CHAPTER 6
Emma
“His sister has agreed to meet with you,” Elizabeth said quietly while we watched re-runs of Desperate Housewives with our mother. For the first time in a long time, watching the show was making me depressed.
“Why are we whispering, and whose sister are we discussing?”
“My boss, Mason Johnson,” she replied quickly, flicking her hair back and making sure Mom wasn’t listening. What was going on? Had Mom asked her to figure out a way to get rid of me?
Mom and I weren’t exactly getting along, partly because Mom had gotten used to having her own space. Sure, my brother lived at home, but he spent most of his time at college. It was easy to forget he lived in the house, but Mia and I were constantly in Mom’s space.
I never thought I would end up back here. For the last several months, I had been searching for a more stable teaching position, but there hadn’t been anything that had become available. I was still working as a teacher’s aide, but I wasn’t earning enough there to rent an apartment, let alone a house. It felt like all my dreams were slowly going down the drain. It had been a rough time for me. I still struggled with being angry with Will for what he did to us. Every time I would look into Mia’s eyes, I would see so much of him in there. It was a constant reminder of the man I could not save, and wouldn’t have wanted me to save him if I tried.
Elizabeth told me that I need to move my life in a new direction. I knew she was right, and it probably was time for me to leave Mom’s house.
“Just going to the bathroom, pause it for me a minute,” Mom said as she got up off the couch. A minute, more like an hour. We both knew Mom’s bathroom breaks took forever.
“Great,” Elizabeth blurted out as she put down the popcorn and looked me in the eye. Okay, so it was going to be one of those conversations.
She rested her hands on top of mine. “You need to leave.”
So, my baby sister was telling me to go. Or maybe Mom was asking me to leave through Elizabeth. I felt my body deflate as I sank back into the couch. I hated that I put my mom in this position, but I had nowhere else to go.
I nodded. Elizabeth pushed her glasses higher up on her nose. “You’re both miserable for different reasons. Mom hasn’t told you. But between the funeral, which wasn’t cheap…”
I was about to interject and acknowledge that I knew this—of course I did—when she lifted her finger to her lip so she could finish saying her piece. It was something we used to do as kids. We were always in competition with each other, so Mom had taught us a way to communicate without interrupting each other.
I was feeling defensive and depressed. My husband had died, and I had no plans for the future. I was afraid to even go out in case I met anyone. The last thing I wanted was to start a new relationship, since I was pretty sure I could never trust another man. Will had stolen more than just my money; he had taken away my spirit.
“Like I said, I told Mr. Johnson’s sister about your situation. Their last tutor retired, so she said you could probably have the job. She just wants to meet you to make sure you’d be happy with it. I can’t think of a reason why you wouldn’t be.”
I put my hands on top of hers as I tried to absorb what she was telling me. I looked into her eyes to see if she was being genuine. A tutor? I never considered tutoring.
“Well, it’s more tutor and part time liv-in nanny,” she said quickly and shifted her eyes away from mine. This had to be a joke. How could I be a nanny when I had my own child to look after?
“Seriously, a live-in nanny? For the Johnsons?” I asked, trying to absorb her message. “Is that even safe for Mia and me, given their situation?”
It was pretty well known that the Johnson family was a mess. They were the wealthiest family in town, having created a real estate firm years ago. The firm was started by Martin Johnson. He started as a simple commercial real estate owner, and then grew his business into a property group that now owned practically every mall in America. As their finances grew, so did the Johnson family drama. After Martin passed away a few years ago, all anyone knew around town was the gossip of the Johnson family as the fought amongst one another for the family fortune. Major legal battles had ensued and it was no surprise that the family was now divided and bitter at one another. Now with the possibility of living with them, I was not too sure it was a good idea to put my daughter near that situation.
Elizabeth laughed, bringing me out of my thoughts. “Of course, it’s safe, Emma. I’ve been working for them for years, and I’ve managed to stay out of all of it.”
She did have a point. Elizabeth had been working for them since she graduated college, and from her work schedule, it seemed as though she was around the family all the time.
“Elizabeth, I know things aren’t the way they should be, but being a live-in nanny was not what I was setting out to be, regardless of whether they are billionaires or not.”
Elizabeth shook her head. A few of her blonde strands got tangled in her glasses, so she released my hands and sorted out her glasses before continuing. “Emma, you need a place to stay. They have a bungalow where the previous tutor lived, so you would have some privacy, which would be great for you and Mia. It’s a completely separate building, so you will only be around them when you’re working.” I started to huff, but she made a quick noise that made my mouth snap shut.
“Look, I know it’s not what you’re looking for. But it comes with a place to stay, and a salary that beats what you’re making as a teacher’s aide. You know if I had the space, I would have you with me in a heartbeat. But I live in a studio apartment and I don’t think that’s the best option for Mia. Besides, Mr. Johnson’s boy is the same age as Mia. Actually, when I told Ms. Johnson about Mia, she got really excited. The boy’s a little sheltered. Having the life he does doesn’t really allow him to have many friends. She thought that having another child around might be really good for him.”
“Would he and Mia even get along?” I mean, what would a human and a shifter cub have in common?
“Not sure. They say he’s a bit shy, but even with his family’s wealth and public drama, he is still a kid. Anyway, I know this sounds weird, but your job wouldn’t be that difficult. I really think you should just meet with her and talk about the job before you make a decision.”
I nodded, and as I looked around the room, I thought about how nice it would be to have my own space again. To be able to spread out without having anyone constantly asking how I was doing would be nice. I slowly started to smile. Maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea. Tutoring would be something new, and maybe I could turn it into a career, since finding a regular teaching position wasn’t panning out.
We could hear the sound of Mom finally making her way back to the living room. Elizabeth looked at me with a pleading smile, and I felt my reservations slowly start to melt away. “Fine. Tell her I’ll meet her.” Elizabeth let out a squeak and hugged me.
“I already did. Ten a.m. tomorrow, don’t be late. I’m picking you up at nine. We need enough time to get to the city.” The Johnsons’ penthouse was in Chicago… Of course, it was.
I nudged her arm. Of course, Elizabeth would know that I would eventually say yes.
“Picking up who?” Mom asked as she sat down.
I reached for the remote. As I did, Elizabeth blurted out, “The Johnsons.”
Mom nodded. “I knew she would say yes.”
I let out a loud huff and looked at both of them. It was a conspiracy; apparently, everyone knew about it apart from me. I turned my attention back to Desperate Housewives. They named this show all wrong. These women were far from desperate.