Page 78 of She's the Star

The urge to dig my phone out and keep looking is strong, but I resist because I’ve already seen too much. I wish I’d refrained in the first place.

I know better.

When I hear Maddy start jabbering through the wall, I swing myself out of bed. Nolan is in the hall when I pull open the door and his eyes light up when he sees me. “You’re awake.”

I give him a light kiss. “I’ll get Maddy.”

“I’ll get her bottle ready.”

We part and he moves away. I remind myself that it doesn’t matter what is posted on the internet and go get my daughter.

The penthouse floor of our hotel has a private garden and since we’ve rented the whole floor it’s empty except for Maddy and I.

Nolan is out for an afternoon run. Maddy is sitting in the middle of a soft blanket and babbling to herself as she takes one toy at a time out of a box. I’m doing a modified yoga routine next to her. Nothing too advanced or demanding, just focusing on my breathing and flexibility. I’m balanced on one foot, with my torso and other leg creating a perpendicular line when my phone rings with a FaceTime call from my mom. I drop to my knees, click accept, and then flip the camera so it’s facing Maddy.

My parents’ faces fill the screen.

“Hello darling,” my mom says.

“Maddy’s sitting up by herself,” my dad adds.

“She’s been sitting up by herself for weeks,” my mom reminds him as Maddy reaches for my phone. I pull it back a little so she can’t get it. She has an uncanny ability to hang up when she touches it.

He chuckles. “I know. I’m still impressed.”

“Amber? You there?” my mom asks as if someone else might be holding my phone and facing it at her granddaughter.

“I’m here.” I swivel the phone so they can see me.

“Let me look at you,” she says so I keep the phone in front of my face. “The interview was lovely. Nolan seems like such a sweetheart.” She hesitates. “It wasn’t fake, was it?”

“Mom. I told you we…uh…that he is my boyfriend.”

“You told me last week.” Her voice quiets. “It looked like you were in love.”

“I am.”

She gasps and nudges my dad with her shoulder. Maddy had gone back to her toys, but she looks up at the sound and tries to grab my phone again as my mom says to my dad, “I told you.” I shift so that both Maddy and I are in the frame but my phone is out of her reach.

“I wasn’t doubting you,” my dad tells her. He looks back at the screen. “When we were at the grocery this morning, one of the papers had a picture of you and Nolan next to a picture of you and Teddy.”

“And?”

My mom frowns. “It was a tabloid. Nothing to worry about.”

“You don’t have to protect me,” I tell her even though she absolutely should.

She keeps frowning. “I don’t remember exactly what it said but it insinuated a love triangle. Old love versus new love. The flashy pop singer versus the staid nanny. A bunch of nonsense if you ask me.”

“Nonsense. Of course.” I attempt to smile.

My dad frowns too. “It isn’t a love triangle though, is it?”

“Dad,” I say at the same time my mom says, “Peter.”

“Just confirming you won’t rekindle things with Teddy. You can forgive him, but don’t forget what he did to you.”

I sigh as my mom pats my dad on the shoulder. “She isn’t going to date Teddy again.”

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