Page 24 of Big Trouble

“What are you going to do about it?” Tucker asks.

“You better lock that shit down before she gets away. What is she, ten years younger than you?” Walker asks.

“Thirteen years, if you must know,” I say.

Jace whistles. “You better hurry, old man.”

“Fuck all of you.”

“Anything we can do to help?” Tucker asks.

“Yeah, y’all can leave early tonight. I find myself with a surprise kid-free night and maybe it’s time to make my claim on my nanny.”

They all agree with me. We settle on playing for an hour or so and then they’ll leave.

And then I’ll make my move, as Bryant called it.

chapter

twelve

Winnie

ME: I think I have to quit.

WREN: Your job? But don’t you need it? Where will you live?

WREN: What happened?

ME: I committed the cardinal scene of nannies.

WREN: Oh my God, did you kidnap Clementine?

ME: No!

ME: Why would you immediately go to kidnapping?

ME: No, the cardinal scene of nannies is falling in love with the dad.

WREN: He’s not married though.

WREN: Wouldn’t that only be a sin if he were married?

ME: No. He’s my boss, Wren. I can’t be in love with my boss. And his daughter.

ME: Gah, I love their family. Even his crazy, giant brothers.

ME: And the high strung dog and the mean cat and all the damn roosters. I love it here.

WREN: Then why on Earth would you quit. It sounds like you belong there.

ME: Let’s be real here, me loving him, loving all of them, does not equal to me getting to stay.

ME: There’s no way he feels the same way.

Do I tell her about last night and what happened? I mean she’s got more experience than I do. Maybe she’ll be able to decode his actions.

ME: Last night he barged into my room because he heard my massage gun and thought I was having some special self love time.