get a job. The bank is closed.”
“Is everything okay?”
Shit. Instantly, Monica’s head snaps up, and her eyes narrow again as soon as she sets them on Claire as she walks down the stairs, now wearing her own clothes again.
“Who the hell is that?” Monica whispers.
“This is Claire. She’s Lilly’s nanny.”
As unfortunate and irritating as this visit has been, there is a slight positive. I get to watch Monica’s face turn beat red as she processes the information I just volunteered. “A nanny? You have a live-in nanny?”
“Yeah, that’s the thing. When a baby’s mother runs off, it sort of leaves an opening that has to be filled.”
She snickers. “I just bet there’s plenty of holes being filled.” I hear Claire’s soft gasp behind me, and all it does is take my irritation and turn it into something much more potent.
“Why don’t you get the hell out of here? You got what you came for.”
“So let me get this straight.” After all, why would Monica listen to me? She so rarely has in the past. “You cut off my card, but you can afford a live-in nanny? Something’s not adding up.”
“You see, there’s a difference. I’m giving you that money to get rid of you. I pay her because I need her here.”
“Oh, I bet you do. How old are you, honey?” she calls out over my shoulder. “Are you out of high school yet?”
“That’s enough,” I tell her with a growl. “You need to go.”
“Is this what happened to you after I left?” Monica blurts out a laugh and teeters on her stilettos. “What, you decided to bring some little girl into the house? This is pretty sad, you know that?”
“Why is she still here?” Keaton calls out from the kitchen.
It’s a good question. “Time for you to go. You got what you came for, and I’m not unlocking the card so you can drop that idea now.” She doesn’t put up a fight, only laughs as I close and lock the door.
Right away, I turn around to face Claire. She’s still standing on the stairs, having come halfway down. “I’m so sorry. I never expected that.”
She snorts softly. “So that’s her?”
“That’s her.”
She widens her eyes and blows out a soft whistle before finishing her descent. “What a piece of work.”
“That’s one way to describe her.”
“Well, at least I got Lilly to calm down.” Claire chews her lip, frowning at the closed door. “She never even asked about her, did she? She didn’t ask to see her or about how she’s doing or anything?”
“Like I told you, she’s not interested in any of that.”
“I guess I found it hard to believe.”
“Now you know.” I head for the kitchen, where a fresh pot of coffee is brewing. Rather than wait, I grab a mug and hold it under the filter basket to catch the coffee as it drips. I’m feeling a little impatient, to put it mildly.
“What are you going to do?” Keaton asks as Claire opens the fridge and pulls out a carton of half-and-half.
“First thing, I’m filing for a divorce today.”
The carton lands on the counter with a thud. “Wait a second. What did you just say?” Claire whispers.
