Nanny Undercover

Chapter 11: A Drive

"Honey, really?" Goldie could tell her mother was doing that thing she did with her eyebrows when she was upset, even though she couldn't see her. "Thanksgiving, too? You realize we haven't seen you since July?"

"I know, mom, and I'm sorry, but I can't leave them. It's a full time job, literally. It's not like he can call in a substitute nanny for when I'm off. Jeff needs me every moment the babies are awake."

"I get that, but Grant actually got Thanksgiving off, which just doesn't happen for residents, you know? It's like a miracle. So he's going to be here. I just thought it would be nice to have both of you home at the same time. I mean, who knows when it's going to happen again?" Her mother sounded resigned.

"I'm sorry," Goldie said again, and she was. She hadn't seen her brother in nearly a year, and would love to catch up.

"Oh, I know!" Her mom's voice nearly took her ear off. "Why don't you just bring them with you? Jeff and the triplets?"

"What? Mom, are you crazy?" Goldie actually held the phone away from her ear to stare at it. "You want three one year olds crawling around the house, pulling the cats' tails and breaking the dishes?"

"Oh, I'm sure we can keep an eye on them," her mother said. "Please, at least consider it. We have plenty of room, you know we do. It will be fun!"

Finally, more to shut her up than anything, Goldie told her mother that she'd ask Jeff.

"I'm not promising anything, though, okay?" She hung up, shaking her head.

She was still shaking her head when she went downstairs to talk to Jeff.

Surprisingly, he wasn't against it.

"Sounds sort of fun," he said with a smile.

"Funny, that's what she said," Goldie said. "Are you nuts?"

"No, really, I think we could swing it for a couple of days," he insisted. Just buy one of those thingummys, you know, the little boxes that they sit in?"

"A playpen?" Goldie supplied.

"There you go!"

"You really want to go?" Goldie asked seriously, putting a hand on his arm.

"I don't want you to miss the opportunity to see your family," Jeff answered, putting his arms around her. "You're right, I can't do without you for that long, so the only way this will work is if I go with you. So let's go."

Goldie laid her head on his chest and shrugged. "Okay. Let's go." She looked up at him. "You know it's, like, a five hour drive?"

"Smashing. I love long car drives."

"You're nuts," she repeated.

"I probably am," he agreed comfortably.

"Let me call my mother back, then," Goldie said, resigned. "She's going to be so happy, Jeff, thank you."

Jeff dropped a kiss on her nose. "My pleasure."

"Dada? Dadada?" Pippa called through the monitor. "Godie?"

"I'll go up, you call your mum first," Jeff said, heading upstairs.

Goldie nodded and pulled out her phone.

*

"Oh my god, we look like a traveling circus," Goldie declared.

"Complete with monkeys," Jeff added, smiling at the girls, who were in the back seat of the rented SUV, buckled into their car seats. The back of the SUV was filled nearly to the top with their luggage and a collapsible playpen, which would double as a crib.