Page 89 of The Baby-whisperer and the Brute
Resuming eye contact with me, the woman said, “I spent time with Sullivan when he was in the hospital in New York. I’m surprised he didn’t mention it.” Her tone turned lethal. “He’smyhusband, after all. He needed me. He still does.”
She stroked her mini-me daughter’s heads, her multiple rings and long, expertly manicured fingernails snagging their wild curls. “So do my sweet girls.”
Skyla squirmed away and took off for the stairs. “I’ll go tell Daddy you’re here.” Naturally she assumed her father was home.
“Me, too,” Claire echoed and followed her sister, leaving Anouk and me alone in the cavernous marble entryway.
“We won’t be needing your services any longer,” Anouk informed me quietly. “Since I’ll be here full-time from now on.”
My brain fought the discordance between what had happened twenty minutes earlier and what was happening now. Nothing was making sense.
What about the things Sully had said to me? We had made love. What about that?
I glanced toward the door to the garage, but there was no sign of his return.
Finding my voice, I asked, “What about your career? You said it was taking off again. You said you didn’t have time to take care of Skyla and Claire. That’s why you sent them here.”
“I sent themherebecause they’rehappyhere in Eastport Bay,” the woman purred. “And I’m sure I will be too. You wouldn’t understand, but the life of a model isn’t easy. You hear me say I’m flying to Bali, and you think I’m going off to have a party. It’s hard work, and the industry is full of vultures and liars and users who only want you until you get your first wrinkle. Add stretchmarks to that, and they’re done with you. I’ve had enough of it. I’mtired.I’m ready to settle down now.”
In all of that, I hadn’t heard a word about Anouk’s feelings for Sully—apart from his usefulness as an ATM. Did she even love him anymore? Had she ever?
“Was Sully expecting you?” I asked, utterly confused.
Why hadn’t he told me his ex-wife would be moving in? How had he imagined it would work with all of us living together?
Anouk raised one perfect eyebrow. “Of course. Heinvitedme to move in. He said he and the girls needed me, that he wanted us all to live in the same house again. Didn’t he tell you?”
A rock-hard ball of ice formed in my throat as the pressure built behind my eyelids.Oh no—I was going to cry, right there in front of this hateful woman.
“He… didn’t mention it.”
Anouk’s red lips contracted in a pretty pout worthy of a lipstick ad. Her brows drew together, and she tilted her head in a sympathetic posture. Her tone, however, held nothing but glee.
“Oh dear. You have a crush on him, don’t you?” She giggled. “Poor baby. He mentioned how naïve and ignorant you are. Imagine… developing athingfor your boss… while taking care of his children every day?”
She made a little tut-tut noise before the pout morphed into an expression that was far more threatening. “I wouldn’t mentionthatwhen applying for new nanny jobs. The other wives might not be as understanding as I am, and Eastport Bay is a very small town compared to New York. You might find yourself out of work as well as homeless.”
Anouk’s smile returned. “Now run along and pack your things. Go quietly and I’ll write you a nice, bland reference letter with no mention of your attempts to seduce my husband while he was injured and on pain medication.”
When I stared at her open-mouthed, she added, “Hurry now, before my good will runs out.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Dismissed
Sully
My errand took longer than I’d expected. As it turned out, finding the perfect ring for the woman of your dreams wasn’t easy.
I’d never ring-shopped before—Anouk had picked out her own and told me what to buy. But I wanted Angelina to have just the right one.
If I let her choose her own, she’d probably pick one with a tiny chip of diamond you’d need a magnifying glass to see. That wasn’t going to cut it.
There was no diamond big enough and beautiful enough to express the enormity of my love for her, but I was determined to give it my best shot.
When none of the jewelry stores in Eastport Bay had what I was looking for, I drove to the next town then the next.
By the time I finally returned to the mansion, velvet box in hand, it was after eight p.m. Hopefully Angelina hadn’t worried about me being gone so long. She hadn’t called or texted though, so I assumed everything was okay.
