Page 54 of The Baby-whisperer and the Brute
Wilder smiled. “Distraction.”
“Distraction?” I could hardly spend any more time training, and how did you distract yourself from someone who lived in your house?
“If you can’t have the one you want,” Wilder said, “then find someone else to distract yourself with. Works pretty well for me. And I have the perfect person for you.”
“Who?” The idea had merit—in theory. But I hadn’t found myself even looking at another woman since meeting Angelina.
“Bree Steele.”
“The movie star?”
Wilder nodded. “She’s in Rhode Island for a couple of months making a film. Her manager hired my firm for security. She’s mentioned you, wants to meet you. She thinks you’re, quote, ‘a stud.’”
The silly term made me smile. The actress was certainly pretty, but we’d never even met, and I didn’t particularly care for her films.
Still, maybe Wilder was right. Maybe going out with someone was what I needed to get my mind off the 24-7 Angelina show. It was worth a try anyway.
“Okay sure. So how does this work? You want to give her my number so we can set something up?”
“Absolutely. She’s been filming mostly during the day, so maybe you guys can go out tomorrow night.”
“Sounds good.”
Well, that was overstating it a bit, but it had to be better than spending another night close to Angelina, fighting the urge to lean closer and smell her hair, disciplining myself not to touch her or even let my gaze linger too long.
Who knew? Maybe I’d even like this Bree Steele woman. Stranger things had happened.
Like falling in love with your kids’ nanny.
Oh yeah, I needed help. Fast. Maybe Bree would be available for breakfast and lunch too?
Chapter Seventeen
Lady in Red
Angelina
I adjusted the straps of the red dress, taking a moment for one last check of the mirror before leaving the bowling alley bathroom.
Yes, the dress waswaytoo nice for an outing with the girls and the other nannies and their charges, and yes, it looked completely stupid paired with bowling shoes, but I didn’t care.
Sully was out on a date.
With a movie star.
I’d also styled my hair in long, loose curls, applied a spritz of perfume, and even a bit of mascara and lip gloss.
Maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised when he told me this morning he wouldn’t be at home for dinner. I definitely shouldn’t have been surprised when he mentioned who he was taking out.
Of coursehe would date beautiful, glamorous starlets. Bree Steele probably wasn’t even the first.
But I’d been caught off guard anyway. I’d gotten used to having him home every night, to the shared smiles at the girls’ cute recitations of their day, to the sound of his big, barrel-chested laugh. I’d come to count on my nightly fix of Sully-time after missing him all day while he trained.
“Are you okay?”
The voice drew me out of my daydream and back to reality where my friend Lorie, another nanny, was watching me with obvious concern.
“Oh, yeah. I’m fine. Did Skyla take her turn?” I re-focused on the group of little girls chattering happily while they rolled hot pink bowling balls back and forth in the return rack.
