Page 30 of The Christmas Nanny

I got up and offered my hand. Samantha took it in hers and shook, her middle finger stroking my palm.

“Enough,” Charles said. “Go back to your room, Samantha. I’ll be there in a bit.”

I returned to my chair, and the Quartermains returned to the couch.

“She’s a very impressionable young woman,” Stephanie said.

“We have other business to discuss,” Charles said. “As we have mentioned, we are private people. Nothing leaves this house without us knowing about it first. I’m referring to information and rumors. Are we understood?”

“We aren’t like that,” Christine said, and I nodded.

“Good. Now, we’ll take your keys,” Charles Quartermain said.

“Excuse me?” I said. “Our keys? For what?”

“I’ll have our team go to your homes, get your pets, clothes, and anything else you think you’ll need.” He was dead serious. “The keys will be in the garage with your cars. You’ll sign them out anytime you leave. Boris will get that set up.”

“How about we go back to our homes, get our own stuff, and we’ll be back later this evening,” I said.

“That’s not going to work for us,” Stephanie said. “We do things differently here.”

“Surely there’s a common ground we can agree on,” Christine said. “We weren’t expecting this.”

“Fine.” Stephanie stood and grabbed her phone. She typed something and then pointed at me. “Follow me.”

As a show of force, if it could be called that, I stood and kissed Christine before following Stephanie out the door. She didn’t see the kiss, but Charles did. He didn’t like it.

Stephanie took me to the backside of the mansion. She tossed me the keys to a Mercedes van, and I climbed into the driver's side.

“You’re in love with that woman,” Stephanie said.

I pulled away from the house and headed toward the front gate. Was nothing off-limits to these people?

“You’re going through a divorce and going to talk to me about being in love?”

“Are you always going to be this difficult?” she asked.

I shook my head. “No, but you two have a strange way of hiring for a nanny. None of this makes sense. Can you tell me what it is the two of you want from us?”

“It will make sense soon enough. You need to give it time and relax. Remember, you’re being paid handsomely.” She waved at the guard as we passed. He was fixing a wreath that had fallen from his window. I watched through the side mirror. The man shook his head.

I said nothing until we got to the house, where I backed into the driveway. “I’m bringing Slim Shady.”

She smiled. “First time he shits on the floor, he’s gone.”

“Deal.” He’d not used the bathroom in the house in over five years.

We entered the kitchen through the garage, and Stephanie stopped at the door leading to the basement. “What’s down here?”

I leaned against the kitchen island and crossed my arms. The woman was full of shit and games. “You know exactly what’s down there.”

“Still butthurt over that, are you?”

“You had someone break into my house and go through my shit. I think I have a right to be pissed.”

“Are you going to show me or not?”

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll rub off on your daughter?”

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