His Nanny Mate By Eve Above Story

Chapter 5 L’affaire Au Pair

Moana

I woke up at 4:30 the next morning — a bit earlier than I needed to, probably, but I wasn’t taking any chances with this job. I spent the next hour practically scrubbing myself raw in the shower, fixing my hair, ironing my clothes, and taking extra care to make sure that there wasn’t a single stray hair or speck of dust on me, because today was the first day of the job that would change my life, and I had to be perfect.

I then spent the final half hour of my preparations pacing and staring out the window, willing myself with all of the strength I had to not bite my nails, as I waited for the car that Selina had mentioned. Lo and behold, as soon as the clock struck 5:59, I saw a black car slowly pulling up out front, and I practically flew out of my apartment and down the stairs so that I was opening the car door by 6:00 sharp.

“Hmph,” Selina said, looking at her watch as I clambered into the back. “Six o’clock on the dot. A little out of breath, but at least you’re here.”

“Sorry,” I said, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear and buckling my seatbelt. “It’s a bad neighborhood, so I didn’t want to wait outside.”

Selina didn’t answer. The driver pulled the car away from the curb and started heading down the street.

“We’ll be stopping to sign your contract with the lawyer first,” Selina said, her voice flat as she looked out the window with a modicum of disgust on her wrinkled face. “Then, you’ll get a tour of the penthouse apartment where you’ll be spending most of your time. I suspect you won’t be needing to return to your old home to collect your things?”

I thought back to my apartment and its contents.

“Well, I have some clothes and things there–”

“Your employer will supply you with anything you need: clothes, toiletries, books, and anything else you might need or want. Unless you have sentimental belongings you need to go back for, I wouldn’t recommend wasting your time and energy on such a move.”

sentimental thing I owned, and it was always around my neck. Everything else in that

“Very well,” Selina said.

it get to me, though; growing up human in

driver eventually pulled the car over in front of a brownstone with large bay windows with a sign over the door that read “William Brown, Esq.” Selina got out of the car without a word and started for the door — I did the same, standing behind her as she rapped on the

eerily quiet. Neither Selina nor the woman said a word; the

He was asleep.

from him, and when he

“Wake up, William!”

as he was unceremoniously awoken. I stifled a laugh as I stood in the

glasses with shaking old hands as he opened a drawer and pulled out

ticked in time with my racing heartbeat and filled my ears, driving me practically insane, as the elderly lawyer licked his fingers and flipped through

this basic contract

of interesting clauses thrown in: one mentioned that I

these clauses for?” I asked, pointing to them. William leaned over and glanced at them, then waved his hand

“All very standard.”

“But I–”

breath. “Unless you think you will

I said, quickly scrawling my signature down on the dotted line and sliding the contract back to William. “I would never. I was

another “Hmph,” and stood,

to William, who seemed already exhausted

…

would be working and living a few minutes later. It was vastly different from the Tudor-style mountain mansion I had visited the day before, but equally as massive and beautiful. Selina and I walked through the marble lobby and took the elevator up a few dozen storeys before coming out into a gorgeous entryway with cherry wood parquet floors and large, arched windows that were reminiscent of

for us when we arrived. She looked much more put-together and far less feral than the night before, wearing a prim baby blue dress with ruffles and

in a tight hug and then took my hand, leading me away from Selina and around the massive apartment on a tour — which took over an hour since the place

to the twin maids, Lily and Amy, Ella led me to

set of double doors with her tiny hands. I stifled a gasp as

mine?” I asked, unable to contain my