She gave the matter some thought, sticking her spoon into her ice cream.
“Well, they were kind of mean. Especially Mrs. Winter. She was always making that face, you know?” Willa screwed up her features into an exaggerated expression of disapproval.
“That’s because she was always trying to get you to do your homework.”
“I’d do it if she wasn’t such a grouch about it.”
“But you guys didn’t get along, right?”
“Not really.”
“Did you ever worry about whether or not I’d fire her?”
“No. But I kinda secretly hoped you would.”
“Right. I learned my lessons with them, and the big one was that you and a nanny would have to click.”
“‘Click?’ Like, be friends?”
“That’s right. I hired the nannies that had the most experience, and I thought that would make the best fit for the job. And that didn’t work out so well. So, when I hired the next one, I decided to pick one that you got along with.”
“Like April.”
“Like April. And you guys are friends, right?”
“Yeah! She’s so much fun. I love having her around.”
“And she’s good at her job. With her at the house, I can spend more time taking care of work. And that means spending more time with you.”
Not to mention finally doing the necessary task of shuttering the criminal side of the business. But I didn’t get into that.
“So that means she’s going to be around for a while?”
“I don’t see any reason why not.”
Well, there was a big reason. Another subject that I couldn’t bring up. And it killed me to be potentially lying to Willa. I had no idea if last night would be an issue. If it did end up becoming one, April’s time working for me could very well be cut short.
“Good. And you know what else I’m wondering?”
“What’s that?”
She smiled slyly, as if she were on the verge of springing a plan she’d been hatching for weeks.
“Well, April’s really pretty, right?”
“She is.”
“And when I asked if that guy she saw at the park was her boyfriend, she said she didn’t have one.”
My gut tensed as I realized where this was going.
“And you guys went out on a date last night.”
“A date as friends.”
“Well, you don’t always have to be friends. What if you and April fell in love? You guys could get married, and—”
“Not going to happen.” I cut her off and realized right away that my tone was far harsher than it needed to be. Willa’s eyes widened.