Nanny Diaries

Chapter 36 - Reasons

“Miss Flora, how may I help you?” Bill pipes from behind the desk. 

I cradle my daughter in my arms, her seat hanging off one of my elbows. “Yeah, I’m here to get my stuff.” 

“Ah, yes. I think Mr. Klore, I mean, Chris, mentioned something about that. Go on up.”

“Thanks.” I smile softly. 

“Oh, is this the new addition to the family?”

My eyes dart down to Charlie, who is seizing the opportunity for a little catnap. She smiles in her sleep, the corners of her mouth causing her entire face to light up. I feel my own lips upturn in joy, just gazing at my baby girl. 

“The first addition to my family.” I murmur. 

My feet move in the other direction, to the elevators. I press the button, which lights up as the doors slide open. My thumb hits the penthouse suite. I dare a glance at the front desk and almost laugh out loud at what I see. 

Bill’s standing in the exact same position, frozen, eyes wide and jaw dropped. 

Must be a huge shocker. 

When the doors release me, spitting me out into the foyer of what I once considered my home, I take in how un-homey it feels. 

More like a display, a showroom. 

Not a place where people live. 

Then again, when was it a home for anyone but me and Matt?

And George, my mind silently adds. 

I breathe out through my nose, irritated that I had to think that. I don’t think there’s anything I could do about it though, so I have to get over it. 

Who knows who seduced who?

I try to tell myself I don’t care. 

But I really am lying if I say that, because I do care. I care a lot. 

George was someone I really trusted. He was part of the weird family that made up this house. Tight knit, dependent on each other. We started crumbling when Matt died. With everything’s that’s happened these past couple days, slowly, surely, we’ve fallen apart. 

It’s like that game Jenga. 

If you take away the foundation, the whole structure fails. 

I’m not blaming the entire destruction on George.