Page 12 of Secrets, Lies and Love

“Good morning. How do you know my name?” I ask, nervous, although I’m sure that even though they know it, they’ll never find out who I really am.

“The hospital records. They had to search for it because Mr. Kostanidis wanted to ensure that you had everything you needed.” He pauses and looks even more anxious than me. “I came to apologize, Miss Bradley.”

“You can call me Cecily, Mr. Colt.”

“Not Harper?”

“No. I hate that name. My stepmother chose it. It was her grandmother’s name, whom I never met.”

He looks at me, confused, and I know why: how could my stepmother have given me a name?

“My mother died during labor and my father didn’t know what to do with a baby, so just fifteen days later, he was already living with a woman.”

He looks shocked, but like the polite man I assume he is, he doesn’t say anything.

“But no one calls me that,” I continue, pretending I don’t notice how disconcerted he is. What man would bring another woman into the house just two weeks after losing his wife? The answer is simple: one who had a lover. I push away sad thoughts because more than ever, I need to be strong. “Anyway, to everyone, I’m Cici.”

He nods in agreement, then clears his throat. “I came to ask for forgiveness. I couldn’t sleep at night imagining you injured and alone in the hospital.”

For the first time, I understand the consequences of what I did, and the remorse hits me so hard that I feel a knot in my stomach. “I got distracted,” I say quickly. “It’s my biggest flaw.”

That part is not a lie. I always daydream, although, in this specific case, it was on purpose. An act of pure desperation.

“Are you sure?” he asks, already looking a little more relieved.

“Yes, I am, Mr. Colt. I’m from Kansas, from a town of just five thousand people. There is no traffic, and we practically only have one street, the main one. I get a little lost in Manhattan.”

That’s also true. New York as a whole is scary as hell. As for the rest, when I have to explain why I’m here, it’ll basically be one big act.

I’m not proud of deceiving him, but there is no other way. The mighty Greek and I live in different galaxies, and if I hadn’t done what I did, I would never have been able to get close to him.

“I want to ask you a question, but let me know if I’m being indiscreet, as that’s not my intention. I only want to help you because I feel responsible for you...”

Before he finishes speaking, his phone rings, and with a wave of his hand, he asks me to excuse him so he can answer it.

I nod, and he moves away from my bed but doesn’t leave the room. “Yes, Mrs. Nuttle, I already heard that the night nanny will no longer be working there. I’m sure Mr. Kostanidis is arranging someone to take her place.”

The woman seems to be talking nonstop, because he holds the phone away from his ear and his features now show impatience.

“Yes, he already knows that you can’t work two shifts every day. We’ll find a way. Wait for our boss to get in touch,” he finishes, apparently allowing no more room for the woman to continue complaining. Then he ends the call. “I’m sorry about that,” he says.

I’m looking out the window, though, pretending I wasn’t listening to the conversation. Only when he calls me by my namedo I look back at him with a smile, when in fact I’m close to vomiting from nervousness.

Nanny.

They need a babysitter, and now I know what to do.

“As I was saying, you said you come from a small town in Kansas and that New York scares you. You look very young too.”

“I’m twenty-three.”

“You’re practically a child. Do you want some advice, kid? Go back to your town. Big cities can swallow you in the blink of an eye.”

“There’s nothing I’d like more, but I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“I promised someone that I would try my luck in a big city, and I intend to keep my promise.”

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