Make Me Yours(18)

She’s so cute in her mermaid getup. Right before we walked out the door, she grabbed a headband with feathers and a tiara on top.

“Ms. Terry is in the E hall.” She takes my hand like a regular little adult and leads me across the lawn and up the stone steps.

Walking past mothers in starched skirts and blouses, scarves, and Prada bags, I get Eleanor’s insistence on Lillie’s attire. All the little girls are wearing smocked dresses and patent leather shoes. Hell, I’m starting to wonder if they even play at this school.

Lillie’s teacher, by contrast, is delightful. A petite young woman with light blonde hair and a bright smile, Ms. Terry is round and huggable and clearly in love with her class.

“Good morning, Lillie! My, you look fancy! Are you a mermaid?” Lillie nods excitedly, and her teacher continues. “Get your things from your cubby. Today we’re learning red monster number two or dos.”

I’m impressed. Colors, numbers, and Spanish. “Hi, I’m Ruby, Lillie’s new nanny.”

“Nice to meet you!” She shakes my hand, and we spend a few short minutes getting to know each other. I give her my cell number, and she gives me the syllabus for the semester. A syllabus in preschool? Walking away, I search the sheet for where they get dirty.

“Lillie has a new nanny?” That voice doesn’t sound friendly.

Turning, I can’t believe it. “Serena Whitehead? I thought you moved to Charleston.”

“Ruby Banks?” She does not smile. “It’s Serena North now. My husband Dr. Phillip North and I just moved back to Oakville with our daughter Whitney. I see you’re still here. Working as a nanny now? Is that right?”

The way she says it makes me want to crawl under a rock.

Which I will not do.

“Remi needed help, so I agreed to do this for a month.”

“Remi?” Another woman, slightly older steps up to join us. She’s wearing a starched white shirt, a floral, tea-length skirt right out of the 1950s, and a condescending sneer. “What’s this about Remi? Who are you?”

“It appears Remington has hired a new nanny.” Serena says. “Ruby Banks, this is Anita Flagstaff.”

“Hello.” I nod. “Nice to meet you. I have to go.”

“Just a minute.” Anita is still scowling, looking me up and down. “You’re the new nanny? Where’s Eleanor?”

“I’m sorry. Why are you asking?”

“I was best friends with Sandra Burnside Key. I want to be sure Lillian and Remi aren’t being… taken advantage of.”

“Is that so?” One thing’s for sure, this woman won’t bully me. “Did someone ask you to do that?”

“Of course not. I consider it my duty as Sandy’s friend.”

“Perhaps this is something you should discuss with Remi. I don’t feel comfortable discussing family matters with strangers.”

Turning on my heel, I square my shoulders and walk with purpose toward the door.

Anita Flagbitch speaks in a whisper loud enough for me to hear. “Looks like a live-in geisha to me.”

“All I know is Phillip better not get any ideas.” Serena’s voice is rude as it ever was. “Ruby Banks is trouble.”

My face tries to get hot, but I fight it. For starters, I’m a nanny, I’m not Japanese, and by definition geishas did not all sell sex. Many of them were artists, musicians, and educated companions…

Whatever. All that explaining would be “casting pearls before swine,” as Ma would say.

Instead, I push through the door and through my feelings of embarrassment. I’m not doing anything wrong, and I’m too old for these women to hurt me.





6





Remi


Hiring Ruby might be the best decision I’ve made all year.

When I walked into the kitchen this morning, I could tell something was up by the way Lillie was dressed. Since she started preschool, Eleanor has had her walking around looking like an escapee from Toddlers and Tiaras, minus all the makeup. And the tiara.

I think my daughter might have liked that part.

Seeing Lillie laughing, brimming with excitement, and looking like a regular little kid this morning, melted my insides. The stress is off, and she’s having fun again.

Don’t get me wrong. If Lillie were the type of kid who wanted to wear smocked dresses and patent leather shoes all the time, I could deal with it. I want my daughter to be happy, but this morning I saw her true personality.

I also saw Eleanor’s attempts to control it, whether it’s because she doesn’t know how to let Lillie express herself or because she sees that expression as a threat. I don’t know.

Ruby, by contrast, lets my daughter shine. She gets on her level and plays with her. She talks to her, but she doesn’t force her to be an adult.

It’s incredible how it affects me. She’s like a gift.

Walking around my office, I toss the stress ball in the air, giving it a squeeze every time I catch it. I stop at the French doors facing the lake in my office.

All three floors have them. They’re lined up parallel to each other, with balconies on the second and third levels.

Ruby’s right, it’s a beautiful home, and the layout works well with my family situation. Each floor has privacy, like its own quarters… I never noticed it before.