Chain Reaction 2.57: The Nanny

Ethan

     I have three kids! I have...three...kids! I'm glowing with happiness! That, or the Maker did a poor job with the dodge button in Photoshop.

     I have an awesome son and two beautiful daughters! And I love each of them. I'd do anything for them.

     We add on to the house. Eventually, we hope to add another bathroom for just the master bedroom, but for now, I'm just happy we could afford to add on another room.

     The new layout of the house. We can't afford to put anything special in the girls' room yet, so it looks really bare. Oh well. They're infants. I don't think they'll mind.

     Mom comes to visit.
     "Aw! Ootie wootie nooboo!"
     I turn my head and look at her. "Uh, Mom? What are you doing?"
     She looks at me like nothing is weird. "I'm meeting my granddaughter. Which one is she, by the way?"
     I look at the cribs. Suddenly, I can't remember Claire's recipe for remembering! What if I accidentally switched them?! "Uh, Charlotte," I answer, hoping I'm right.
     "And Charlotte is the pwettiest Charwette ever!"
     My mom has lost her mind.
     Mom and Dad both visit a few times, but the Maker never took pics of when Dad visited.

     Claire goes back to work, and we hire a nanny for during the day. Sometimes, I pay her extra to stay late so that I can catch a few Z's.

      I'm exhausted. Every lead I can find on Ishikawa's murderer comes to a dead end, no pun intended. Did this guy crawl out of a hole in the ground, do the job, and then vanish into a dark mist? All the known (but still walking--don't get me started) hitmen don't fit the profile. This guy has to be from out of town. So, that extends my search. It's loads of work, and I get the feeling the chief is ready to have me drop the case for now and work on other things. I can't do that! I have no way to pin this on the Landgraabs unless you count my overwhelming gut suspicion, which doesn't count.
     I roll over, and my badge digs into my side. Ugh! Well, it's not like they designed this uniform to be pajamas.
     I get up and change. When I try to go back to sleep, I can't, so I decide I may as well get up and dismiss the nanny.
     She's not in either of the kids' rooms, but that's okay. She managed to get them all to go to sleep at the same time! How awesome is that?
     I walk to the living room, but she's not there either. Glancing into the kitchen, I see it's empty as well. Then, I hear a voice speaking quietly just on the other side of the front door.
     When I walk outside, her eyes widen just a bit before she says, "I'll call you back, Shelley." She swallows and then starts launching into an apology. "I'm sorry! It was such a nice night and all the little ones are asleep. So I thought I'd call back my friend. I didn't want to wake anyone up with my conversation. I was just about to go and check on them again!" She blushes.

     I smile kindly. "Don't worry about it, Seema. My kids are great. You do an awesome job taking care of them for us. I was just looking to see where you'd gone." I pause. "I was just going to say that you can go home for the day. Thank you for staying late."

     "Never a problem for you and your wonderful children, Ethan. Are you sure there isn't anything I can take...care...of before Claire gets home?" One of her eyebrows goes up, and she gestures toward the house.
     "Nope. This'll do it for today, thanks. See you tomorrow." I smile.
     "I'm looking forward to it." The way she stares at me makes me particularly aware that I'm not wearing a shirt. It's never been a big deal. This is what I wear when I sleep. However, the way she's looking at me right now makes me feel like I may as well not be wearing anything at all.
     She smiles at me in a strange way and walks to her car. Her hips sway back and forth in a hypnotic manner. I have no idea I'm watching her until she gives me a knowing look over her shoulder.
     I scowl and walk back into the house, doing my best to shake it off. What the plum was that all about? I look down at myself. I guess I HAVE been hitting the gym at work more often. I need something to work off the frustration of getting nowhere in that case. Huh, I think, realizing I look like a bodybuilder. I decide I should watch what I wear around the nanny from now on.

     Over the next few weeks, Seema doesn't do anything else weird, so I let it go. Maybe I imagined the come-on. Still, it helps that I dismiss her for the day as soon as I get home. I may be tired, but being with my children is worth it.

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