Nurse Or Nanny?

Chapter Twenty-Four

Ashley/Lauras POV

On my way to bed I think about how the evening transpired.  Being lost in thought cleaning away, listening to music and dancing in the kitchen and then being surprised by David and the kids.  I thought for sure David was going to want to have words with me about the way I dress around his children.  I was mortified and dreading going to see him, but his mood seemed to change when I went back downstairs for dinner.  I wasn't expecting to interrupt his family time with the kids, I was just going to get a slice of pizza to oblige him and then head back into my room, but he insisted.  His demeanor completely changed from looking very mad and I thought I was going to get scolded to him looking genuinely happy for me to watch a movie and have pizza with his kids.  It was throwing me for a total loop and I still can't seem to wrap my head around it.  The way he kept looking at me all night made me nervous, and a little excited.  I didn't dare look back at him for fear of myself giving too much away, but when Lauren came and cuddled up next to me I wanted to seek his approval, make sure this was something he was okay with and when I did look at him I saw something different in his eyes.  Sadness maybe.  When he'd come back I'd fallen asleep, not unusual for me while watching movies and when I came to he seemed amused. He had taken Joe upstairs and was going to come back for Lauren and I knew I needed to get out from under her but I didn't want to wake her up.  When David finally came back he looked like he was assessing the situation and I realized he didn't want to have to touch me, so I start to move and before I could total get away from her he swept in and brushed my body to scoop up Lauren, he then turn around, brushing me again before heading to the door.  Did he do that on purpose or was he not wanting me to move in the event I wake Lauren up.  So confusing!
And lets not forget the conversation that definitely could have waited till morning.  Talking about me cleaning the house, getting the kids to do chores.  He did take a seat rather close to me which made it hard to think, and he took longer than he normally does to ask and answer questions, maybe it was the scotch? I leave my mind tossing all these things around and making sense of none of it as I crawl into bed and hope for a better tomorrow. 
This is when the nightmares begin.

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So it's been a few weeks and we have finally started to get into a routine.  David never brought up that night and I never asked. He has decided to pay me in cash, I'm not sure why but he pays more than I thought necessary and I'm not complaining.  I am saving every penny I can before I have to make a run for it again.  But I've started to really like it here.  I've been getting up early and getting a start on the day which David liked, it meant he could wake up to coffee, the simple things I thought.  I had a food schedule in place which I found has made things run a bit more smoothly around the house.  Breakfast more or less stays the same, eggs and toast, cereal, or fruit and yogurt.  Pancakes on Saturdays and they fend for themselves on Sundays before they head to their grandma Roses.  I pack up the kids lunch, take them to school, do some shopping if need be, come home, clean, tidy up, pick up kids from school, we go watch Jackson play basketball, head home, homework, dinner, bathe younger kids and put to bed, help Jackson with his basketball and French, then we all go to bed and do the same thing the next day.  I hardly see David except when he is grabbing his coffee in the morning and when he sometimes makes it home for dinner.  He has been working on a case I guess which has taken up a lot of his time lately, or at least that's what I get from Chris. We have become sort of friends, she pops in sometimes and she likes to check in on the kids when David is busy and we get to talking.  She took me to the beach a couple times on my days off and we have a lot of fun, I can see why David likes her so much. 

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Today is like any other Saturday, Chris is here and I am just finishing up the dishes from breakfast when David's mother walks in.  I haven't met her yet and she looks terrifying.  She is wearing what looks like a linen pant suit, she has it accessorized perfectly with a delicate necklace, a few bracelets, a giant ring, probably million dollar shoes and the same priced hair cut.  She walked into the kitchen and everyone went quite.
"Hello David" she says with thick southern accent, why hadn't I noticed it on anyone else before now. 
"Hello mother." David says back and he doesn't seem pleased, I wonder what that's about. I look around to everyone else and the kids and Chris have started moving in her direction.
"Hi Grandma!" Both Lauren and Joe say at the same time and each give her a hug, but then they head down to the TV room.
"Hello Anne, it's nice to see you." Chris says as she goes over and gives her a small side hug and then moved back on to the same side of the island as me to help me finish cleaning up.
"And who might this be David, very rude for you not to introduce me." She says in a stern voice while eyeing me up and down.  I am in just my regual leggins and t-shirt, hair in a bun with no makeup on, my usual Saturday look, and now I was wishing I had put a little more effort into my appearance this morning.
"This is Ashley, our tutor and nanny Mother, I told you about her weeks ago." He says annoyed.  Well it sure looks like David doesn't get along with his mother.
"Hi, it's nice to meet you." I say and I start to come around to her to properly introduce myself and she just puts up her hand which stops me dead in my tracks.
"That's okay, you just finish what you are doing." She says in a tone that I have never been spoken to in before, like she wants absolutely nothing to do with me, but needed to make a scene.  I look over at David and he rolls his eyes and I look over to Chris and she just shakes her head and nods me to come back.  I move beside her and she just whispers, "I'll fill you in later." and gives me a wink.  This should be interesting.  I see David and his mother take their conversation to the back patio and I stare down Chris.
"Don't think twice about her, she's a snob and everyone knows it, did you see how when she came in the kids hugged her and left, she never does anything with them except give them expensive gifts at Christmas, she even pretends they aren't speaking when they communicate in French." She says and laughs, "it's kind of ridiculous actually, David fell so far from that tree, he only keeps her around because he believes that everyone can teach somebody something and his wife didn't want him to cut his mother our of their lives. She's was a better person then I would have been." She says a little shortly.
"Well you seem to have gotten on her good side?" I say a bit questioningly.
"Oh, yeah we are civil, my parents are friends her, came up in the same social circles." 
"So what's the deal with her and David, he didn't look to happy to see her from what I was looking at. If you feel okay telling me" I say quickly at the end.
"She isn't reliable, and she didn't like Juliet, Julie, I'm not sure how he refers to her around you. But just recently she fired his last babysitter because she was teaching the kids a few Spanish phrases." She says and rolls her eye. I get a little uncomfortable, now I feel like maybe I wan't the person he wanted to hire, but just someone he needed right away out of necessity.  I can see Chris reading my face, something I still haven't figured out how to conceal.
"Hey, David is thrilled you are here, you are world better than his babysitter, she was just available for after school pickup and some weekends, she was reliable, but having you here twenty-four hours a day has made his life immensely easier." She tells me, and I know I should believe her but I'm not convinced. 
David and his mother come back inside and David still looks annoyed but not really mad anymore, his features have softened a bit and he looks like he almost has a smile on his face.  Well that's better then him being angry I think.
"I am going home now, just thought I'd stop by and see how things were going. Chris nice to see you as always." She says as she makes her way to the front door, she pauses and looks at me again and gives me a up and down look as to inspect me, "Ashley" is all she says before she leaves announcing she'll let herself out.  As soon as she does Jackson comes down the stairs, 
"Is mommy dearest gone?" He asks and I start laughing. I stop when I realize no one else is but Jackson seems amused.  Chris has a questioning look on her face and I don't think David heard.
"The movie?" I say to Chris and she doesn't know what I am talking about. "Okay, never mind!" I say. 
"Jackson, what are you getting up to today?" I ask.
"Not much, I was actually hoping you would help me with my shooting again today, I am having trouble with my foul shots." He says, a little shyly and I don't know why, we work together almost every night.
"Of course, I'm free all day, whenever you want." I tell him as he has his head in the fridge looking for leftover breakfast.
"So what did your mother want?" Chris asks and I hear an audible groan come from David. Everyone now looks his way and he looks up to us staring at him.
"What?" he says.
"What did she want David?" Chris says now a little more sternly, how I assume she would talk at work.  He puts his head in his hands.
"The annual charity gala." He says, and he does not look happy.
"The one for the kids with cancer David, I don't know why you dread going to those every year." Chris says.
"It's not that I don't like going, it's that my mother always tries to set me up with someone, and every year since Julie passed she has and I just don't know if I can do it this year." He says, and I understand.  That would be very hard to bare. 
"Why don't you just go with Chris?" I ask. Thinking it would be a simple solution.
"Chris goes with her husband." David says and Chris holds up her hand and giggles, how have I never seen her ring before?
"Nick also hates going to these, but he comes for the food and booze." She laughs.
"Why don't you take Ashley?" Jackson says as he is sitting on the counter shoveling cheerios in his face. My eyes go wide and I try to look busy doing something and hope no one heard that.
"That's a great idea!" Chris chimes in, and I give her glare.
"Ashley doesn't want to go to this, I'm not putting her through that." David said. Thank god someone sees some sense.  A gala, means a dress, a fancy one, hair, makeup, seeing tons of people you don't know and probably don't have anything in common with, and probably lots of pictures.  Which is something I definitely don't want.
"Yeah, not really my scene." I say and start to slowly leave the kitchen.
"Hey now, it's not so bad.  It's kind of fun dressing up for a night and drinking fancy champagne and stuffing your face with tiny appetizers. 
"I can babysit." Jackson says and now I can tell he knows I really don't want to go but also know's I wont say no to David, my boss. I fully turn around and give him the look of death and he just laughs.  Guess I am not that scary.
"David, this is such a good idea, your mom hasn't seem to have taken to Ashley," she turn to me, "sorry no offence," I just throw my hands up, like I don't care. "and if you bring her, she actually might avoid you the whole night, and the women she has picked for you won't bother you, and if they do Ashley can be your shield." I can see David thinking about this and I am really hoping he thinks this is a ridiculous plan, because it is
"I have nothing to wear." I say quickly, hoping this will shut this whole things down.
"It's next week, lots of time to find a dress." Chris says.
"Actually, now that I think about it, this might actually work." David says and he looks over at me, "Ashley, would you mind? You don't have to of course." He says, but I can hear in his voice that he wants this, and who I am to say no to him.
"I guess." Is all I say before I hear Chris squeal a little.
"This is going to be so much fun, lets go dress shopping tomorrow, okay, I'll pick you up at nine." Chris says as she gathers up her things and heads for the door.  I am stuck where I am standing, mortified about having to find a dress that will fit me.  I look over at David and he mouths a small thank you and my heart melts a bit.  I am brought back to reality when Jackson dumps his bowl in the sink and before he even takes a step away I just say "Dishwasher." and he groans and gives the bowl and rinse and puts it away.