Chapter 6

6

O wen hates me. And he doesn't want me to be his daughter's nanny. The defiant part of me wants to keep pushing him. Wants to keep challenging him. I like his daughter, so there's that part of it too. But maybe it's best if I cut my losses. Forget about him altogether. Find a different job somewhere less… complicated.

"You should tell him," Jack suggests, and I sigh. I had a feeling he was going to go there after what Owen said before he left the room. All over a stupid bathing suit. There's no way anything Wren has will fit me, and Jack is turning my lack of suit into a fishing expedition.

My asshat of a brother whispered in my ear, "Does this make you uncomfortable?" Yes, I'm a lot bigger than Wren. Yes, my ex spoke badly about my curves to the woman he had just fucked, and I overheard it all. Yes, it sucks, and it tore me apart. I don't want to wear Wren's bathing suit, but it's not because I'll feel fat in it. Only Jack's worried it is.

"I don't want to tell him. It's none of his business, and he's not exactly giving me the warm and fuzzies to open up to him and bare my soul. Besides, I don't see how that side of my past is relevant to anything that has to do with him or being a nanny for his daughter." I smack his arm lightly. "And, dude, you all need to stop harping on it and making it a thing."

"I'm not."

I glare, folding my arms over my chest. "Does this make you uncomfortable?" I mock him. "What am I missing?" I mix it up to Owen's deep voice. "For real? It's a bathing suit. If I don't want to wear it, I won't. But now it's a thing."

"It's been a thing, Eddie. It's been a thing for the last seven months. You just won't talk about it or deal with it the way you should."

I roll my eyes. "First, that's not true. Second, not everyone copes the way you want them to. Sometimes people have their own process for healing, and it doesn't always fit into a neat little box of should and should not. Third, what happened with me and Claude has nothing to do with the fact that I don't want to wear one of Wren's bathing suits."

"I'm happy to hear that because you're beautiful, and a man should never make you feel otherwise. But it does have to do with you and Claude because you currently don't own a bathing suit because you left them all in Paris. All I'm saying is none of us saw you after it happened because you wouldn't come home, and you wouldn't let us come visit you. Do you know what that was like for us? To know what the man you'd been living with for over three years did to you and your work, and then not be allowed to see you?"

I was hiding. Okay, I admit that. I was hiding from them—especially my artist mother. Hiding from the world a bit because I felt horribly and indescribably betrayed and emotionally gutted to a degree I didn't know was possible. I didn't know how to cope, let alone go back to making art.

I also didn't trust Claude.

I left without a word or even taking my stuff, and he wasn't the sort of man to just let that go. I didn't want my family involved, and frankly, I needed some time and space to wrap my head around everything.

"I was working as a nanny and living with a family in London. Plus, I didn't want the faces. The sad, pitying eyes. The questions. I needed to sort through it in my own way and continue living my life."

"Except you didn't. You stopped living your life and turned your back on your talent."

I squint at him. "Really, Jack? Really? This is the conversation we're having right this very second in someone else's home when I'm here to apply for a job?"

He holds up a consolatory hand. "Fine. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you defensive about it. We just love you and want to be there for you. You've been home five days and already itching to move out."

I shift my weight and fold my arms. "Because you guys are all the fuck over me, not giving me any room to move or breathe without a mental health check or asking when I'm going to start working again. Art isn't like working in a factory, and Mom should understand that better than anyone."

"You can't outrun it."

I roll my eyes derisively, so done with this I can hardly stand it. "Slow your sanctimonious ass down there, Dr. Phil. I'm not running. I trusted the wrong man, and it's done. I haven't seen him or spoken to him since. I've moved on and am trying to start the next chapter of my life. That's what I'm doing now, and I wish you'd all let me do it and make decisions for myself. I'm not a child anymore."

He grunts. It's hard for him to understand that, and I get it. He's twelve years older than I am and has always seen me as a little girl. Plus, I did push everyone away. My castle crumbled in an instant, and everything I thought I was so sure of was gone. When that happens, all you can do is burrow down deep and rebuild your fortress, but in doing that, sometimes you block out the ones you love who try to help along with everyone and everything else.

"I'll back off. Okay?" He dips his head and meets my eyes. "You're right. You're an adult and you seem to be doing okay."

"I am." For the most part. I still haven't picked up a paintbrush or a piece of clay, but we'll get there. Progress is still progress, even if it's measured in baby steps and not miles.

He stares down at the floor. "That point aside, I still think you should tell Owen. You were living abroad and didn't know all that happened with his ex-wife."

I shrug. "So?"

"So do me a favor and Google it because even talking about what she did to him and Rory makes me feel dirty and like shit. That's how bad it was for them. You've been betrayed, but so has he. Trust isn't something he fucks around with, and bringing someone into his home to help take care of his daughter is about the most serious and difficult thing he's done since his ex. All I'm saying is, if you want this job, you need to earn his trust and be honest with him."

"He only thinks I'm hiding something now because of you. He's also my boss, not my lover or therapist. If you want him to know so badly, then you tell him."

"You know I won't break your trust like that. Just think about it."

I sigh again. It's heavier. A bit resigned. What happened to me isn't a secret, necessarily. But it's also not the sort of thing I love being broadcast. I don't like talking about it. I don't like thinking about it.

But I get his point. Trust is slippery on the best of terms in the best of situations, and this is anything but.

"I'll think about telling him. But if he's not planning on hiring me anyway, there's no point."

Jack and I head downstairs to find Rory jumping by the back door, yelling for Owen. "Dad! Come on! "

"I'm coming," I hear him call back to her, his footsteps heavy as he comes from some backroom off the kitchen. If I move in here, I'm going to need a map to help me get around. He changed into black swim trunks, a white T-shirt, and flip-flops, and is holding several towels in his arms. "Catch." He tosses a towel at Rory, and it hits her right in the face, making her crack up.

"Hey!"

"I said catch," he teases.

"That was too fast."

"Then next time you have to be faster."

She blows a raspberry at him, and he blows one right back. Their interactions are cute, and I can tell they have a good relationship. It softens me a bit toward him. Especially after what Jack just mentioned about his ex.

"I have a set of trunks for you if you want," he informs Jack, nodding over to a small table by the back door.

"Perfect. Thanks. I'll go change and meet you out there." He checks with me, and I give him a nod. I love my brother, and we're close now that we're both adults, but he's still very much my big brother, and it can be a lot, for the same reason I don't want to live at home.

"Hold these?" Owen asks, not exactly giving me a choice, as he shoves about ten towels into my arms until they partially block my vision. I make a noise but don't say anything. Instead, I adjust the towels in my arms so I can see again. A loud click is followed by a bang, and then he's sliding the back door open. "Wait!" he orders as we all start to head out onto the back patio. "You have to wait for me to open the gate."

Rory harrumphs, impatiently jumping beside the tall, wrought iron fence. Owen hands her a pair of pink goggles and then flips open a hidden lid on top of the gate and punches in a code on the keypad. Once it chimes with a flashing green light, Rory pulls the gate door, tosses on her goggles mid-stride, and then dives headfirst into the deep end of the large, in-ground pool.

"Here," Owen offers, taking the towels back from my hands and setting them down on the loungers that surround the pool. His grounds are just as massive as his house is. Private and sprawling and beautifully landscaped. My parents have money, and I grew up around the Fritz family, so I'm no stranger to their enormous wealth. But it's been a while since I've experienced it firsthand, and wow. Just wow.

The backyard has a large, green lawn with a playscape, a treehouse, a trampoline, a built-in stone firepit surrounded by eight Adirondack chairs, an outdoor kitchen with a bar area, a barbecue, a seating area that's big enough to seat at least twelve, and a pool area that also has a hot tub attached. And that's just what I can see. The lawn beyond this area goes on and on and cuts into a surrounding forest.

"Have a seat," he offers, pointing to the one beside his, even though I'm still busy taking in the grounds.

Rory's head pops up, and she starts splashing around, talking to herself, and acting something out as if she's deep in a fantasy roleplay.

He leans back on his chaise, legs crossed at the ankles kicked out in front of him, arms behind his head, and reflective sunglasses covering his eyes that are trained on the water. I take the seat beside him, holding the towel in my lap. Silence sits like a wool blanket between us, heavy and uncomfortable.

"I wasn't trying to hide anything from you," I start just as he says, "I'm sorry if I was a dick to you before."

I giggle lightly and turn to look at him, my eyebrows at my hairline. "For real?"

He shrugs up a shoulder and turns back to Rory in the pool. "Rory does like you, and you were right that I was making this more about my comfort than hers. It's not easy for me, and I'm sorry for taking that out on you. "

Wow. Color me surprised. "Thank you. I like her too, for what it's worth." His honesty brings forth a little of my own. "As I said, I wasn't trying to hide anything. I had a very bad end to things with someone when I was living in Paris. A small piece of that was a conversation I overheard him having about my body. Let's just say it wasn't the nicest. With that, Jack gets extra protective of me now."

Owen lifts his shades to the top of his head, his fathomless blue eyes looking straight into mine. "That's all you're going to say about it?"

"Yes." And I leave it there, my expression giving nothing away.

He sits up a little straighter, his gaze dragging across my body, and then shifting back to the pool. "I see." His jaw clenches, and a tense hand drags over it, almost as if he's angry or frustrated. I can tell he wants to ask me more about it but won't. "It's none of my business, and I shouldn't have made you feel like you owed me your secrets because you don't."

"I know. Just as you didn't owe me an apology for being a dick, even if you were one."

His lips curl ever so slightly up at the corners, giving way to a hint of dimples, but I'd hardly call that a smile.

"I still don't want you as Rory's nanny, but it seems I might have to get over that."

"What?" I squawk, shooting upright. Only at that exact moment, my brother comes out, followed by Wren and two other adults I don't know, but can guess are Katy and Bennett, who's carrying baby Willow.

Owen stands, not answering my question, and I follow, even though a weird giddiness laced with nerves sweeps over me. It seems I might get what I asked for. And I'll have to deal with the resulting consequences.

Katy, who is beautiful with long brown hair and blue eyes, looks at Owen first and then over at me, and when she sees me, her smile grows exponentially. "Look, Bennett! She's real. Owen is interviewing an actual person to be Rory's nanny." She grabs the baby from his arms.

Owen makes a sardonic noise, rolling his eyes exaggeratedly, and I can't help my snicker.

She starts to say more when Rory's voice comes screaming from the water. "Katy!"

Katy's head whips over, and if I thought she was smiling before, it has nothing on her now. "Hey, lovebug! How's my favorite mermaid?"

"Goooood!" Rory comes bounding out of the pool, dripping wet, her goggles on her head leaving circular imprints around her eyes. "Can I kiss the baby?"

"Of course. She got so excited when I told her we were coming over to see you."

Rory's face lights up, and she runs over to Katy, only to slow her steps and cautiously approach. Katy takes a seat on a nearby chair, shaded by an umbrella, holding the baby in her arms and adjusting her for Rory. With gentle movements, Rory places the softest of kisses on the baby's head.

"Aw, she loved that."

"She's so cute," Rory squeaks, doing a little dance and bringing her fists up by her face. "I just love her."

"She loves you so much, and so do I." Katy rubs noses with Rory. "Now go show me how swimming is done." Katy bobs her head toward the pool, and off Rory goes, straight back into the water with a huge splash. She turns to me. "Hi. I'm Katy. This a-hole's best friend."

Owen grunts, but without a word, kisses Katy on top of the head and then takes the baby from her arms without asking. He sits down on the chair beside Katy and kisses the little thing's nose. I inwardly sigh and simper, my ovaries that aren't the least bit interested in making one of those things swooning at the sight of this grumpy, strong man holding this tiny baby in such a sweet, tender way.

"You still love me even if every other female in my life gangs up on me," he coos to her, cradling her against his broad chest, and yeah, that might be the hottest thing I've ever seen a man do.

"We wouldn't gang up on you if there wasn't a reason," Wren whips out, and Owen ignores her completely as he continues to murmur things to the baby.

I turn back to Katy. "Hi. I'm Estlin. It's very nice to meet you and see that Owen can be friends with a female who doesn't want to drown him in his pool."

She laughs, and so does Wren. Jack and Bennett are off to the side, but even they chuckle at that.

"See?" Owen rocks the baby and brings her up to his shoulder to pat her back when she starts to fuss. "I know it bothers you that they're mean to me, but you don't have to get upset on my behalf."

"She wasn't. She's just gassy today," Katy deadpans at him. "And tired. Like I am." She shakes her head and focuses back on me. "Sorry. I thought I understood sleep deprivation before, but I was wrong. So very wrong. Wren tells me you're an artist and have been living abroad. That automatically makes me jealous of you. Weird that we never met since I hung out with your brother way back when we were kids. Oh, and my baby daddy and your brother knew each other from their fellowship in LA."

An amused smile pulls up my lips at how she's just a bit random. I don't know if that's the lack of sleep or if this is just how Katy is. Either way, I like her.

"Yes, it is weird we never met before now, but I didn't spend a lot of time around Jack or his friends since I'm so much younger and did little else growing up other than read or paint. I'm an artist, and I went to art school in Paris, which was amazing. Now I'm back here after working as a nanny for a family in London for the last seven months. And I had no idea about your baby daddy and my brother until just before you arrived, but it's very cool that they're friends too."

"I like you." She turns to Owen. "I like her. You should hire her. Wren said you're being a butt face about it, but I don't see why. She's perfect." She shakes her head. "Sorry, I don't have the energy or time for a filter. Or to even get up and talk privately."

"Go nap," Wren tells her. "Like for real. Owen has the baby. Bennett has a bottle in the diaper bag. Go sleep for an hour or two. Please. For all our sakes."

"She's right," Owen agrees. "Go sleep in your room, and after, I'll make you a cheeseburger with extra pickles and spicy cheese the way you like it. I've got my goddaughter."

"Yes. Listen to them," Bennett demands. "If you won't listen to me, listen to them. You're not taking care of yourself as you should."

Katy groans like a kid. "He was sexier when he wasn't so overbearing."

"He's right, Kit-Kat," Owen admonishes. "You have to take care of yourself. Your room is right upstairs waiting for you. All dark with a big, comfy bed."

"My room is so far away, and it took so much energy just to get here. But maybe I'll crawl onto one of those loungers and shut my eyes." No sooner are the words out of her mouth than she's on her feet and going for the lounger holding most of the towels. She tucks herself in under a pile of them, and in her next breath, might already be asleep.

I can't help but laugh. "If this baby wasn't so cute, that would be perfect birth control."

"Totally," Wren agrees, pulling off her tank top, leaving her only in her bikini top and shorts. She digs into her large designer tote bag. "Here's the suit I promised you. If you want to change and swim, that is. I might. It's hot as hell out today." Wren holds up a series of strings with scraps of attached fabric that will barely cover my nipples, let alone my breasts.

"You realize that wouldn't have even fit me when I was twelve, right?"

Wren takes in the red thing in her hand that is passing for a bathing suit, and then looks back over at me with a shrug. "A little cleavage never killed anyone. And besides, it's not like any of the men here are going to look. We're talking about your brother, Bennett, who is obsessed with Katy, and Owen, who's going to hopefully be your boss and has all but sworn off women."

I bite down on my lip, fighting the blush that's trying to creep up my cheeks. "Um. Well?—"

Owen shoots out of his chair with the baby in his arms, cutting off my words as he says to Wren, "She's not swimming right now." Then he turns to me. "Walk with me." That's it, but there's also no argument to be had in his tone. "Wren, keep an eye on Rory for me. Rory," he calls out.

"Yeah?" she yells as she swirls around in the water.

"Katy is resting so please try not to wake her up. I'll be right back. I'm going in to show Estlin around. You be good for Aunt Wren, Uncle Jack, and Bennett. Okay?"

She waves a hand. "Okay."

Without another word, he walks off, baby in tow, expecting me to follow him like an obedient puppy.

Wren's eyes widen questioningly at me, and all I can do is give her a shrug in return. Does showing me around mean I'm hired? He did hint at it before. So if I want this, I guess I'm following after him.