Page 24 of The Nanny and the Nerd
Boring!
Abby Bergen knelt down and retrieved a sheet of paper. “Are you entering the Denver Poetry and Short Story Competition?” the teacher asked, holding out the paper.
Penelope concentrated on shoveling the clusterfuck of papers into her tote. “Possibly,” she answered, not meeting the woman’s eye.
“You should enter. My cousin is a writer and volunteers as a judge,” Mrs. Bergen replied, handing Penelope the piece of paper.
He watched Penelope and could sense her hesitation.
“Here’s your book,” he said, handing it over.
She met his gaze with heartbreak in her eyes. And he felt it, too. It pierced his heart. He doubled his effort to maintain a muted resolve.
What was wrong with him?
“Thank you,” Penelope said, gingerly placing it into the bag before turning to the teacher. She smiled, but it wasn’t a genuine smile. He was sure of that.
“So nice to meet you, Mrs. Bergen,” she said with a tiny shake to her voice.
Now that was interesting! The mention of the contest did a number on her!
“Bye, Mrs. Bergen!” Phoebe called, skipping out of the room.
He and Penelope walked down the empty hallway, listening to the sound of Phoebe’s shoes tap against the tile floor.
“I—” he began, but she cut him off.
“We made it through the meeting! There’s nothing scarier than having the teacher call you in,” she said, the words coming out in a gush.
“Yeah, you’re right about that.”
She gave him a weak smile. But the heartbreak in her eyes wasn’t quite gone. “Just try not to swear in front of the teacher next time,” she teased.
He wasn’t one for teasing, but he didn’t seem to mind when she did it.
He released a low chuckle. “Yeah, I made a mental note about that.”
“I could write it down for you,” she offered. Her real smile was back as she gestured to the bag of horrors.
This woman!
“I don’t do that,” he mumbled.
“All tech. All the time,” she replied with a mischievous lilt to her words.
“It is the twenty-first century, Penelope,” he replied, playing along and still enjoying this bout of banter.
They exited the building to find Phoebe staring them down with her hands on her hips.
“Are you really going to be my nanny?” his ballbuster of a niece barked, attempting to act like…him.
And she pretty much nailed it.
Penelope took a knee, lowering herself to the child’s level. “Yes, if you’re okay with that.”
“Do you know how to braid—the real way?” Phoebe asked, grilling the nanny before throwing him a quick glare.
“I do,” Penelope answered solemnly, then snapped her fingers. “And I can help with something else. Can I make a small suggestion that might make it easier to deal with kids like Cassie?”
