Ten: Harlow

TEN

HARLOW

H ow is it only two o’clock?

Despite accompanying the twins to two photoshoots, taking them on a “mandatory stroller walk” through Central Park, and watching some lady give them a “Baby Einstein” class, my day wasn’t even halfway over.

Thanks to Charlotte spitting up on me after her bottles, I’d had to change clothes twice. I was also convinced that brother William was suffering from a terrible case of diarrhea since he was up to eight poops today.

Holding his little feet, I stared at the latest green mess in his diaper.

“Can you try to follow your sister’s lead and stick to two of these a day, please?”

He cooed, giving me a smile that was too cute for me to be upset.

I made sure he was comfortable before wiping him clean. I double wrapped him in a diaper and set an alarm for when he would probably soil it again.

“Okay,” I said, setting him in his crib with a pacifier. “Ready to pick up where we left off reading your Dad’s ridiculous nanny guide?”

I assumed that the two sucks meant “Yes.”

Flipping the binder open, I flipped to the chapter on “Outings.”

“My children are not allowed to venture anywhere outside of Upper Manhattan without my permission,” I read. “You are not allowed to ask for permission.”

I rolled my eyes, continuing. “My children should be well-dressed in public, and should?—”

“Waaaaaa! Waaaaa!” Charlotte cried, and I saved my page.

“Charlotte is crying, New Nanny.” Olivia appeared out of nowhere

“I know.” I nodded. “I can hear her.”

“Are you going to do something about it?”

She’s just a little girl, Harlow. Don’t lose it on her…yet.

Charlotte’s screams reached a higher pitch, and I walked over and scooped her into my arms.

“Shhh! Shhh!” I rocked her in my arms. “Shhh!”

“The other nannies don’t do that,” Olivia said. “They let her cry a little longer and then they…” Her words trailed off as Charlotte stopped.

“I’ll be in my room.” She disappeared.

“Miss Hawthorne?” Mr. Dawson stood in the doorway seconds later.

“Yes?”

“Is there a reason that you didn’t pick up Olivia from school today?” he asked.“Michael said you changed the driving plans on him this morning.”

“Because Olivia told me that she had piano class until five o’clock.”

“Piano is only on Tuesdays and Thursdays.”

“Should I have called her school to verify that?”

“You should’ve picked her up, so I wouldn’t have to do it. That’s what I hired you for, remember?”

“Did you miss the part where she literally told me about the class?”

“Are you calling my niece a liar?”

“I’m saying she must’ve misspoken.”

“Olivia?” He called out for her, and she rushed to his side.

“Yes, Uncle Brooks?”

“Did you tell Miss Hawthorne that you had a piano class until five o’clock today?”

“No.” She shook her head. “Not that I recall.”

This is officially WAR, little girl…

“Thank you for telling me the truth, Olivia,” he said to her. “You know how I feel about lies.”

She stuck her tongue out at me before walking away.

“Don’t let this happen again, Miss Hawthorne,” he said. “I hired you to make my life easier, and you’re already making it harder.”

“With all due respect, Mr. Dawson,” I said, not wanting to push things, “with the exception of this incident, what exactly have Imade harder ?”

He took one long look at me and stepped back. “I’ll be back home tonight.”