Chapter 6
Chapter Six
‘S o, you’re just moving in with this guy and his kid?’ Bex asked from where she was sprawled out on Iris’s bed among half of her wardrobe—the other half being already stuffed in a duffle bag.
‘Basically, yes.’ Iris held up an old sweater to her chest. ‘Keep, donate, or trash?’
‘Trash,’ Bex and Kira said in unison. Iris’s gig at the Christmas-tree farm was over for the season, but she’d kept Kira as a friend.
‘Don’t subject the less fortunate to that,’ Kira said with a laugh. She spun around in Iris’s desk chair.
Iris tossed the sweater in the trash pile.
‘Explain to me again, how you, the woman who finds children terrifying, got a job as a nanny?’ Kira asked, still spinning.
‘I’m not terrified of them.’
‘That was your exact word! I believe you said they were “terrifying, unpredictable and perpetually sticky”.’
‘Ew.’ Bex frowned. ‘Perpetually sticky?’
‘Well, they are,’ Iris said, adding a holey tank top to the toss pile. ‘Sticky, that is. But Olive is just one little girl. I’m sure I can handle it. She’s not scary at all,’ she lied. Iris was plenty worried about this new gig, but she wasn’t about to let her friends know that. Then they’d only talk her out of it, and she really needed this job. And the free housing that came with it.
Kira had stopped spinning so she could pin Iris with a disbelieving stare.
‘You don’t think I can handle one child?’ Iris asked, flicking her braid over her shoulder.
‘Of course I do. But I told you, you’re welcome to come stay with me if you can’t make rent. We have space.’
Iris frowned. She appreciated her friend’s offer. She really did. But staying with Kira and Bennett in their love nest just didn’t sound appealing. Kira had been over the moon happy since he’d moved in, but Iris was not about to be a third wheel in their relationship. Or a witness to the constant sex they were probably having, judging by how much Kira smiled these days.
‘It’s not like we run around naked all the time or anything,’ Kira said, reading Iris’s mind.
Bex snorted.
‘Naked or not, I’d feel weird. Although, I do appreciate the offer.’
‘Hey, I offered, too.’ Bex tossed her another sweater Iris didn’t remember buying. Donate pile.
‘And I appreciated that, too, but you know our … schedules don’t match up.’ That was the nicest way Iris could think to say that she couldn’t tolerate listening to trumpet scales at 1am. She was weird like that.
‘Look, I love you both and I am incredibly lucky to have so many options, but I think this is the best one.’
‘Because he’s hot?’ Kira asked, one dark eyebrow raised mischievously.
‘Is he?’ Iris said, but her suddenly high voice gave her away. ‘I hadn’t noticed.’
Kira laughed. ‘The entire female—and half the male—population of Dream Harbor has noticed.’
Iris shrugged casually, like she hadn’t been thinking about Archer’s unfortunate hotness ever since her interview two days ago. ‘Well, I hadn’t noticed. I guess he’s not my type.’
‘Mmm-hmm. I know exactly how that lie goes,’ Kira said with a knowing smirk. She’d said the same thing about Bennett and look how that turned out. Now they were practically attached at the face.
‘Don’t you have flowers to plant or something?’ Iris shot back.
‘Not right now, no. But thanks for your concern.’
Bex laughed. ‘Uh oh, Kira. I think you hit a nerve.’ She sat up and started folding what was left of Iris’s clothes. Iris had grown up with her cousin as practically a sibling. They’d lived next door to each other, each girl with just their mother. The foursome had done pretty much everything together. And so she had no qualms telling Bex to shut it.
But she was here helping her pack, so Iris decided to be nice.
‘She didn’t hit a nerve. I feel very good about my decision.’
Her friend and her cousin stared at her with matching incredulous expressions on their faces.
‘I do! I told you, I can handle it.’
‘But do you want to?’ Kira’s expression softened. ‘Are you sure you want to nanny ?’
Iris fought her urge to shrug and instead rolled back her shoulders in a stance of faux confidence. ‘Yes, I do. I’m telling you, it’s going to be easy. She’s at school most of the day. And I get a free room! Think of all the money I will save. I figure, I do this until she’s out of school for the summer and then I’ll let Archer know he has to make other arrangements. It’s a good plan.’
It was a good plan. She’d given it a lot of thought. She’d help out Archer and Olive for a few months until they got settled into their new life together, she’d save up some money, and then she’d move on. Like she always did. She’d even help Archer find a replacement for her when the time came.
Even she could handle dealing with one kid for a few months.
How hard could it be? Sure, Olive had a tendency to run off, and yes, she didn’t speak to her father yet, but now Iris knew right where she ran off to and Olive spoke to her so that wouldn’t be a problem.
And besides, plenty of people didn’t love their jobs. This was something she had to do to make ends meet. Just for now. Just to catch up on a few bills, to save first and last month’s rent for a better apartment, to fill the gaps her other jobs left in her bank account.
Iris could get one kid ready for school and pick her up each day. It’s not like she had to be her parent, something Iris had zero interest in, in general. ‘Mom’ was not a job she ever planned on having. But nanny wasn’t mom . She just had to keep Olive alive for a few hours a day.
It would be easy.
That was her new motto, and she was sticking to it.
‘Okay, if you say so. I just want to make sure you’re not making any rash decisions,’ Kira said.
Iris laughed. ‘Are you serious right now?’
Kira’s straight face cracked, a giggle spilling out. ‘I was trying to be!’ She stood from her chair and gave Iris a hug. ‘Just don’t buy any real estate without looking at it.’
‘We don’t all have trust funds, babe.’
Kira grinned. ‘Not anymore. That thing is long gone.’
Iris laughed. ‘Thanks for helping with the packing.’
‘No problem. I do have to go, though. Farm life calls!’
‘Of course it does. See you at yoga tonight?’
‘Wouldn’t miss it!’ Kira called as she made her way down the hall and out of Iris’s apartment.
Iris turned her attention back to her cousin, expecting her to continue finding flaws in her plan, but Bex just put the last shirt in her bag.
‘Be careful with this guy,’ she said as she stood up from the bed.
‘What does that mean?’
‘It means, be careful. You’re in a vulnerable position here, Iris. Don’t let him take advantage of you.’
‘Take advantage of me? Bex…’
‘I’m serious,’ she said, throwing up her hands. ‘Mr. Fancy-Pants-Chef is used to being in charge, used to getting what he wants from his employees … things can go sideways quickly.’
Iris opened her mouth to argue but then shut it. She thought about Archer’s disapproving looks, about the yells and crashes she heard coming from the kitchen at the diner, about his reminders to be prompt . Was Bex right? Was he the kind of guy who would also think he could take liberties with the nanny? Did he corner unsuspecting waitresses? Did he use his intimidating presence to get whatever he wanted from people?
And she would be living in his home.
There was no HR to report to if things got weird between them.
She shook herself. ‘I googled him. Not a single complaint or rumor or whistle blower claiming he ever did anything untoward. His record is spotless, Bex. It’s fine.’
‘Hmm,’ her cousin looked suspicious. ‘He’s spotless or he’s very good at not getting caught being a dirtbag.’
‘Bex…’
‘Just take this. It will make me feel better.’
‘What is this? Pepper spray?’
Bex grinned. ‘Yep. In case he gets fresh.’
‘Gets fresh? Bex, what are you, eighty-five?’
She shrugged. ‘I should probably stop attending your classes for seniors.’
‘Probably.’
‘But I like them.’
‘Me too. And don’t worry, if Archer Baer tries anything with me, you can lead the mob of angry senior ladies that will be sure to hunt him down.’
Bex’s smile grew. ‘Perfect.’
Iris tossed the pepper spray onto the bed, a little afraid to be holding it, and gave Bex a hug. ‘Thanks for looking out for me.’
‘Someone has to, now that your mom ran off to Florida.’
‘She didn’t run off. She relocated to be with…’
‘Gabriel,’ Bex said, grimly.
‘Right, Gabriel,’ Iris echoed. She hadn’t really bothered committing his name to memory. Gabriel was the latest in her mother’s long line of short-lived boyfriends, but he was the man currently making her mom happy, so who was she to judge? Her mother loved falling in love. She just wasn’t very good at staying in it. Iris and Bex had a bet on how long this one would last. Iris figured he’d be gone by the end of the year.
‘Do you think she’ll come back after they split?’ Bex asked, pulling away from their hug.
‘I don’t know. She likes the warm weather so I wouldn’t be surprised if she stays. How’s your mom?’
‘Same as ever.’ Bex’s mom, Iris’s Aunt Heather, had gone a completely different route, sworn off men and now lived in an ashram in Calabasas that Iris still wasn’t fully convinced wasn’t a cult.
‘Tell her I said hi.’
‘Will do.’
‘Thanks, Bex.’
‘Anything for my little cousin.’
‘I’m two months younger than you.’
‘Still counts.’ She grabbed her raincoat off the back of the chair and headed for the door. ‘Love you, bye!’
‘Bye!’
Iris stood in her nearly empty apartment and couldn’t help but smile. She had people who loved her and a new plan. And if there was one thing Iris loved, it was a new start. Maybe that was why she changed jobs so often. She loved a fresh start and spring was just the time to do it! Iris was ready to bloom like all the little buds on the trees still hiding from the chill.
Whatever the reason (certainly not the hotness of her new boss) Iris was excited for something new (or so she planned to keep telling herself).