Bad Nanny (The Bad Nanny Trilogy #1)(77)

I lean over and put my forehead on my knees, trying to breathe.

Five days and it'll all be over. Just five short days.

I can so handle this.

I think.



When Brooke gets back from class, I'm just finishing up my dog piss/shit cleaning spree. I swear to Christ, if Rob doesn't start potty training these rats, I'm going to fly my ass up from Vegas for Thanksgiving and stuff the little f*ckers for dinner.

“Hey,” I say as I sit up and swipe an arm across my forehead.

“Hey,” Brooke says as she comes in with another girl on her heels, a girl with electric blue hair.

A girl that I recognize.

“Holy shit,” I say as I lean back on my heels and stare at Tinley Horton. She freezes when she spots me, raising a brow with four piercings stuffed through it.

“Holy shit yourself,” she says as Brooke looks between the two of us with a confused expression flooding her face. “Zayden Roth. Wow. Never expected to see you here again—especially not on your knees cleaning … is that dog poop?”

“Wow.” I stand up and strip off the black latex gloves I put on for cleaning, looking my old flame over from head to toe. She looks damn good, exactly like the type of girl I usually go for, all tatted and pierced up and badass. “I thought you'd moved to New York?” I ask as Tinley shrugs her shoulders and gives me an appraising once-over. If her expression is anything to go by, she likes what she sees.

“I did. But I moved back last year to take care of my mom.” I nod as we scope each other out, shocked that the chick I took to senior prom is standing in Brooke's living room. I haven't seen her in like, eleven years.

“You two know each other?” Brooke asks, pointing between the two of us. Standing next to Tinley, she looks so ridiculously out of place in her big camel colored wool coat and neon red cocktail dress. It's so totally inappropriate for school—but in the best way possible. Paired with a set of white running shoes? Yeah. Total mess. Total adorable mess.

Tinley's got on these tight zebra patterned leggings and a neon pink tank that says Fuck Men on it. Huh. I like that, too, but not as much as Brooke's outfit.

“Brooke and I are actually in the same population sampling class, something I didn't realize until today since I hardly go.” Tinley lifts her hand up and gestures at me. “I warned her about my ex last week, and that got us talking today. Didn't know I'd get to see you when she invited me over.”

Tinley's lips curve in a very familiar shape, a shape that I've seen on a hundred other girls. It says I so want to f*ck you.

Brooke notices and her face falls completely, crashing into this expression of dread that makes my heart hurt for her. Damn. Damn. Damn.

“I took Tinley to prom,” I say, lifting up my palm in a useless gesture. I don't mention the fact that we f*cked in the back of my Geo both before and after prom. Doubt Brooke wants to know about that.

“This is such a crazy coincidence,” Tinley says as she moves over to me in her neon pink heels and gestures me in for a hug. She smells like this wild perfume, some hipster scent that smells like cloves and tobacco. Brooke watches our entire exchange with a a frown. “We were planning on studying, but now that I see you're here, maybe we could do something a little more exciting?”

“I have to pick up the kids pretty quick here,” I say as I reach up and scratch at the back of my head. “What did you have in mind?”

“The kids?” Tinley asks as she raises her brows at me, pink painted lips picking up at the corners as she takes me in again, much more slowly this time. It's not a mystery to anyone in here that she's checking me out. I feel bad for Brooke, like maybe I should say something. But we're not together, so what the hell am I going to do? Blurt out how I took her virginity last week? Naw. Not my style.

“Zayden's helping me with my sister's kids,” Brooke says as she gestures at me and tries to explain our weird temporary situation. “She took off and left the country, so I'm taking care of them. I kind of hired Zayden as my nanny.”

“That is so f*cking cute,” Tinley says as she runs her long rainbow colored nails through her hair and smiles wickedly in my direction. Either she's not picking up on the leave my man the f*ck alone vibes that Brooke's giving off or she doesn't care. I'm not entirely sure what to think about the whole damn situation. I mean, it's cute that Brooke's looking at Tinley like she's the enemy, like I really am her guy. But it's also kind of terrifying, too. “Well, maybe when you get off work, the two of us could hang out?”

“I'm actually on my way back to Vegas in a few days,” I say with a slight shrug, but that doesn't do much help Brooke's expression. “Kind of working nonstop until then. I've got my brother's kids to take care of, too, until he gets back into town.”

“Vegas? Seriously? My best friend's getting married there next week. We're all flying out to hang for a weekend.” Tinley gets her phone from her back pocket and passes it to me. “Plug your number in and maybe we could hang out then? What do you do there?”

“I work as a body piercer,” I say as I toss the gloves onto the table next to Sadie's crib and start typing in my digits. Brooke watches me the entire time, but doesn't say a word, pushing her glasses gently up her nose. She's wearing the big, thick black ones again. No time for contacts since I made her late as f*ck this morning.