by Hannah Ford
Nicole was getting angrier and angrier as she watched the scene unfold. It was typical in its own way, especially in these parts.
Still, Nicole kept her sunglasses on and tried to appear as though she were resting in the shade, rather than watching every moment of every interaction.
Mrs. Danvers’s phone rang and she answered it as Kallie played and laughed with her children nearby.
“Hello, Brad? Are you here?” Mrs. Danvers asked, sitting up on her elbow. Her fake breasts swayed as she moved. “I’ll bring the children to the car. Kallie can’t do it by herself, she’s been having a great deal of trouble all day.”
Nicole watched Kallie’s expression, which didn’t change, even as the woman continued to belittle her. She was a beautiful girl, with sky blue eyes, honey blond hair, and the body of a dancer.
No wonder Mrs. Danvers seemed so annoyed with her, Nicole thought. She was probably sick of looking at this natural, gorgeous girl and wondering why she couldn’t buy breasts and a face to equal hers.
Nicole felt a little guilty for judging the older woman so harshly, but than again, she’d behaved terribly every single moment that Nicole had been watching so far.
The older woman suddenly noticed Nicole looking in their direction. She stared directly back at Nicole without moving a muscle. “This is what you have to look forward to,” she said, in a hostile tone that was couched in humor. “Enjoy the piece and quiet while you still can.”
Nicole didn’t respond, she just nodded slightly and turned away from the scene.
“Kallie, it’s time to go,” the woman commanded loudly. “Could you help me get the children’s shoes on? Please remember to wipe their feet off beforehand, because otherwise there will be sand all over the Range Rover.”
“Yes, Mrs. Danvers,” Kallie said.
“And could you pack up everything and bring it up to the car, please?”
Soon after, Mrs. Danvers collected the children and took them up the stairs to the lot and the waiting Range Rover, while Kallie was stuck trying to move all of the family’s beach paraphernalia by her lonesome.
Nicole decided she couldn’t just sit there and not say something. So she slowly got up from her beach chair and walked to where the young woman was gathering the family’s things together.
“I couldn’t help but notice that you needed some help.”
Kallie looked up at her. “Oh, no! Please, I’m fine.”
“Can I say something?” Nicole asked her.
“Sure.”
“And I hope this isn’t overstepping, since I don’t know you at all. But I was watching how you handled those children and I think you’re doing a great job.”
Kallie brightened visibly. “I appreciate that,” she said, laughing. “Sometimes it feels like I’m just the worst nanny ever. And I wonder if the Danvers’s are going to send me on the first flight back to Ohio.”
“Is that we’re you’re from?”
“Born and raised,” Kallie said.
“My name’s Nicole,” Nicole said, reaching out her hand. Kallie shook it with a grin.
“Kallie Young.”
“How long have you been working as a nanny?”
The girl began folding the yellow beach blanket and Nicole bent down (with some effort) and grabbed two corners and helped her.
“About six months. I always wanted to move to New York, and this opportunity came up and I couldn’t resist.”
“I know how that goes,” Nicole laughed. “Believe me.”
They folded the blanket and then Nicole helped her put away the rest of the materials and throw away the garbage.
“I better get going,” Kallie said. “It was really nice meeting you, though. I swear--it’s like I’m invisible out here. You’re the first person I’ve met who’s really tried to have a conversation with me.”
“Tell you the truth, I haven’t made many friends here myself,” Nicole said. “Maybe we can meet up for coffee or something. And then at least we’ll have one person to talk to.”
“That would be really great,” Kallie said. “You can take my number if you want.” “Definitely.” Kallie smiled. “That would be great.” “We can exchange numbers, actually.”
Nicole ran—well it was more of a quick shuffle—back to her chair and grabbed her cell phone. They input each other’s contact info into their phones, talking about how they should definitely try to meet up for coffee and bales.
Then Kallie got the family’s things together all at once, and hauling it all like a Sherpa, went up the stairs and disappeared from sight.
Red came back with two ice cream cones. “I thought you might want one, even though you said you didn’t.”
She laughed. “You know me too well.”
He handed the cone off to her. “I saw you talking with some girl. What was that all about?”
Nicole licked her ice cream. It was delicious. As usual, Red knew exactly what she needed, sometimes before she even knew it herself. “She was this really nice nanny who was being given a hard time by the woman she worked for. I went over and chatted with her for a minute.”
“So you made a friend?” he asked.
“Actually, I think I did.”
***
Kallie Young was sitting in the back of the Range Rover with the two children as Brad and Trina Danvers sat in the front seat, quietly stewing as they often seemed to do. It was odd how they would talk to one another in public and even pretend to be cuddly and affectionate, only to suddenly become quiet and distant in private.
Was it all an act to impress others with how great their marriage was? Kallie wondered.
And then she wondered, not for the first time, if she hadn’t made a huge mistake in coming to New York City to work for this couple.
Back in Ohio she could have worked as a waitress, or continued going to school—she only had a semester and a half left—and then she would have completed her nursing degree at Ohio State. But Kallie wasn’t certain she wanted to be a nurse anymore, and she’d been feeling like she needed a change.
When one of her brother’s friends offered to refer her to this nanny placement agency in New York City, it seemed like an opportunity that she couldn’t pass up. She was young, didn’t have any children or any major responsibilities yet.
Being a New York nanny sounded romantic to her. Spending time with wealthy people, traveling, eating good food, getting culture, and taking care of children—all of which she enjoyed.
So Kallie had taken the plunge and come to New York for the interview, and somehow, despite her lack of experience, she’d gotten the gig.
And then she’d been placed with the Danvers family.
It was like a movie—only rather than some charming, funny film starring Kate Hudson and Owen Wilson, it was a horror movie and Kallie was the last one to realize it.
She was working for the meanest couple on earth, and they treated her like she was only a step above a convicted felon.
Finally, mercifully, the car ride home from the beach ended, and they arrived back at the Hamptons house, which looked an awful lot like the beach house featured in the movie Something’s Gotta Give with Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton. Outside it was large and weathered and rustic, inside it was completely modern, with every convenience.
Unfortunately for Kallie, the similarities to the film ended there, because Brad and Trina Danvers were most certainly not Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton. They were not brimming with good humor and witty reposts.
They were nasty, uptight, and the house felt gloomy to Kallie, despite its amazing décor and beautiful setting.
“Kallie, please bring Ben and Melanie in and give them a bath,” Trina said. Brad got out of the car without a word to anyone and headed inside.
So Kallie did as told. She brought the children inside and gave them a bath, and she tried her best to make it fun for them even if she was miserable inside. The truth was, Ben and Melanie were lovely children, if a little bratty and spoiled at tim
es. Kallie had a feeling that as the years passed, the loveliness would recede and the ugliness of their privilege would come to the forefront.
But for now, she enjoyed Ben and Melanie and did her best to connect with them and make them feel loved and cared for, even if Kallie herself felt like running away from the Danvers home and never coming back.
After bath time was over, she got them dressed again and played with them for a couple of hours until dinner.
Kallie hadn’t realized it, but she was not just a nanny, but a personal chef as well. Trina told her every day what meal to make, and then provided recipes which Kallie was to follow to the letter. If the ingredients weren’t all in the house, Kallie would go to the market and get them.
Luckily, she was a decent enough cook. Coming from a very large, traditional family and having five brothers, she and her mother had made most of the meals. Now Kallie had to do it all on her own for the first time, but at least there were less mouths to feed.
Tonight’s dinner was chicken breast, seasoned with only the particular ingredients that Trina had allowed Kallie to use—and any deviations would be noticed and commented upon.
“We have the charity ball on the eighteenth,” Trina told Brad as Kallie brought food to the table for everyone.
“What’s a charity?” Melanie asked. She was only four years old, but very bright for her age.
Trina and Brad ignored her question.
“I thought we were cancelling,” Brad replied, staring at the food in front of him with more interest than he’d shown in anything all day.
“Why would we cancel?” Trina replied, her voice betraying her annoyance.
“What’s a charity?”
“Quiet, Melanie—mommy and daddy are talking,” Trina said.
“This looks good,” Brad said. He speared a chicken breast and moved it to his own plate.
“Is it a bit dry, though?” Trina wondered. “Did you use the chicken stock the way I told you to?”
“I did,” Kallie said. “Maybe I needed more.”
“Probably. It’s looking rather dry.”
Brad was already digging in as Kallie served the rest of the family. The sides were roasted potatoes, green beans.
Discussion moved on from the charity ball to gossip about some of the friends in their Hamptons clique. Brad and Trina discussed who was rumored to be having an affair or what couple was said to be ready to divorce—who was broke and who was richer than all the rest.
Somehow, the conversation always came down to money.
Kallie tuned them out, instead choosing to make little jokes and wink at the children, keeping their attention on the meal and also keeping them relatively quiet. If they got bored and started to act out, she would likely take the blame.
After dinner, the parents retreated to their separate spaces in the house. Brad would go have an imported beer and watch sports in the den, while Trina would get on the phone with one of her friends and have a glass of red wine.
Meanwhile, Kallie played for another couple of hours with Melanie and Ben. At bedtime, she made sure they washed their faces and brushed their teeth, went to the bathroom. And then she put them both to bed.
In the beginning, she’d assumed that Trina and Brad would want to say goodnight and tuck their children in, but Trina had made it sparkling clear that she had no interest in doing so.
Tonight was no different.
“Good night, sweet boy,” Kallie said softly to Ben as he cuddled in his bed with the moonlight streaming in and shining on his smooth, round face.
“Night Kallieeeee,” he cooed back. He could be so sweet, she thought, especially when he was tired out from a long day.
Then she went to Melanie’s bed. “Good night, sweet girl.” “I had fun,” Melanie rasped in her little girl voice.
“Me too,” Kallie said. “You’re so much fun to play with!”
“Will you always play with me?”
“Of course.”
The little girl smiled from ear to ear. “And you’ll never leave.”
Kallie winced a little. “You go to sleep now, little one.” She gave her a peck on the forehead and then left the room, breathing a deep sigh of relief to finally have a little time to herself.
The end of the day was the one time where she could truly relax, although she was usually too exhausted from her grueling schedule and the anxiety of working for Trina and Ben to ever really enjoy it.
But tonight was different. Kallie went to her bedroom and closed the door, changed into her nightgown, and climbed into bed with the book she’d begun reading a few days ago.
The novel was Blue Horizon, by Hunter Reardon. There was a picture of him on the back flap and every time she opened the book she stared at him.
He was too good looking to be true, she thought. Probably they’d photo-shopped it to death, or maybe even hired a model to stand in for the writer. He was dark haired, and although his hair was shaggy, it suited him. He had a lean, angular face and piercing eyes. Hunter (or the model pretending to play him) wasn’t exactly smiling in the photograph. Instead he seemed to be brooding, as if the photographer had snapped the picture when he’d least expected it.
Enough of that, Kallie thought, curling up under the covers and turning to the most recent page, about midway through the book. Blue Horizon was a thriller, and she remembered that the film had come out a couple of years ago and been insanely popular—it had starred Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried.
Kallie had never seen the film, though, and she’d only picked up the book because it had been in one of those bargain bins at the bookstore, and she’d liked the title and thought she needed something to do to relax at the end of the day.
Only now she was completely and totally hooked. It was as if she knew these characters in real life and her heart was pounding every time she read a new scene and wondered how things would turn out for the hero and heroine. One of the cool things about Blue Horizon was that it had two strong lead characters—and an awesome romance on top of a pulse pounding thriller storyline.
Smiling as she read, Kallie lost herself in the book totally, forgetting where she was or how homesick she’d been lately—forgetting everything but the story.
Suddenly she was startled by a sharp knock on her bedroom door. Kallie sat up guiltily, as if she’d been doing something wrong. “Yes?”
“Hey, it’s Brad. Can I come in?”
“Oh—uh…sure.” She put the book to the side and sat with the covers over her waist, feeling oddly exposed.
Brad entered with a sheepish grin. He was holding his imported beer and she could tell from his eyes that he was “buzzing.” When she’d first met him, Kallie had thought he was handsome in a sort of California surfer dude way, but then she’d gotten to know him and now she found him distinctly unattractive and didn’t particularly like to be around him.
“Hey, Kallie.” He glanced around the room. “Is this comfortable enough for you? Probably a lot different than the college dorms.”
“I was living off campus,” she said, trying to pull the covers further up, angry with herself for putting on this little nightgown instead of something less revealing.
His eyes landed on her and lingered for a moment, but then he broke off and looked elsewhere. “Yeah, so, I just wanted to swing by and tell you how great a job you’ve been doing lately.”
This was unexpected. A compliment? Kallie tried to think of the last time either of the parents had said so much as a thank you, and came up blank. “I really appreciate that,” she said, and she honestly did.
“I know it can be tough sometimes.” His gaze focused on her again. “We’re so busy and Trina expects so much of everyone. I feel the pressure too, believe me.” He grinned and Kallie couldn’t help but smile in return.
“It must be tough when you work long hours and have little kids,” she said.
He nodded. “It is tough, but I do feel badly that I haven’t been more welcoming toward you and made you f
eel appreciated. We do appreciate your work and your effort—it’s been super helpful.”
“Thanks. That means a lot.”
“Well,” he said, sipping from his beer and seeming to want to come in or say something else—“I guess I’ll let you catch up on some much needed sleep. Good night, Kallie.”
“Good night, Brad,” she said.
And then he stepped out of the room and closed the door, and she heard his footsteps receding down the hall.
***
For the first time, Nicole felt like something was off between her and Red during sex.
Maybe it was too early in the morning and that had something to do with it. But somehow Red had gone to the bathroom and she’d woken up, and then when he’d come to bed, they’d started kissing and touching—and one thing had led to another.
All of which sounded amazing in theory…Except that something wasn’t quite right.
She couldn’t put her finger on exactly why she felt this way, because he had been completely loving and generous and sensitive, as always. She’d climaxed multiple times, and Red had also finished.
But there had been that moment, in the beginning. Red had been treating her so gently, caressing her softly, and she’d tilted her butt up and actually taken his hand and tried to make him spank her ass.
Red had laughed, rubbing her behind softly instead, and basically blowing off her request for some slightly rougher play.
At the time it had hardly registered, but suddenly Nicole saw it as emblematic of what was missing.
Red was holding her from behind now, spooning her the way she liked, as Nicole tried to relax and tell herself it was just crazy hormones (a convenient excuse used to blame just about everything she felt these days).
“You okay?” he whispered, nuzzling her neck. As always, Red knew things without Nicole even needing to tell him what was happening.
She sighed. “I want to ask you the same question.”
“I’m great,” he rasped. “Well, I’m kind of tired, since it’s not even six in the morning, but other than that…”