Chapter 10
Several days had passed since Andrew and I's almost kiss. Being around him was getting easier, especially now that both of us agreed to forget about the whole thing. This way, there was no tension.
Well...
The mornings before Andrew left were always my favorite part of the day. He was a morning person, and I found that absolutely crazy. If I slept as little as he did, the morning would be my enemy. I got plenty of sleep and I already hated getting out of bed.
"Haley, how do you want your eggs? Fried or scrambled?"
Resembling Andrew, she furrowed her eyebrows. "Scrambled. That way I can put ketchup on them."
I nearly gagged at the image of ketchup on my eggs, but it was her preference. Which I guessed she also got from Andrew. I knew little about Amber's true self, but based on what I already knew about her, Haley hardly got any of her attributes. The blonde hair was the only noticeable exception.
"Does your dad want them scrambled and with ketchup, too?"
She nodded, opening the refrigerator and grabbing the ketchup. I loved ketchup, don't get me wrong, but not with eggs.
Andrew was in the process of tying his tie when he walked into the kitchen. "Are you making eggs?"
"Yep. Scrambled," I responded, keeping my eyes on the eggs. Ever since the night we almost kissed, all I could think about was what would have happened if Haley hadn't woken up. Would he have kissed me anyway?
Imagine how awkward that would have been if he had...
"Is it Friday?" he asked, standing next to me as I made the eggs.
"Yeah." I laughed. "Thank God, right?"
"Definitely," he said, still tying his tie. "Can you help me with this? It's not cooperating this morning."
So I tied his tie. As I did so, scenes from Up ran through my head. I remembered that, as the years went by, Ellie still had to tie Carl's tie. I also remembered bawling my eyes out in the first ten minutes. "There. I think I did it right."
He smiled, picking up a scrambled egg and slipping it in his mouth. I slapped his hand and moved in front of him. "Stop eating them. They aren't done yet."
He smiled again.
I watched Haley walk over to the built in stereo system and scroll through the large selection of music. What was she up to?
Then, Hot in Herre by Nelly blew through the speakers. That's right, I thought, she said Andrew liked this song.
Andrew viciously laughed. "YES. You ready to dance, Hales?"
Haley ran over to him and grabbed his hands. "It's your part first, remember?"
"Of course I remember."
While they began their obviously choreographed routine, I took out my phone and taped them. I had to have something to refer to when I was upset. Andrew dancing to a rap song could cheer anyone up.
"It's gettin' hot in here. So take off all you clothes," he sang, laughing at Haley.
Haley shook her hips. "I am gettin' so hot, I wanna take my clothes off."
I giggled silently. This was, by a landslide, the funniest sight to see.
"Hey, Natalie's videotaping us!" Haley screamed.
Andrew stopped dancing and approached me. I took off, hiding behind the counter. "Give it here, Natalie, or there will be serious consequences."
"Like what?"
"I don't know yet. I'm still thinking..."
I laughed. Andrew and I ran circles around the counter. While he was focused on catching me, Haley jumped on his back, temporarily preventing him from deleting the video I was planning on treasuring for a long time. I took the open opportunity and stuffed the phone in my bra.
Andrew got free and sighed when he saw where it went. "Wow, you women are just too smart," he hissed sarcastically. "That is for your eyes only, got it?"
"I thought you said you didn't dance?"
"That song is an exception," he said, shrugging. "And, of course, when we danced at the ball."
The wild tone of the room calmed down, but my heart only raced.
There was a knock on the door. Whoever it was, they were angry about something. I couldn't possibly think of a sane reason for anyone to be seriously angry with Andrew. "Hello, Mrs. Baker."
"In case you aren't aware, all of New York can hear your shitty music." Mrs. Baker was a middle-aged woman, clearly a stick in the mud.
Andrew scratched his ear. "Yeah, sorry. I'll turn it down."
"Don't bother me again."
"Yes, ma'am," he politely said, closing the door. He rolled his eyes. "Alright, ladies, fun's over."
Haley whined, slumping her shoulders. "Who cares about what that old hag says. Let's keep dancing!"
"Hey," he said, crossing his arms. "Don't call her that. At least not to her face."
"Andrew."
"I'm joking," he said. "Don't call her that ever."
As we ate breakfast, the music played quietly. Andrew didn't want piss off Mrs. Baker even more. Him and Haley sprayed ketchup on top of their scrambled eggs, and I couldn't even register how revolting it tasted.
Before Andrew finally left for work, there was another knock on his door.
"Is that the hag again?"
Though he laughed, Andrew knew he had to tell her right from wrong. "Don't say that, Haley. What does she want? The music isn't even loud."
He opened the door and to his dismay, it wasn't Mrs. Baker yelling at him. While his jaw dropped, Haley gasped happily.
"Mommy!"
~~~~~
The Amber Adams was standing two feet away from me in the kitchen. A woman I idolized was in the same place as me.
"How long are you here?" Andrew croaked, keeping his arms crossed. He looked pissed beyond belief.
Haley sat on Amber's lap, squeezing her tight. "Just for a few days."
Thank God, his wide-eyed expression read. "Super. Amber, this is Haley's nanny, Natalie." He faced me nervously. "Natalie, you know Amber."
"Of course. It's lovely to meet you, Amber," I said, slapping on a smile. I was having a conversation with a celebrity. I walked up to shake her hand, but I held back when her lip twitched in disgust.
"I thought the little redhead was the nanny?" she hissed, wrinkling her nose at me. "Not...that."
Andrew stood straight up. "Natalie is the best nanny I could ask for. She's great with Haley. I'd appreciate it if you weren't so rude."
God, he was right about her. It made me wonder of all celebrities were like her. With their enormous egos, they probably were.
"I'm sorry," she sighed. Haley looked up at her and smiled. I was almost feeling jealous of Amber for gaining all of the attention, but Haley quickly made me feel better.
"Yeah, Mom, Nanny Natalie is the best."
Andrew smiled. "Help yourself to anything in the fridge, Amber. Do you have plans with Haley today?"
She glanced down at Haley. "I think we can work something out."
He nodded, swinging the bag over his shoulder. Before walking out the door, he grabbed my arm. "Are you sure you'll be okay here with...her?"
"I think I can take her." I winked.
He grinned, patting my arm. "Okay. I'll see you later. Call if there're any issues."
"Andrew, we'll be fine."
"Okay, okay." He kissed Haley goodbye and looked behind him only once before leaving for work.
Haley wiggled in Amber's lap. "We're going to have so much fun together, Mommy! I'll go get my Barbies."
Amber hid her face as she rolled her eyes. "Perfect. I fly all the way here and get to play Barbie's."
I felt uncomfortable being around Amber and Haley as they bonded, but I also felt like I needed to be there. If I left, would Haley notice? Or was she too obsessed with Amber's presence?
I cleaned up the breakfast remains and did the dishes I ignored from the night before. Since Amber was going to be keeping Haley busy, I could get some cleaning done.
Andrew said it technically wasn't part of my job, but I felt obligated to.
"I apologize for the way I sneered at you," Amber said, rising from the kitchen chair. "I just don't appreciate Andrew making certain decisions, hiring you, for example, without me."
I shrugged. "It's okay. It's just really great to meet you. You're a great actress."
Should I be complimenting her? Was that against the rules?
"I know," she said, twisting a strand of hair around her finger. While I silently loaded the dishwasher, I felt her snake eyes scanning me. "How do you like this job?"
"It's amazing." Don't sound too happy. "You have a great daughter."
"She's just like me, if you hadn't caught on already." She winked.
What the fuck.
Haley was not like her.
"I need you to listen carefully, Natalie." She spit out my name as if it tasted like vomit. "Whatever you're feeling toward Andrew is completely obvious. No offense. But since you seem nice and innocent, I'm going to let you off easy."
Oh my God, she was an evil genius. She knew me for five minutes and she already knew I had feelings for Andrew.
She took a step closer, my stomach flipping in fright. "I'm warning you-stay away from Andrew. Yes, we're divorced, but I am very persuasive."
"What do you mean?"
Rolling her eyes, she explained. "It means that we're getting back together. He loves me. He just lost his way. He's mine. Don't take this personally, Natalie, you seem great. I'm just doing what's best for Haley."
How do you know what's best for her?
"I won't interfere with your relationship with Andrew. I understand," I whispered, blinking back the tears prickling in my eyes.
"I'm glad we're on the same page." She smiled--more like snickered, actually--but I saw right through her. How could someone so vicious be Haley's mother? She began walking to Haley's room, walking in a pleasant manner. "Besides, you're just the nanny."
I debated with myself whether or not Amber was threatening me. She wore a smile, like everything she said was friendly, but her words said differently. Threat or not, she was intimidating.
Since I met Amber, I couldn't stop comparing her to Haley and Andrew. Haley, for instance, had her blonde hair and nose, but the rest was pure Andrew. Of course, she wasn't quite old enough for any evidence to prove that she wasn't like Amber. Who knew, maybe when Haley grew older she'd be just like her.
No, I thought. Haley knows right from wrong.
Didn't she?
My phone buzzed on the counter, Andrew flashing across the screen. He couldn't have been at work for, what, ten minutes? I sighed, answering, "Hello."
"How are things? I'm sorry she showed up. I had no idea she was even coming--"
"Andrew, it's fine," I said.
"Is she being nice?" he demanded. I scratched at a small stain on the counter, ignoring the question. I couldn't lie. "Natalie. Is she behaving?"
"Good enough," I went with, biting my lip. "Look, you don't have to constantly be worrying about me. You have all the right to worry about Haley, but not me. I can take care of myself."
The way it came out...it almost sounded snotty.
"We'll be fine," I assured him. "Focus on work, okay? Don't worry. I can handle Amber." I hung up quickly, positive that he was going to have something to say when he got home.
Maybe I was angry because of the almost kiss. And maybe about the way he instantly forgot it ever happened. If he were feeling the same, it wouldn't have been easy to forget.
When I thought out it, the way we were now was going to be better than any other. I couldn't make him happy like another wealthy woman could. I couldn't promise him that, no matter what, I'd always be there when he needed me. As nanny, yes, but anything more...
That left me with one alternative.
I had to get over Andrew.
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So...you guys met Amber.
Tell me what you think of her character. Personally, I feel the urge to pull my hair out of my scalp when I write about her. I hate her character, but there has to be an antagonist. :/
Thanks for reading and bearing with my rather slow updates. You guys are awesome. :)
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