Page 29 of The Nanny and the Nerd
Harper brushed the margarita salt from her lips. “And the parents? What are they like?”
“Her parents are deceased. I’ll work for her uncle. He’s her guardian,” she answered, recalling Rowen’s expression in the car when he’d told her about Phoebe’s situation. He’d sounded even more robotic, like an online encyclopedia disclosing information. Was that how he dealt with pain? Did he distill the heartache to make it more bearable?
“Tell them who the uncle is, Penn,” Charlotte said.
Penny shrugged. “I guess the guy is kind of famous.”
“Who is he?” Libby asked with an excited clap.
“Rowen Gale,” she said as a current of electricity zinged through her body.
“The guy who owns Gale Tech and Gale Gaming?” Libby asked with a look of astonishment.
Penny cocked her head to the side. “How do you know who he is?”
“My brothers are all about video games,” she answered.
“Let’s internet stalk him,” Harper suggested, then pulled her phone from her purse. “Gah! It’s dead!”
Penny retrieved her tote from under the table. “You can use mine.”
“Honey, we know how you feel about technology. Your little flip phone isn’t going to cut it,” Harper replied.
“No, I’ve got a bunch of fancy-pants tech things.” She reached into her purse, pulled out the bag Jerome had given her, then placed the items on the table.
“OMG, Penn! This is like thousands of dollars’ worth of tech! He gave it to you?” Harper questioned, wide-eyed.
“Yeah.”
“Hand it over, sister!” H commanded, reaching across the table.
Penny passed her the tablet, and the woman got to work.
“Rowen Gale,” Harper said under her breath as she typed, then let out a low whistle. “Hello, Mr. Hot Nerd! Dark and handsome with oversized black-framed glasses! You didn’t tell us he was crazy good-looking.”
Penny finished the rest of her margarita. “I didn’t notice.”
Charlotte parted her lips to most likely call her out when Libby snapped her fingers.
“I thought of something! If the little girl is six, she’ll be in school most of the day, right?” Libby asked, blessedly turning the convo away from her hot nerd boss.
“Yeah,” she answered, grateful for her dear friend’s mystically flighty train of thought.
“Penn, that will give you time to write! You can enter the contest!”
Crap! This was the pitfall of having besties who knew everything!
Penny shrugged. “I’m not sure about doing it.”
Harper’s features softened. “Every year, you say you want to enter that writing contest. You should do it!”
Penny chewed her lip. “It’s expensive,” she said in lieu of the real answer—the answer that made her chest tighten with anxiety.
“But with this nanny job, you’ll be making plenty—and you’re a great writer, Penn,” Libby offered.
“You are, Penny. We’ve been reading your stories since you were the same age as the little girl you’re going to be nannying for. You’re talented. This could be your moment,” Charlotte added.
“I’ve been a little blocked,” she confessed.
