Nanny

28

Kate

I woke up in a new place, with a different view and new furniture all around me. It took me several seconds to realize I was in Braxton's massive bedroom. The windows to the left showed the upper half of Midtown, with a view extending all the way to Central Park. The sunrise glistened off the windows of a hundred different skyscrapers, making the city look like it was filled with diamonds.

"Okay," I said, "I'm never going to get used to that view."

But when I rolled over, Braxton was gone. There was a folded piece of paper on the pillow, monogrammed with the letters B.N.

You looked too beautiful to wake this morning. See you tonight.

I smiled, although I would have liked to have said goodbye to him this morning. But the note was good too.

I sat up in bed and then flinched. Standing in the bedroom doorway were Allie and Barry. Their hair was all messy from their pillows, and they squinted sleepily at me.

"What are you doing in daddy's room?" Allie asked.

Shit.

"I was, uh..." I started to jump out of bed but realized I wasn't wearing any panties. "I had a nightmare. So I came in here to sleep. Because I was scared."

The twins stared at me placidly.

I found my panties on the ground next to the bed. Making sure I stayed covered by the down comforter, I reached down to pluck the panties off the ground.

"You know how you have nightmares sometimes?" I said while sliding the panties on underneath the comforter. "Adults get nightmares too."

Barry rubbed the sleep out of his eye. "Sometimes when Allie has a nightmare, she comes and sleeps with me."

"Yes!" I said. "Exactly! That's totally what I was doing! Now run along, I'll be in your room to help you get dressed soon."

Fortunately, the twins forgot all about finding me in their dad's room once we had breakfast and started playing.

When it came time for their morning German lesson, we picked up right where we had left off yesterday. Allie was a natural, and although her pronunciation wasn't perfect, she could memorize new words quickly. Barry, however, was much slower. He had zero enthusiasm for learning a new language. In fact, he didn't care about anything other than building planes with his Legos.

I tried every trick I knew to motivate him. Extra play time if he could memorize five new words. Two pieces of candy with his afternoon snack instead of just one. None of it seemed to work.

Until Mathias came over to help me exercise the next day.

The twins were napping while we worked out in the gym. The thirty minutes I spent on the treadmill felt even tougher than they had on Monday, since my body was still sore from that workout. By the end I had a stitch in my side and was drenched in sweat.

After giving me a massage, Mathias kissed me in the hallway again—as soon as we crossed the threshold from the gym. I thought it was cute that he respected his role as personal trainer, and didn't want to cross a line until we were outside.

"See you Friday?" I asked.

"Friday!" Mathias said with a grin. "Prepare yourself, for we will be running even longer then!"

"Uh oh, I think I have a cramp!" I pretended to limp down the hall. "I think I have to take a week off!"

Mathias squinted at me. "A week off will not take the weak off! Do you see what I did? It is the same word, but two meanings!"