Chapter Nine – Aurora
Aurora
I shook my hand as I quickly walked down the steps.
What was happening to me? My entire body felt on fire when Liam took my hand in his.
And that look in his eyes was…it was confusing.
I knew a part of me was upset Kim was here.
That much, I could admit. It wasn’t jealousy, or was it?
Did the idea of her spending time with Liam bother me?
I was certainly taken aback to see that she had dinner with them.
But why? I needed to figure out why I was feeling this way and nip it in the bud.
The sound of Liam’s footsteps catching up to mine had me drawing in a deep breath. I needed to get my shit together before getting back downstairs.
I could hear Harper and Kim talking in the kitchen. The doorbell rang as I got to the bottom step, and I went to answer. The rest of the gang was here, and the sense of relief that filled me was almost palpable. Declan smiled, then looked over my shoulder. I knew he was looking for Harper.
“Harper is in the kitchen.”
He nodded and made his way past me. Cadie and Kian walked in next, with Cadie holding a giant tray of bakery items.
“That looks heavenly!” I kissed her on the cheek as she passed me.
Kian leaned down to place a kiss on my cheek. I shut the door and turned to see Liam taking the large tray from Cadie.
I followed everyone else into the kitchen.
“Harp,” Liam said, placing the dessert tray on the kitchen island as he took a pan and a dish towel from her hands. “You don’t have to clean up.”
“I don’t mind at all.” She was mostly done anyway, but still.
“I can finish in here,” Kim stated, not making a move to help Liam, and she obviously hadn’t been helping Harper from what I could tell when I walked in.
Liam smiled. “Why don’t you all head on into the living room? There is a bar cart in there. Help yourselves.”
Kian clapped his hands. “Now we’re talking!”
Harper and Cadie both laughed.
“I’m going to join them,” Harper declared, with Cadie making her way out of the kitchen as well.
Kim walked up to Liam and put her hand on his lower back. My brows rose at the intimate gesture.
“Let me help you, Liam.”
He turned, causing her arm to fall to her side. “I should have introduced you. I’m so sorry, I wasn’t thinking.”
“I can introduce her if you’d like,” I stated. Kim turned to me and smiled. “How kind of you, but I think it would be more appropriate if Liam introduced us.”
She took the pan and towel from Liam and handed them to me. “Here you go, Aurora, since you offered to help.”
I stared at the items she held out and tried not to give her the stink eye. It was becoming increasingly clear I did not like this woman at all.
Liam cleared his throat. “Nonsense, Aurora, just leave it all for me.”
Taking the pan and towel from Kim, I replied, “Don’t be silly. I don’t mind helping and I already know who Kim is.”
Unfortunately.
I swore her right eye twitched.
“You’re sure you don’t mind?” Liam asked. “I’ll be right back to help you.”
“Harper got most of it, so please, no worries.”
It was true, there was only one other thing to dry off and put away.
Once Liam and Kim left the kitchen, I glanced over my shoulder.
Liam’s house wasn’t an open floorplan, so I couldn’t see what was happening in the other room.
I decided that was a good thing because if I had to hear that woman be rude to my friends, I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep my mouth shut.
As I put the last dish away, Liam entered the kitchen. I smiled. “All done.”
“Thank you for that. I already thanked Harper.”
Shrugging, I replied, “It wasn’t a big deal. I meant to ask you, when did you put the picture of Hope in Winnie’s room?”
“A couple of months back. I wanted her to have something that she could say good morning and goodnight to.”
“I love that idea.”
He pushed his hands into his jeans.
The awkwardness in the room was thick, and it was evident that Liam could also feel it.
“Aurora, I feel like maybe something is wrong?”
I shook my head. “Nothing is wrong. I promise.”
He nodded. “It’s felt strange since you got here, and I don’t want you to think there is anything between me and Kim.”
That caught me by surprise. “I have to admit I was a bit surprised she had dinner with you this evening.”
“No, she didn’t. She was early and happened to show up when Winnie and I were wrapping up dinner. She mentioned not eating, so I offered for her to have some leftover tacos.”
I felt like a fool for being relieved, but I also didn’t want Liam to think I was jealous. “Liam, honestly, what you do with your private life is just that. Private. You don’t owe me any explanations.”
Smiling, he said, “I know, but I needed you to know that, for whatever reason.”
I glanced around the kitchen before looking back at him. He was staring at me, and if I hadn’t known better, I swore he wanted to…
No. Aurora, you are off in another world, girl.
“We should go join everyone and start the movie.”
He snapped out of whatever daze he was in and laughed. “Right. Let’s go watch this movie of yours.”
Kian, Declan, and Harper all fell asleep during the movie, leaving only me, Cadie, Kim, and Liam to watch it. When it was over, I turned to Liam and smiled.
“What did you think?”
Before he could reply, Kim spoke. “That was silly.”
Turning to Kim, I asked, “Silly good or silly bad?”
She shrugged. “I didn’t like it.”
“Is it because she was a nanny?” Cadie asked.
Kim shot her a look. “It had nothing to do with that. I simply didn’t like the movie.”
“I thought it was cute. I liked how she changed during the movie from scaring the kids to them adoring her!”
Kim tilted her chin up and sniffed. “It was unbelievable.”
I giggled. “Of course it was, it was a movie. Nanny McPhee is one of my favorite characters.”
Suddenly, Kim threw her hands onto her hips. “I can’t believe this is the welcome I got with this group. I’m more than just a nanny, you know. I’m a person.”
Cadie’s eyes widened in surprise. “No one said anything about you, Kim. No need to get defensive about it.”
Trying to defuse the situation, I said, “We picked this movie before we ever interviewed you. It has nothing to do with you as a nanny or you at all.”
Standing, Kim looked at Liam. “I think I should go. Would you please walk me out to my car?”
I glanced at Cadie, who looked confused and a bit annoyed.
Liam stood and glanced around as if unsure of what to do. “Um, of course. Be right back,” he said to me and Cadie.
Once the front door shut, I turned to Cadie. “What was that about?”
Cadie was staring at the door where Liam and Kim had just walked through.
“I don’t like her. I’m sorry, I know I shouldn’t say that, but something about that woman doesn’t sit right with me.
In case she forgot, because it’s clear Liam has, she is the nanny!
Was that not what Liam hired her for? Why was she even here tonight? ”
Harper stretched and said, “I could have told you that the first time I met her.”
“Holy shit, who is that woman?” Kian asked.
“Were you guys even asleep?” I asked on a laugh.
“Declan is for sure asleep,” Harper stated as she reached over, then kissed her husband on the lips. His eyes snapped open.
“I’m awake!” Declan called out.
“You were not awake,” Harper stated. “You fell asleep after ten minutes.”
I chuckled. “Thanks for coming, you guys. I know it meant a lot to Liam.”
Kian glanced around the room. “Can someone explain to me what happened at the end of the movie? Why did she freak out?”
“Where is Liam?” Declan asked.
Harper answered Declan. “He walked Nanny West out to her car.”
“Okay, so you heard that?” Cadie asked Kian. “She’s crazy, right? She’s like Nanny West!”
I gasped and covered my mouth before dropping my hands. “She is!”
“Who?” Declan, Harper, and Kian asked in unison.
Cadie rolled her eyes. “You mean to tell me none of you watched Downton Abbey?”
“No, but now I want to find out who this Nanny West is,” Harper said as Declan nodded next to her. “It might be good research material if we have to deal with Kim in the future.”
Cadie laughed as I cleared my throat. “That was mean, Cadie. It was funny, but mean.”
She frowned as she shrugged.
“What was mean?” Liam asked as he walked back through the door.
The entire room turned to look at him and said in unison, “Nothing.”
Liam’s brows shot up, but he also smiled. “Okay. Tonight was great, you guys.”
“It was fun. We should do this more often,” Harper said as she walked over and hugged me. “Maybe we can switch up the houses, and we can each host a movie night.”
“Oh, I love that idea!” Cadie said. “Let me help clean all this up.”
Liam waved off any help. “No, please, you guys don’t have to clean up anything. I appreciate you coming and…um…”
“Sleeping during the movie?” I said as I folded my arms over my chest.
“That is our cue to leave,” Harper said as she reached for Declan’s hand.
I wasn’t about to leave Liam with the mess to clean up, so I hung back. After everyone left, Liam shut the door and looked at me with a soft smile. “You stayed back to clean up, didn’t you?”
Shrugging, I replied, “I might have. There was no way I would leave you behind with all of this.”
I reached down and started picking up the popcorn bowls while Liam grabbed the drinks.
“What in the world made you decide one day to add M it was a mistake.”
Surprised, I asked, “I’m right? I thought for sure you were going to tell me I was wrong.”
His hand sliced through his hair. “Well, considering she went in for a kiss when I walked her to her car, I would have to agree I gave her the wrong impression.”
My brows shot up. “She tried to kiss you?”
Liam nodded. “Yes, but I quickly set her straight and told her I was only interested in her being Winnie’s nanny. If she thought something more would happen, we should probably cut ties now.”
I folded my arms over my chest. “Wow, what did she say?”
“She said she wasn’t sure what came over her and that she did get some mixed signals from me. We agreed to friends only, and she was fine with it.”
A part of me doubted that, but I wouldn’t try and micromanage Liam’s life. “I’m glad you got it straightened out.”
He smiled. “Me too.”
I glanced around. “Okay, well, I’m off.”
“I’ll walk you out.”
Putting up my hand, I shook my head. “No need. You look exhausted. Kiss Winnie good morning for me.”
Liam followed me as I grabbed my purse and headed to the front door.
“Thanks again for suggesting tonight. It was fun.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it. I’ll talk to you later.”
He smiled. “’Night, Aurora.”
“Goodnight, Liam.”
Turning, I started down the steps and to my car. Liam stood on his front porch until I got in the car and drove off down the street. A feeling of dread made my stomach suddenly feel like lead.
I had a strong feeling Kim was going to be a problem.
A very big problem.