Protecting Rayne

by Emily Bishop

“Well, maybe if computers could help me become fit, I’d be more into them,” I say, steering the conversation back on topic.

  “That’s what this partnership is all about.”

  “Yeah, yeah. I know.” I rest my elbows on my desk. “So, when did you say that program for the gym is going to be ready?”

  “Next week,” Gil answers. “Then you can try it in one of your gyms and, if it works, you can use it for all of your gyms.”

  “Awesome.”

  “Thank you. So, how’s the new nanny? Is she any good?”

  I don’t answer, grabbing the pen on my desk and flipping it.

  “Ah. So, that’s why you weren’t at the party.” I can almost see him grinning. “You know, some men actually end up with their kids’ nannies. Look at Captain von Trapp.”

  “Who?”

  “And Robin Williams, though they divorced.”

  I frown. “It’s not that serious.”

  “Hey. I’m just saying. Anyway, I have to go. I have a meeting.”

  “I know. You don’t have to rub it in that your company makes more money than mine.”

  “I’m not. Talk to you soon. Bye.”

  “Bye.”

  I put my phone on my desk then sit back in my chair, still fidgeting with the pen as I digest that last conversation.

  End up with Sabrina? What is Gil thinking?

  I want to end up in bed with her, yes. Definitely yes. But marry her? I don’t know. It’s too early for that.

  “So, was he at the party?” Tess asks, interrupting my thoughts.

  I’ve forgotten she’s standing in front of my desk.

  “Yup,” I answer, putting my pen down. “And he had fun. But you know Gil. He likes parties.”

  “And what about the software?”

  “He said they’re still finalizing the... what was that again? The goo-goo or something.”

  “GUI,” Tess says. “Graphical User Interface.”

  I narrow my eyes at her. “How is it that you don’t carry around a tablet and yet you know so much about computers?”

  “I studied computers a bit.”

  “You did?”

  “And I do use computers. I just don’t like carrying them around or using them for everything.”

  “Of course.” I clasp my hands and sit back in my chair.

  Tess writes in her planner. “Well, that’s it for now. You have a meeting before lunch but that’s still in fifty minutes. Do you want to take a break?”

  Suddenly, I remember Sabrina’s words. I guess we can share a coffee break.

  A coffee break, huh? Well, that could mean one step closer to having her.

  I get out of my chair. “I think I will.”

  “Be back by eleven.”

  I nod, already heading out the door only to realize that I don’t know where Sabrina is.

  Now, where, oh, where can she be?

  ***

  After several minutes, I find her in the art room, which contains wooden, marble and metal sculptures as well as paintings, some of which I’ve purchased on my travels and others which were given to me as presents.

  For a moment, I stare at her, as absorbed with her standing in the middle room as she is with the painting she’s gazing at.

  Fuck, she’s beautiful.

  “There you are,” I say as I approach her. “Though I almost didn’t see you. I thought you were one of the statues in this room.”

  “Nonsense.” Sabrina gives a sheepish grin. “If anyone here looks like a statue, it’s you.”

  Is that a compliment?

  “Is that coffee?” she asks, glancing at the mugs in my hand.

  “Yes.” I hand her one. “I did say we’d have coffee together.”

  She holds the mug with two hands and sniffs it. “What’s in it?”

  “Caffeine. No hallucinogens or depressants, I assure you.”

  “Very funny.”

  I sniff my own mug. “Organic Arabica, I think. Brewed, of course. It’s what I always have.”

  She chuckles. “And here, I thought you only drank protein shakes.”

  “I drink those, too.” I take a sip of the coffee. “I hope it’s not too strong for you.”

  “Oh, there’s such a thing as coffee that’s too strong?”

  I chuckle.

  She takes a sip, stays still for a moment, then nods. “It’s quite good, actually.”

  I smile. “I’m glad you like it.”

  “I told you I’m not allergic to coffee.” Sabrina sits on the divan next to the window then looks around. “This is a really beautiful room.”

  I sit beside her. “I think it’s meant to be.”

  “I didn’t peg you for an art lover.”

  I narrow my eyes at her as I lift my mug. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Nothing. I mean a room with animal trophies would probably suit you more.”

  I take a sip. “Well, I’m sorry to disappoint.”

  She shakes her head. “No. I’m impressed, actually.”

  She is? Then I guess it’s good.

  “I thought I’d explore the house a bit.” She blows on the surface of her coffee. “I hope you don’t mind.”

  “No, not at all. So, found any dead bodies?”

  “No.” She gives me a look of disgust. “And I hope I don’t find any.”

  “I’m just kidding. You won’t. But what exactly are you hoping to find?”

  “I don’t know.” She shrugs. “Maybe anything that can help me understand David more.”

  “Did he cause you any trouble?” I ask, concerned.

  “No. I mean, he didn’t play a prank on me or anything. He just doesn’t like me, I guess.”

  “Well, he did try to hide from you,” I remind her.

  “Yes. Was he always like that?”

  “You’re the first one he hid from but yes, he never likes his nannies.”

  “Do you know why?”

  I shrug. I’ve wondered about that, too, and all I can think of is that he’s simply being rebellious.

  “Maybe he wants to think that he’s all grown up and doesn’t need a nanny.”

  “No. He told me that he didn’t want to grow up.”

  He did?

  “He doesn’t need a nanny, which is why I’m trying to be his friend,” Sabrina continues. “And so far, I’m not having any luck with that.”

  “I see.” I take another sip from my mug.

  She takes a sip from her own mug as well. “What can you tell me about his mother? Is he like her? Did she keep to herself, too?”

  I don’t answer at once, thinking.

  “I’m sorry,” Sabrina says. “I didn’t mean to pry. I know you must miss her.”

  “It’s okay,” I tell her. “It’s been a long time. I don’t remember her being rude or difficult, though. On the contrary, she was very kind and gentle.”

  “Then David probably got his mischievous streak from you.”

  “From me?” I narrow my eyes at her.

  I did have my share of mischief. But doesn’t every boy?

  Suddenly, Sabrina stands up, gazing out the window. “Oh, shit.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  I stand up and look out the window as well, seeing Zombie running in the lawn with something red in his mouth.

  A shoe?

  “Sorry.” Sabrina places her hand over her mouth. “I promise I don’t curse around David. It’s just…” She sets her mug down. “I have to go.”

  She dashes out. I set down my mug and follow her.

  “Wait. Is that shoe Zombie’s playing with yours?” I ask as I follow her down the hall.

  “Yes. It’s my bedroom slipper. Well, it was Carol’s but she gave it to me.”

  “Carol?”

  “Carol Fisher, the owner of the agency.”

  “I see.” I follow her down the stairs. “Do you have any idea how Zombie might have taken it?”

  “I don’t know. It was in my room. Not in the closet. Just
out there.”

  “And you closed the door?”

  “I think so.”

  “Wait. Is the door to your room one of those with latches?”

  “Yes. Why?”

  “I think Zombie knows how to open those.”

  “What?”

  We run out of the house in silence, heading to the lawn. There, we find the Labrador still chewing on the shoe.

  “Zombie!” I shout. “Give that back this instant!”

  Instead of doing that, though, he runs off.

  “Great,” I tell Sabrina. “He’s just like his master.”

  “Zombie!” Sabrina shouts, running after the dog.

  “You know, I can just buy you another,” I shout after her but she no longer hears me.

  I sigh. Well, this is going to be fun.

  We run after Zombie, who seems to think it’s a game and runs faster, running back and forth and in circles around us.

  Finally, I manage to catch him, pinning him down. Sabrina gets her sandal, though it doesn’t look much like a slipper anymore as she holds it up.

  “Sorry,” I mutter. “I don’t know what’s come over him. I thought he stopped running away with things and chewing on things years ago.”

  Sabrina shrugs. “Maybe he just likes red, soft things. Don’t you, Zombie?”

  Suddenly, Zombie escapes from my grip and jumps on Sabrina.

  “Zombie!”

  I was afraid he’d bite her. Instead, he starts licking her face, sending Sabrina giggling and falling over.

  “I have a feeling he likes you more.”

  “Zombie, stop it!” Sabrina screams, still laughing. “That tickles.”

  All right. Maybe he likes her too much.

  “Zombie, that’s enough.” I grab his collar and pull him off Sabrina, who’s now all dirty. “Sorry about that. I told you he’s a troublemaker like his master.”

  Sabrina sits up, wiping her face. “Well, at least you’re clean.”

  A second later, the sprinklers turn on, getting me, Zombie and Sabrina wet. Zombie makes his escape but Sabrina and I are left standing there, soaked.

  She laughs. “I guess I spoke too soon.”

  I look at my shirt and frown. “Yeah, you did.”

  Then my gaze wanders over to the front of her blouse and my heart stops, the silhouette of her black bra apparent through the wet cotton.

  Fuck.

  Just then, I hear a throat clearing and I look up to see Tess standing there with a look of disapproval that almost makes me feel like a misbehaved child.

  I help Sabrina stand up. “Sabrina, meet Tess, my secretary. Tess, this is Sabrina, the new nanny.”

  “Pleasure.” Tess smiles then turns serious again. “I was looking all over for you. You only have…” She glances at her watch. “Eight minutes until your meeting.”

  “Sorry.” I glance at Sabrina, who now has her arms folded over her chest. “I guess time flies when you’re having fun.”

  She laughs.

  I know the coffee break didn’t go as planned but hey, I have to admit it was still fun. In fact, that’s probably the most fun I’ve had in ages.

  Tess taps her watch.

  “Right. I better get changed and get to work,” I tell Sabrina as I tear my gaze away from her and reluctantly jog back to the house. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you get a new pair of sandals.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I suggest you go get changed as well!”

  “I will!”

  Deal

  Sabrina

  What a mess.

  I frown as I lift my uniform, having already changed into another, staring at the stains that the soil in the lawn, the sprinkler and Zombie all caused in one moment of chaos.

  What was up with that dog? I thought he was going to gobble me up. Thank goodness Randall pulled him off me.

  Suddenly, I remember the image of Randall in his soaked shirt and jeans, the cotton and denim clinging to him like a second skin and showing off all his bulges and curves.

  All his bulges? Not really. I did not see that.

  Shit. What am I thinking? It’s bad enough that I’m fantasizing about his muscles. Now, I’m thinking about that, too.

  I shake my head, clearing the image.

  At least Zombie likes me now, though there’s no guarantee David will feel the same.

  Sighing, I put my dress into the machine. I just hope the stains come off. I only have seven sets of uniform, after all, the last two a blouse and a pair of pants for trips. And I work seven days a week.

  As I’m trying to figure out the machine, Lucy enters, a pile of laundry in her arms.

  “Sabrina?” Her brown eyes grow wide when she sees me. “What are you doing here?”

  “Washing my uniform,” I tell her. “At least, that was my intention.”

  Lucy sets down the curtains on the bench. “You’re not supposed to do any washing, you know. You could have just left your clothes there in the hamper in your bathroom.”

  “I know, but I was afraid that if I didn’t wash this uniform at once, it would be harder for the stains to come off.”

  “Stains, huh?” Lucy gives me a suspicious look.

  I blush as I realize what she’s talking about. “Not that kind of stains. I was out in the lawn and Zombie jumped on me and then the sprinklers turned on so…”

  “I see.” She stands beside me and looks at my uniform. “Mud stains do get harder to remove the longer you leave them.”

  “That’s what I thought.”

  “Which detergent did you use?”

  I point to the box on my right.

  “That’s fine.” She puts down the lid of the machine. “Now, you just set the knob like this and turn this dial and press this and that and – there, it should be all set.”

  True enough, the machine starts whirring.

  I smile at her. “Thanks. You’re a lifesaver.”

  Lucy shakes her head. “Nope. I’m just a maid.”

  She sits down on the bench and starts separating the white curtains from the dark ones.

  “How long have you been working here?”

  “Four years. My friend recommended me as her replacement when she had to leave because she got pregnant.”

  “Oh.” I put a maroon curtain into the dark pile. “Wow. I can’t believe you’ve been here so long.”

  “Sometimes, neither can I,” she confesses. “Sometimes, I feel like I’ve been here forever and that I’ll be stuck here forever like Mrs. Wilson.” She glances at the door, as if worried that the housekeeper might suddenly show up but she doesn’t. “That makes me a little sad but then I think of how much money I’m earning, plus the living quarters are really nice. Mr. Brewster is fair and all the other maids are nice, too, so all in all, it’s not such a bad deal. I’m sure some people have it worse.”

  I nod, remembering the hardships I went through while I was trying to earn money as a singer and, of course, while I was trapped in Vince’s house.

  “You’re right. It’s not so bad.”

  “How about you?” Lucy asks, throwing a beige curtain into the light pile. “How long have you been a nanny?”

  I pause. Do I make something up or do I tell her the truth?

  “I just started actually,” I say, deciding there’s no harm in the latter. “Just this year.”

  “Really?” Lucy looks surprised. “I thought of that because you look so young but then, you seem so professional.”

  “Thank you.”

  “How old are you?”

  “Twenty-two.” Again, no harm in saying my real age just as there is no sense in hiding it.

  “You really are young, younger than me. I’m twenty-five, and I’m the second youngest maid here. Amy is younger by just a year. I don’t know who the oldest is but I think it’s Carmen.” She glances at the door again.

  “Well, if you’re not going to work hard when you’re young, when will you?”

  Lucy smiles. “Why did you d
ecide to be a nanny, though?”

  “It just seemed right.”

  Now, that’s a lie. The truth is more like it’s my only option.

  “You like kids?”

  “Yup.”

  “David is a handful, though. He’s always been.”

  That brings me to the question I’ve been wanting to ask.

  “Lucy, can I ask you something?”

  “Sorry, but I don’t know if Mr. Brewster is seeing anyone right now or what kind of things Mr. Brewster likes,” Lucy says as she kneels in front of the dark pile, now separating the thin fabrics from the thick ones. “I mean, I know he likes to work out and to…”

  “Stop,” I interrupt her, raising a hand. “I’m not going to ask about that.”

  “Oh.” Lucy looks at me. “Sorry. I just thought you were interested in Mr. Brewster, too.”

  Well, I am but…

  Wait. I am?

  I shake my head.

  “So, what’s your question?”

  Right.

  “You’re saying all the previous nannies were interested in Ra… Mr. Brewster?”

  “Not all but many of them were. I guess he is kind of hot, if you were into that bulky type. I’m not.”

  I understand. Some women prefer lean men and others big men. I thought I was one of the former but I guess I’m one of the latter? Or is it because Vince was lean?

  Focus, Sabrina.

  “So, none of them really cared about David?” I ask.

  “Some of them did,” Lucy answers. “Some of them adored him. They just adored his father more.”

  I touch my chin. “I see.”

  “Then there were those who adored him but couldn’t stand him, what with all his pranks and insults. That kid has claws, I tell you.”

  “I know.”

  “Did he play a prank on you yet?”

  “No. Something tells me he has other plans.”

  Lucy snickers. “You bet.”

  “But he did throw me a few choice words last night.”

  “Yet, you don’t seem affected at all.”

  “No,” I agree. “Maybe because a part of me knows he doesn’t mean them. He’s just lashing out although I don’t know the reason why.”

  “Who knows what that kid thinks?”

  Lucy grabs the pile of dark, thick curtains, one of which falls out of her arms. I pick it up and help her stuff the curtains into one of the front-loader washing machines.