Chapter 7
***Aggie***
“Are you just going to let her swim all day long?” Knight appeared next to me on the back patio, shockingly silent for such a large man. “Have you even applied sunscreen?”
I gritted my teeth and stood up. “I’ve put sunscreen on her. Which she hated. I didn’t realize that kids hate sunscreen, so that’s a hot tip for the next nanny.”
“Two things. I meant have you applied sunscreen? To yourself? You won’t be of much use to us if you can’t move from being burnt to a crisp.
” He looked me over and frowned. “And I hope to God the next nanny knows more about kids than you do. She needs more sunscreen. Every ninety minutes. It needs to dry before she gets back in the water.”
I put my hands on my hips and glared up at him. He was taller than both his brothers and the extra few inches really had me wishing for a pair of heels. “Okay. That’s all you had to say. More sunscreen.”
He shook his head and placed a single fingertip on my bare shoulder. “You’re burning. It’ll be a bitch to take care of Gracie if you’re in excruciating pain. That’s something even a non-nanny should know.”
I brushed his finger away and left him standing there. “Gracie? Come on out. It’s time for more sunscreen.”
“No, Miss Aggie! Come in!” She paddled across the pool to me, her life vest making it slower. “Please?”
“I told you, Gracie. I didn’t pack a swimsuit. I’ll get one for tomorrow, though. Okay?” I forced a smile, already tired from a day of failing at knowing how to handle a kid. “Do you need help getting out?”
I should’ve seen the mischief in her eyes, but I didn’t realize it was something I had to be wary of. She seemed so sweet. The moment I grabbed her hand and she tightened her little fingers around mine, I knew I was in trouble.
“Gracie, no!” The end of my scream was swallowed by the pool. As I took my time coming up to the surface, I replayed the way she’d braced her feet against the side of the pool to get leverage to yank me in. The little brat.
I surfaced and worked on shoving my hair out of my face while listening to her cackling about her trick. When her laughter was cut off abruptly, I looked up to see Knight holding the back of her life vest and lifting her from the pool like she weighed nothing.
“You know better, Gracie. What if Aggie couldn’t swim? Like Miranda, your last nanny?” He frowned as he knelt in front of her and glanced over at me. “You good?”
I swam to the side of the pool and braced my arms on the edge. Before I could lift myself out of the water, he was there, lifting me just as easily as he’d lifted Gracie. I swayed when he put me down, caught off guard by being picked up so easily.
Knight put one large hand on my shoulder and cut his eyes at me. “This isn’t going to work if she can outsmart you at every turn.”
“Uncle Knight! Do you want to swim with me?” Gracie was unbothered by the vibe in the air. I guess murder was hard to pick up on as a kid.
I squeezed the water out of my shirt, watching as his eyes predictably moved to my breasts.
Despite knowing it was a bad plan and knowing that I was playing with my career, I put instant gratification first. I shifted and planted my hands on his chest, giving him one firm shove before stepping back.
Watching his arms windmill as he tried to avoid falling into the pool soothed my ruffled feathers at him insinuating I was dumb.
Gracie grabbed my hand and giggled. “You’re going to be in so much trouble, Miss Aggie.”
The look on Knight’s face when he came up told me that Gracie’s assertion was right.
I just didn’t know what kind of trouble I was going to be in with Knight.
I wanted to kick myself, but I refused to back down in front of the man.
There was something about the brothers that set my teeth on edge and pushed every single one of my buttons.
I lost almost all self-control over my temper with them.
“I think we should run.” Gracie tugged me backwards as Knight planted his hands on the pool edge. “Now!”
A real nanny would’ve known that running through the house soaking wet was a bad idea.
A real nanny wouldn’t have been caught dead sliding across the entrance of the house with her young charge by another of her bosses.
Most of all, a real nanny would have known that wet feet on marble floors create disasters.
Gracie slipped and landed on her butt, instantly screaming and crying.
I wiped out and took down a table with my knee.
I felt like crying, the pain instant and intense, but I crawled over to Gracie instead.
She saw my knee and I watched her face go green before she leaned forward and threw up all over my lap.
I gagged and leaned as far away from the vomit as I could. “Oh, god. Oh, god. I mean, it’s fine. This is fine. Everything’s fine.”
“Never in my life have I witnessed someone create chaos by just existing!” Kyrin grabbed my upper arm and dragged me to my feet. “Jesus Christ, woman. It’s been less than six hours and there’s already blood and vomit all over the place. This has to be a record!”
I twisted in his grip until he wrapped an arm around my waist to hold me up, but I tipped forward and grabbed Gracie, pulling her up with us. “It’s okay, Gracie. Just a little fall. Just a little...throw up. Nothing we can’t handle. Right?”
Gracie sobbed, her little body shaking. She latched onto me, clinging with her arms around my neck. “I’m sorry!”
I didn’t understand why she was apologizing, but I did what I always did when someone needed comforting.
I just talked. “Oh, Gracie. Don’t apologize.
We girls are always apologizing too much.
You didn’t do anything. It’s not your fault you wanted me as a nanny and I’m better equipped in a basement full of computers.
You didn’t know. You’re okay, butterfly.
You’re probably going to have a bruise on that butt, though.
This floor is too hard. Think we should sue your silly uncles?
Who puts such a hard floor in a place where people are going to be falling? What kind of dorks do that?”
She giggled through her tears, but didn’t loosen her grip on me. I was very aware of the vomit on me, the throbbing pain in my knee, and the furious man still holding me up. I felt like crying along with Gracie, honestly.
“You have got to be the worst nanny in the world.” Kyrin groaned. “And of course, the kid took to you. Just our luck.”
I twisted my head to glare at him. “I’m not a nanny.”
Knight chose that moment to show up, his shoes squishing as he walked closer. When I met his angry gaze, he all but bared his teeth at me. “You’re a menace. If you’re not working for Blake, he’s getting free labor, because you’re doing more damage than any of his previous failed attempts.”
I couldn’t help lashing back out at him. “You were saying something about being outsmarted?”
As if two brothers weren’t enough, Zander showed up, his nose scrunched. “Good God. What in the hell happened?”
“I’m starting to feel bad for Blake. He dated this disaster for years.” Knight kicked his wet shoes off. “No wonder he could never touch our sales. He was probably on fire half the time.”
I seethed and tried to shake free of Kyrin. “You want to go back in the pool?”
Gracie lifted her head. “Yeah!”