Nanny

10

Kate

The awkwardness with Adam didn't last long. We spent the rest of the afternoon playing with the kids and watching more TV.

During a commercial, there was an ad for a new movie coming out this summer. The twins jumped up and pointed excitedly.

"There's the other Kate!" Barry said. "Daddy's friend!"

I gawked at the TV. "The other Kate is Cate Blanchett?"

"Kate Blanket?" Barry said with a giggle. "That's a silly name."

I gave Adam a questioning look.

"Mr. Nash hosts a charity fundraiser with her," he explained.

"Sorry, but that's going to take some getting used to," I said.

"Mr. Nash tries not to name-drop, but sometimes the twins do it for him."

"Apparently!"

Braxton got home at six, just before dinner. "Something smells delicious!" he said while coming out of the elevator.

"Daddy!" The twins screamed happily and ran to the elevator to hug him. I smiled at the sight of the children clinging to their father with love. It was even more striking since their father was Braxton Nash, a billionaire dressed in an expensive suit, ruggedly handsome with perfectly-combed thick, black hair...

Seeing him every day is going to take some getting used to, I thought.

"They're alive," Braxton said to me, "so it must have been a successful first day."

"That's an awfully low bar," I replied.

"She did wonderful," Adam said. "The twins adore her."

"Kate played dollhouse with me!" Allie declared. "She's going to play again tomorrow. Right?"

"That's right," I said.

"How was the office without me?" Adam asked Braxton.

The billionaire loosened his tie. "Oh, we managed. But I'll be grateful to have you back tomorrow...?"

"I think I can handle things by myself tomorrow," I said.

"I typed up their schedule in an email for you," Adam explained. "If you need anything tomorrow, I'll be right upstairs."

"You're not staying for dinner?" Braxton asked him.

"Not tonight," Adam said. He hugged the twins, then disappeared in the elevator. As soon as he was gone, the twins went running down the hall to play in their room.

Braxton gave me a funny look. "He usually sticks around for dinner. Claudette will be disappointed."

"He's probably had his fill of the kids after being around them all day."

Braxton smiled. "It's not that. He loves the twins."

Claudette brought out a big bowl of pasta and placed it on the dining room table. "Dinner is served!" she called.

There was another stampede of elephants as the twins came running back out of their room.

Dinner was pasta with creamy vodka sauce, homemade garlic bread, and salad. The twins were surprisingly-clean eaters for their age, which meant I was able to sit down and eat my meal along with everyone else. Another benefit compared to Miranda's nannying job.

"Oh my gosh," I said after the first bite. "This might be the best pasta I've ever tasted in my life. And I'm not exaggerating."

"Claudette makes all her pasta by hand," Braxton explained. He only had a small portion on his plate. "That's one of the two reasons I always make sure to leave work in time for dinner."