Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 57188 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 286(@200wpm)___ 229(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57188 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 286(@200wpm)___ 229(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
“Yes well, you’ve always needed to lose a few pounds.”
Six things. “I’m fine the way I am, thanks for your concern, Mother.”
She gave me that heavy sigh, the one that reminded me I was a constant disappointment. “If you don’t slim down you will never find a suitable husband, Antonia.”
“It’s Toni, and I’m not looking for a husband, suitable or otherwise.” She would never understand that while I was grateful for the life my folks provided for me, it wasn’t a path I wanted to follow.
“A man wants a fit woman. Think of how much weight you’ll put on after a few children.”
I rolled my eyes. “Who says I want children?” I loved kids, of course I did, otherwise I wouldn’t have become a nanny. But other people’s kids were great because you got to leave them at the end of the day. Come home to more kids plus my nanny duties? No thanks. “And I am fit, Mother. I get plenty of exercise, and if a man doesn’t like me the way I am, fuck him.”
Dad grinned. “That’s right, honey.”
Mom gasped. “With that kind of language you won’t have to worry about finding a suitable man.”
“Good.” I took a few more healthy sips in an effort to hold my tongue before I said something to my mom that I couldn’t take back.
“Trevor Halsey is back in town after finishing law school. Suzanne said he’s ready to find a wife.”
“Good for him. I hope he finds what he’s looking for.” I didn’t bother to remind her that I didn’t know Trevor and had no interest in any of her friends’ sons.
“Antonia, you cannot be a nanny forever. That’s sad, and worse, it’s pathetic.”
“It’s an honest career, Mother.”
“Yes, it is,” she agreed with a glint in her eyes. “For women who have no choice, who don’t have the options you do.”
“I love my job and if you can’t respect that, then I guess you don’t respect me. Still.” I stood just as our food arrived and finished off my wine. “It was so good to see you, Daddy. Mother,” I growled and walked out of the fancy restaurant filled with Houston’s elite with my head held high.
By the time I made it the few blocks to the parking garage, because I refused to pay for valet, my mother had called at least a dozen times. I smiled to myself thinking how furious she probably was that I kept sending her to voicemail. I drove home, ignoring three more calls, and parked my car before I made my way to my favorite watering hole just two blocks from my condo.
I called Lucy first because she was my closest friend. “Toni, I thought you were having dinner with your parents?”
“I was, and now I’m not. You free for a drink or ten?”
But she sighed, and I knew it was a no go. “Not tonight, Toni. Lena isn’t feeling well and my boobs are sore. Sorry.”
New motherhood was harder than it looked. “Don’t be. Talk soon.”
“Are you all right?”
No. “Absolutely. Go relax while you can. Later.”
I stared at my contacts and knew I would get a similar answer from Sasha, so I went with someone a bit younger.
“Toni?”
I pasted on a smile and nodded even though the newest nanny on the Elite Nanny Service roster couldn’t see me. “Hey Molly. Are you busy tonight?”
“Kind of,” she hedged. “I lost my new placement because the mom said I was too tempting or something stupid like that, so I’m trying to find a new wardrobe on a budget.”
“Damn, I’m sorry Mols. Tonight I’m drinking, but I’ll be happy to help you tomorrow.”
“Really?” She gasped excitedly because I have the best fashion sense, period. “You sure?”
“Of course. As long as you realize nothing can cover up curves that spectacular.” Molly needed to learn that her curves were not a statement on her sex life, despite what desperate housewives wanted her to believe. “But we’ll tone it down as much as possible if that’s what you want.”
“It is.”
“All right, see you tomorrow.” I ended the call and stepped inside the dimly lit bar, finding an empty stool at the far end where I could be surrounded by people, but also be relatively alone. “Double whiskey. Neat, please.”
I needed to get a new placement. Soon. I didn’t do well with a lot of free time, especially after another interaction with my mother. She poked and judged until I lost my shit, and I hated that she knew the exact combination to make me lose my shit.
My next gig would be better, I told myself. It had to be better than a negligent workaholic who kicked me to the curb for daring to request a day off after working twenty-one straight days. The guy was an asshole, and if I never met another single parent like that again, it still wouldn’t wipe away the nasty taste he’d left in my mouth.