Page 74 of The Billionaire's One-Night Stand Nanny
“It was me,” I said. “It was me who made the wrong choice. And now… it’s too late.”
My voice cracked on the last word, and she put the mismatched glasses back down on the counter before grabbing me in a tight hug. I closed my eyes, feeling her warm embrace around my shoulders, and the hot tears that fell from my burning eyes onto her cashmere sweater.
“Oh,Flora,” she said. She knew how it felt, falling for someone impossible. Thatherimpossible had worked out in the end only made me feel worse, but I forced myself to stop sniffling, to extricate myself from her luxuriously soft embrace, to give her a small, cramped smile.
“I’m sorry,” Edie whispered.
“Don’t be. It’s stupid,” I said.
“No, I mean…” She reached out a hand, taking mine in her own. “I’m sorry that I haven’t been there for you like I should have. That I’ve been a bad friend.”
“No, Edie, that’s not–”
“You didn’t feel like you could tell me,” she interrupted. “And that’s me. That’s my fault. I’m sorry.”
“Nobody knows,” I said, then shook my head. “Actually, Charlie knows.”
“CharlieMartin?” she asked.
“Yeah,” I said, laughing through tears. “He walked in on us. Near the end of the summer.” She gaped. “That wasafterhe’d already sent my resume to Maddie’s school. God, it’s a wonder he didn’t call the principal as soon as he learned what wasreallygoing on–”
“That’swhat you meant when you said you knew Charlie?” she gasped. “That hewalked in on you and Ryan?”
I laughed again. “Yes. I know–Iknow, it’s sostupid–”
“Oh my god,” Edie said. “Oh mygod, Flora!”
“I know–”
“No, Flora! Hold on.” She shook her head. “Wait. This is just– This is a lot for me to process. Ryan got you a job at his daughter’s school.” I made a sound of protest, but she waved me off. “Or he asked Charlie to do it, same thing.”
“Yes,” I agreed. “And he had to know that–” I said, swallowing back a fresh wave of tears. “That if I got that job, there was no way I could keep seeing him. It was at his daughter’s school, Edie, do you know how unethical it is for a teacher to date the parent of a student? No,” I shook my head. This was the same conversation I’d had with myself a thousand times. “Wesaidit was just for the summer. And Iheardhim, he was going on a date while I was stilltherein hishouse–”
“But Flora… Ryan didn’t bring a date to the engagement party,” she said. “He brought Maddie instead.”
“I know,” I started.
“He didn’t bring a date,” Edie interrupted, “because he didn’t go on the date that Barrett set up for him. Or the one James arranged.” Her eyes widened. “And Charlie dragged his heels on finding someone to set him up with.Flora…” she said, and looked at me. “It’s not too late.”
“It is,” I insisted, “itis, I made my choice, and I chose thejob,the job he–”
Edie wasn’t listening. She’d pulled out her phone and was rapidly texting. “Flora, get your bag.”
“What? Edie, why?”
She shoved her phone away, quickly and efficiently putting the cork back in the wine bottle, the untouched Thai into the refrigerator. “My driver is going to be here in five minutes. We need to be ready to go.”
“What–”
“Flora,” she said. She went to the door of my apartment, grabbing my coat and hers from off their usual hooks, my purse from the table, and shoving them at me. “I am so, so sorry for not being there for you when you needed me this summer. I hope you’ll let me make it up to you.”
“You don’t–”
“No, Flora, I do. And I’m starting now.”
Her phone buzzed in her back pocket, and she grabbed it and nodded, then looked up at me, her jaw set.
“We’re crashing the Bancroft.”
