“I mean, April’s our nanny. And she’s pretty, sure. Not to mention fun to be around. But she’s an employee. And when you’re older, you’ll learn that people have…different roles in your life.”
“What does that mean?”
“For example, when someone’s an employee, they can’t also be your girlfriend or boyfriend. It’s not appropriate.”
“Not appropriate?”
“Not right. It puts people in bad positions. And not to mention it can be illegal.”
God, what a hypocrite I was. Not only had I done the precise thing Willa was asking about, there I was—of all people—discussing illegality.
“Like, the police can arrest you?”
“Something like that. But the point is me and April have a business relationship. We can be friends, but that’s it.”
“Oh.” She was clearly disappointed by my answer.
I checked my watch, seeing that it was getting late.
“We should get moving, Sprout. Almost your bedtime.”
“Fine, fine.”
We finished up our ice cream in silence, our conversation weighing on my mind.
I’d never done anything with a nanny like I’d done with April. Hell, I hadn’t done anything like that with any employee. And that wasn’t for lack of opportunities.
But there was something about April, something that made me want to cross boundaries I knew I had no business crossing.
When we were ready, we took a cab back to the house. Home was silent, and I wondered if April was there or if she’d gone out for the night.
“All right, kid,” I said. “Get washed up and ready for bed.”
“Where’s April?”
“I gave her the night off. She’s probably out having fun with some friends.”
“Aw.”
I gave Willa a pat on the back and she was soon up the stairs to her room. I entered the office, and Shauna was there in the sitting area, her laptop open in front of her.
“Good night out with the kid?” she asked, flicking her eyes up to me.
“Great night out.”
“Good. Just finishing up stuff here before taking off.”
“April around?” The words blurted out of my mouth, almost as if beyond my control.
Shauna appeared surprised. “Yeah, she’s around. In her room, I think. I took her out for a couple of drinks. Nothing too crazy—figured she needed a night to chill.”
“Everything seem OK?”
She smiled. “Just girl stuff. Nothing you need to worry about, boss man.”
She made a few more keystrokes before closing her laptop, scooping it up, and rising.
“Anyway, I should get home and crash. See you Monday?”