Chapter 14: Arianna
I’m tempted to stop by my own apartment on the way down and make sure I’m put together. But it’s already coming up on five o’clock, and the exodus from the child spa will begin shortly. Plus I want to check on Maria and also find out from Taylor if she found any more candidates for Dell.
Scratch that. I’ve done enough.
The elevator arrives at the bottom floor. I’m about to step out when I spot a woman who has caught the attention of everyone in the foyer.
She wears a fire-engine-red dress with a sweetheart neckline that dives deep into her cleavage. Her skinny waist and perfectly curved hips are the reason Photoshop was created for everybody else.
To top it off, her shoes are adorable, wedges with red straps that crisscross her ankles.
She’s the sort of girl that crushes my self-esteem. I could never be that bold or beautiful.
As I hold the door while she enters, I turn and look to see where the elevator is going. When I see the penthouse has been programmed in, I head right back into the elevator.
“Forgot something,” I say.
She nods and steps back. She holds a glossy red purse and a slip of paper. I hit the number for my floor and steal a glance at the handwritten note.
It’s Dell’s address. And “Nanny job. 5:00.”
WHAT?
I look at her again. I don’t like to think I’m judgmental, but why is she going to a nanny interview in that getup?
Unless she was tipped off. She knows it’s Dell Brant.
She’s not after the baby job. She’s after him.
The elevator stops at my floor, but I press floor 39 instead. I have to buy some time.
“So you know Dell Brant?” I ask.
Now her eyes narrow. “Why do you want to know?” she asks in a low voice.
I knew it.
I picture Grace crying while he’s bending this girl over his navy striped bed, and I press level 30 just before we get to it.
The elevator stops.
The woman’s perfectly groomed eyebrows lift. “Confused?”
I grab her arm and drag her into the hall.
“What are you doing?” she insists, but she can’t fight me too well in the tall shoes and tight skirt. When I shove her toward a chair, she sits.
“Are you his ex or something?” she asks.
“No, I’m …” What am I? What should I tell her? “I’m helping him hire the nanny.”
“I don’t care about the job,” she says. “I have every intention of being next on his list.” She tries to stand up, but I block her.
“What list?”
“His just-fucked list, honey. Don’t worry about the baby. A friend of mine works at Honey Bear Kids, and she’ll take care of it. I just want the man.”
I’m still stuck on the idea of his list. “You just want to sleep with him?”
“Everybody wants a little time on his arm,” she says. “He won’t stick with anyone, but once Dell has chosen you, doors open. Lots of doors.”
This is wild. What doors? Should I ask her? Would she say?
I decide to crush her dreams instead. “He already hired some young college girl.”
Her face pales. “He went all Christian Grey?”
I shrug. I realize that now she’s out of the elevator, she can’t get access to the 40th floor again. I’ll go down, tell doorman Harry that someone is trying to get to Dell, and she’ll never make it.
Her face rearranges into resolve. “I’m going anyway,” she says. “I’m okay with competition.”
“Do your best,” I say. I move to the elevator and hit the down arrow.
She’s placated and pauses by a mirror to check her hair and lipstick.
The doors open. I step in. By the time a rising elevator comes and she realizes she’s screwed, I’ll have tipped off Harry.
My work here is done.
Except to figure out how she got the interview in the first place.
When I arrive at my spa, parents have begun to arrive. I greet as always, smiling and shaking hands. I stop by the baby room, where Maria is handing over a baby and charming his mother. She’s going to work out perfectly.
Dell is wrong about people. Maria totally botched her interview, but I gave her a chance anyway. Sometimes people just need an opportunity to prove themselves.
Finally, there is a lull, so I head to the foyer to talk to Taylor. She’s waving good-bye to one of the families.
“Did Dell find a nanny?” she asks.
“I think so. Helen, the college girl, was great.”
“She sounded nice. I sort of remembered her from a few sub days she did. I’m sorry the third one couldn’t come tonight.”
“It’s fine.” I lean close over the tall desk. “Who was the second one? The 5:00?”
“I didn’t get her name. When I called the other child-care places like you asked, someone at Honey Bear Kid Care said they had the perfect girl.”
“Did you give Dell’s name?” I ask.
Taylor’s eyes get big. “I may have accidentally mentioned that he owned our building.”
So it wasn’t too hard to figure out.
“I’m sorry, Arianna.” She twists a piece of blond hair as if she’s worried I will fire her.
“It is what it is,” I say.
She’s just a girl. She shouldn’t have sensitive information. Dell was the one who walked in here himself. Although he really didn’t have a lot of choice at that moment.
I picture all the different versions of him I saw throughout the day. Stiff, perfectly dressed Dell from this morning. Frantic, anxious Dell when he realized he was stuck. Angry, protective Dell after Grace got her shots. And fun shopping Dell at the baby store.
But the one that still sticks with me is the last one. Condescending, judgmental Dell. Assuming his accomplishments were greater than mine or anyone else’s.
Good riddance.