True to You

What Others See

2019

If she'd been in Europe they'd have called her an au pair - the bonus there would have been the legal ability to drink. In the good old US of A she was more of a babysitter-slash-household help-slash-general helping hand who secretively drank the glasses of wine passed her way by Steph, Caitie, Kelly C, Lacey, Kelly W and Cathy. But only when their husbands weren't watching. Michelle didn't care, she handed over glasses of wine whenever she felt like it. Actually Brooks had also been known to slip a sympathetic glass of plonk her way whilst pretending to be fully on board with the overprotective BS of the other guys.

Elliot may have spent her entire life wishing that she had a father and that her family was bigger but nothing had prepared her for the vast size and over protective nature of the family in which she'd found herself. It had the potential to be stifling.

It was fortunate that she'd discovered that she and McKenna, Brian's baby sister, actually shared some acquaintances in common. They'd hit it off and began to spend time together when neither of them was working. Of course Brian, who by all accounts had been a particularly indulgent older brother, had grilled his sister and strictly instructed her that Laine was not to be lured into disreputable activities like underage drinking. McKenna found it hilarious. Laine less so.

As Laine slapped on another layer of sunscreen McKenna directed a finger wave toward the house. "My brother is watching us."

"You mean Big Brother is watching," Laine grumbled.

McKenna giggled. "This is a truly fantastic moment in my life. He's seriously losing his mind over this shit."

"Glad my suffering amuses you," Laine responded dryly. "Why are we not at your house again?"

McKenna rolled over and took a sip from her insulated water bottle, which had been cunningly filled with rosé, and replied, "Because my place, formerly known as Steph and Brian's condo, doesn't have a pool."

"Ugh. That's right. What about your dad's place?" Laine asked hopefully.

"Because my dad, much like my reprobate brother, believes that even though I am legally allowed to drink I shouldn't. Pair of fucking hypocrites. So we're here because while Brian can give me as much shit as he likes, I know all the stories, and none of us are under any illusions that I'm going to treat him with anything approaching respect." McKenna adjusted her bikini strap. "Plus although Steph might pretend to respect her husband in all things who do you think bought me these awesome opaque water bottles that can fit an entire bottle of wine?"

"I do like Steph. And I love her accent. She sounds like Nicole Kidman or a female Hemsworth. In fact I like all the girls, I just wish they could get their men to chill a bit." Laine sipped from her own water bottle of rosé.

"Think yourself lucky you didn't grow up with them all. It was like having hundreds of older brothers instead of just two because even their roadies and friends got in on the over protective act. There's not much they can do know that I'm over twenty-one except glare. I told them my first boyfriend was my gay BFF. Suckers," McKenna snorted.

"Teach me your secrets Sensei," Laine begged. After all McKenna was barely older than she was and had been dealing with these guys her entire life.

"You're doing just fine," McKenna responded with a smirk and raised eyebrow that filled Laine with envy. "The one I really pity is Sloane. That girl isn't going to be able to share a sandwich with a kid in pre-school without them all getting up in his face."

Laine grinned, McKenna was right. Sloane couldn't even sleep without someone checking that she was still breathing okay. In her role as general home help around Kelly and Zacky's house she'd actually had to confiscate the baby monitor from Zacky due to obsessive over listening. The poor baby was never going to get any sleep if her father kept prodding her every five minutes to make sure she was still breathing.