“Rachel saved my life from the bad man.” Ana grins a gap-toothed smile at me and my heart melts just like it always does when I’m with her.
I look back at Rachel, swallow hard and pulled her into the hug too.
“Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you.” I whisper to her, as she awkwardly hugs me back.
“Of course, I wasn’t about to let him make off with her,” she replies, and I sniff and nod again.
“Where’s Louise?” I remember suddenly, looking around for Ana’s nanny.
“She quit!” Ana’s voice is ridiculously bright considering the news she just imparted on me, and she reaches surreptitiously for another cookie.
“She…quit?”
“Yep! Or maybe she’s still hiding. Anyway, she was useless when I was dying and then she started crying because you didn’t tell her she’d have to fight off angry men when you gave her a job. She thinks that was naughty of you, mommy.”
I hear a giggle beside me and look up to see Rachel averting her gaze. She spots me looking and quickly hides her smile with her hand.
This is a disaster. I have so many meetings this weekend and there’s that whole conference coming up that I’m supposed to be chairing. What the hell am I going to do about childcare now?
I squeeze my eyes shut in horror. It took months to find a nanny that Ana liked, or at least wouldn’t scream for murder when she was left with her. I don’t have time for this at all.
“Thanks again,” I say to Rachel, my head already swirling with thoughts about how I can make this work.
“No worries. Like I said, I’m always first in line to save a child. Especially one as adorable as Ana.”
I nod vaguely as Ana claps her hands in glee. I turn to leave but the thought strikes me almost instantly. I should thank her properly.
I whirl back around, and Rachel looks startled. “How much?” I ask her.
Rachel looks confused. “What do you mean, how much?”
“How much do you want? For a reward? For saving Ana?”
I spell it out as clearly as I can, but the woman still looks confused. I don’t have time to stand here all day.
“I’m going to give you money. How much do you want?”
I wince at the abruptness of my words. It comes out far harsher than I intended but at last the realization dawns on her face.
It’s my turn to be confused when the confusion on Rachel’s face turns into anger.
“Excuse me? How much money do you want? Are you serious?”
I’m not sure what I’ve done wrong. I open my mouth to say something, but she cuts across me.
“I don’t want your money, thank you very much. I did exactly what any other remotely decent person would do. Now, perhaps you should take your daughter home.”
She turns and walks away, and I feel worse than I ought to at her cold tone. I’m not used to saying the wrong things and having people be mad at me. Or people turning my offers down.
I look down at Ana, who looks sad now that Rachel has left us. I jiggle her slightly in my arms until she smiles again, and take her out of the bookstore.
I try not to think about how attractive Rachel is when she’s angry.
Seven
Rachel
I stomp around in the back room for a while in an angry sulk. How dare that bitch imply that I only saved that precious little girl so that I could grab money from her mother?