Playing the Player(15)

We’d stayed after school for GSA club. Slade rarely came to the meetings, but everyone knew he was a total supporter because of Alex. Whenever Slade did show up, he was always the center of attention.

It was time to hang the fundraising car wash posters and Alex, always in charge, had pointed to Slade and me. “You two take the second floor.” I’d felt light-headed when Slade turned his full wattage grin on me.

He’d joked about our senile Spanish teacher, and I’d struggled for words, frustrated with myself for falling under his smexy spell. He’d held the poster too high for me to reach with the tape, looking down at me, laughing, making a joke about me needing a ladder. It wasn’t mean; it was flirty. And I knew it.

And for one never-ending moment, we’d stared at each other and I thought my heart would fly right out of my chest and crash into his. But the moment passed, and we returned to the GSA meeting, where he drifted across the room to joke with Alex, and it was like nothing ever happened.

“I’m not defective,” I told Desi. “Just immune to his spell.” I remembered his hand grasping mine in the gift shop and how my whole body had tingled. Okay, maybe ninety-nine percent immune.

“Whatever.” Desi wiped her mouth with a napkin, erasing the yellow stain. “What are you doing tomorrow, since it’s your day off?”

“Maybe a movie. And I should do more research on field trips for the kids.” And try to figure out where I’d gone wrong with Gillian today. I needed to rein her in, stat.

Desi stood up and blew into her paper chef’s hat, puffing it out like a balloon. “I’ll go to a movie with you, but only if you don’t rag on Slade the whole time. You need to step back from this situation and reevaluate.”

I gaped at her. “I need to reevaluate? Me? What about him? He doesn’t even—”

She put up a hand. “Save it for later. I’m headed back to work. If you’ve calmed down by tomorrow, we’ll talk for real.”

She turned on her heel and disappeared into the crowd.

Oh. My. God.

She was the second person who’d bailed on me in the same day.





Chapter Seven


Slade


Tuesday, June 4

I hoped to sneak into the kitchen, but my parents lurked like hunters stalking their caffeine-deprived prey.

“So tell us about your first nanny day. We didn’t even see you last night. When did you get home anyway? How were the kids? How was the other nanny?”

Mom. Why ask just one question when you could pepper a guy like a machine gun?

I poured myself a gigantic cup of coffee before answering. “Got home late. Kids were cool. Other nanny needs your professional assistance.” I slid into my assigned chair at the table, waiting for the next barrage.

“Slade, you shouldn’t joke about people needing our help.” That was Dad, never one to crack a smile at my shrink jokes. “Please expand on your mother’s questions.”

Expand on the questions? I glared at him. Sometimes he forgot I wasn’t one of his college students. Mom passed me one of her chalky homemade granola bars. What I really wanted was more of Mrs. G’s awesome cookies.

“Gilly’s kind of a spaz, but not impossible. Max is cool. Kind of cautious, though.”

“And the other nanny?” Dad arched an eyebrow.

Their eyes bored into me like I was revealing the secret location of a dead body.

I closed my eyes and sighed. If I told them how I actually felt about Bird Brain, they’d lecture me about accepting people’s differences, and being open to “other ways of being in the world.”

Yada yada yada until my ears bled.

“She’s…okay. A little intense.”

Dad drummed his fingers on the table. “Sometimes intensity is a good thing.”

I snorted. “Not this kind.”

Mom twisted her rings around her fingers. Why was she nervous? She wasn’t the one who had to deal with Bird Brain.

“But you two got along? Took care of the kids together?” Mom’s voice sounded tinny.

“Yeah, sure. It’s not like Trina and I got into some huge fight.” Just a few small ones. “We have different styles, I guess.”

This time Dad snorted. “I’ll bet.”

I glared at him. I hoped he never wrote a parenting manual because if he did, an untold number of kids would be permanently damaged by his crappy advice.

Mom sighed, looking relieved. That made me feel sort of crummy. I wasn’t going to let Mrs. G. down, or Mom. I could take care of Max, and probably Gilly, too. In fact, the kids would be better off with just me. I’d be a hell of a lot more fun than Bird Brain.

Maybe after this week, I’d suggest that idea to the moms.

“So what’s your plan for today?” Dad asked.

I knew he wouldn’t like my answer. “Hanging with Alex. Whatever.” I shrugged.

Dad opened his mouth, but Mom spoke first.

“Well, I’m just so pleased about your first day of nannying. You should enjoy relaxing today.”

Dad turned his glare on her, which was my cue to leave.

“Later, gators,” I called over my shoulder as they began arguing about me. A hailstorm of buzzwords followed me out of the room: motivation, self-actualization, participation…and a whole bunch of other words I chose to ignore. Today was going to be a stress-free day, and I planned to enjoy every minute. I pulled up my contact list, thumbing through lists of girls.