Chapter 13
Alice
“I’ve never had my nails done before. I don’t know what to pick.” Nellie blinks up at me as we stare at the wall of polishes at the salon and spa, the day of her dance.
“Has your dad ever helped you paint them at home before?”
“No, never.”
Sutton is going to hate me when I gift his daughter a tote of nail polish after tonight’s outing. Nails are like the gateway to girlhood. I started messing around with nail polish long before I was allowed to try on eye shadows and lipsticks.
Bracing my hands on my knees, I bring my face to her level. “You can pick whatever color you want. You can even pick a different color for every finger. They can paint hearts or flowers on your fingers. It’s your choice, kiddo.”
Nellie straightens her shoulders. “I really like the bright green.”
“That’s beautiful.”
“And can I have orange hearts?”
I smile broadly. “I think that’s a great idea.”
She selects her colors from the wall. I go with periwinkle to match my dress.
The nail techs get to work, taking extra care with Nellie’s designs. I’ve never seen her sit so still. She watches in awe as the color drenches her nails.
“There’s a couple of gorgeous girls.”
“Auntie Whitney! Look at my fingers!” Nellie flashes her finished right hand while the tech works on her left.
“Oh my goodness, girl. Those are fire.” Whitney wiggles her bare nails, her huge wedding ring glinting in the fluorescent lights.
“I want orange too, Mama,” says my niece Lucy, Whitney’s six-year-old, tucking her light hair behind her ear.
“You can sit over here. I’ll do yours next.” The tech gestures to the free seat on the other side of Nellie. Lucy skips over.
Whitney glides into the chair beside mine.
“I’m super excited you’re coming tonight. Bree will be there too with Charlotte, but they’re getting ready at home.”
Shifting my eyes to the side, I confirm Nellie is occupied with her cousin. “It was honestly the easiest yes of my life."
"What do you mean?"
"Sutton told me this week that some girl at school was giving Nellie shit about going because she doesn’t have a mom. Told her she can’t go.”
Whitney’s face hardens. “You’re kidding.”
“Believe me, I wish I was. I’ve only known her for a few weeks, but I’m furious some kid could be so callous.”
“I’m not surprised. Kids are little jerks sometimes. Except for mine,” she says, directing a smile over at the two girls gabbing away. Technically, only one of them belongs to her, but this family knows bonds beyond blood withstand the test of time. “Do you know who said it?”
Another tech moves into the seat in front of Whitney, picking up her hand to work on her rose-pink manicure.
“No. And I hope I don’t find out.” A protectiveness roars to life in my heart. The only time I’ve experienced something close is when I got the call that my brother kidnapped his and Whitney’s kids. The old emotion clings to my face, seeking sunlight after remaining buried for so long.
“You can’t fight a second grader, Alice. Certainly not when you nanny for a cop. Especially when he’s already arrested you once.”
“Bah.” I wave off the warning. “I’m not going to get arrested again.”
“Miss Alice, you’ve been arrested?”
I make big eyes at my best friend, then paste on an innocent smile and turn in my seat. “Of course not. Your daddy was just showing me his handcuffs.”
Nellie squints, cocking her head. “He told me they’re not a toy.”
“They’re not. And you should definitely never get arrested.”
To my relief, Lucy tugs at Nellie’s arm, and she abandons her inquisition.
“Liar,” Whitney coughs the word into her free hand.
“Hey, I have an image to uphold. I’m going for nanny of the year over here.”
Whitney’s contemplative look seizes my breath.
“I’d say you’re on track to succeed.”
I dust an imaginary piece of lint from my black jean shorts. “Don’t speak too soon. I have a very important night ahead. If I don’t live up to her expectations, this gig could go south.”
“I’m not sure about that. I think Sutton likes having you around.”
I give my bestie an assessing glance. “Are you feeling okay? Sutton does not like having me around. He hates me.”
“I don’t know…” She stares into the corner of the room. “Sutton’s never been much of a talker, but the one thing we’ve all noticed he absolutely does not want to talk about is you.”
I throw out my hand, careful not to smudge my nails. “Because he hates me.”
“Because he doesn’t hate you. Or so I suspect.”
“You’re wrong.”
A bitter laugh fights to the surface. My lips remain clamped. One thing I find myself particularly talented at is reading men. Distinguishing when someone is into me is not a tough endeavor, and Sutton is so not.
“I’m pretty sure he’d rather fuck my cactus than even think about entertaining positive feelings for me.”
The nail tech shoots me a dirty look as the clippers slip and remove a chunk of my cuticle.
“Ouch! Be careful.”
“Slipped.” She shrugs, pinning me with an innocent stare. She goes back to shaping for a minute or two before announcing, “All done.”
“Time for a pedicure. It’s been too long.” I check the young girls to my right. “How are you doing, Nellie? Almost time for your toes?”
Her nail tech nods. “Both of you can follow me.”
“Chat later.” I touch Whitney’s shoulder.
“We have all evening,” she singsongs, letting me know the conversation isn’t over. For her.
For me? I don’t need to talk about Sutton and his nonexistent feelings.
Not ever.