Chapter 21

 

- CAMDEN -

 

 

Since Stella came along, I feel like my condo—and my life—has taken on a very different vibe.

Gone are the days when my brothers and I would just hang out with a few beers on the lanai, or play poker as perfectly seasoned steaks sizzle on our barbeque.

Now, there’s usually a half-finished game of Candyland on the coffee table, a purple dinosaur singing in the background on the TV, and at least two Legos embedded in my foot. And my brothers usually vacate the premises as often as they can.

Like right now.

“Where are you going?” I ask when I come down from my bedroom only to see them both already grabbing their keys after returning home just minutes ago.

Stella is at preschool, and Annie is babysitting for a vacationing family who had seen one of her fliers. So I’ve locked myself in my bedroom the past few hours, designing a babysitting website. Annie might make a big deal about me doing this for her. But in reality, it’s a breeze for me. And after taking a handful of photos of Annie and her friend Kaila yesterday, I’ve got everything I need.

But what I also need is a few minutes alone with my brothers.

“Out,” they answer me in unison.

“Look, I need to talk to you guys.”

“Can it wait till tomorrow?” Fen asks, glancing at his watch.

“Yeah, I’m on shift at the clinic in a few,” Dodger concurs.

“That’s what you guys said yesterday and the day before. And I need to talk to you without Stella around.”

Concern pinches Dodger’s brow. “What is it? Is Stella okay?”

Even Fen halts in his tracks.

“Stella’s fine.” I watch my brothers’ shoulders sink in relief. “It’s about Annie.”

Dodger tucks in his chin. “She dumped you. Dammit, Cam. I told you this was going to happen.” He seems almost pleased as he says it, and I’m wondering if it’s because he likes to be right, or if it’s because he’s already planning on asking her out himself.

It’s probably both.

“She didn’t dump me. Sorry to disappoint you.”

“She asked for a raise?” Fen guesses. “I mean, I would if I had to take care of a kid and put up with you.”

“Guys, this is serious. Can you quit the jokes?”

“I was serious,” Fen deadpans. “What is it? She okay?”

“She’s fine. But there’s something you guys need to know about her.” I back up toward the living room and take a seat on our sectional, hoping they’ll follow. “Back on the mainland, she was a nanny for some senator in D.C. under her full name of Arianna Bradshaw.”

I tell them the whole story, and within moments, they’re reaching for their iPads as if they can’t have a serious conversation without the warmth of modern technology in their hands.

“Holy crap. This doesn’t look good.” Fen comments after punching in Annie’s name into Google and pulling up the photo of her in the car with that lech. “You’re sure she really didn’t screw around with the guy? I mean, it—”

“Of course she didn’t,” Dodger snaps before I can as he looks at the photo. “This is Annie we’re talking about. And look at the way her hands are. They’re splayed out on the front of him, like she’s pushing him away rather than pulling him closer. Only an idiot wouldn’t see that.” His comment is pointed at Fen.

“Then I guess the news networks are crawling with idiots,” I tell him, “because that’s what they’ve got everyone believing.”

“Why didn’t she just tell the truth?” Dodger’s forehead creases as he looks at me.

“She tried, but no one believed her after he held that press conference. I mean, it wouldn’t make sense for him to confess to an affair if he didn’t do it.”

“Nothing that happens in D.C. makes much sense,” Fen points out.

“Yeah, no kidding,” Dodger agrees.

“Is that why the Queen K let her go? I kind of wondered about that, but didn’t want to pry.”

“Yeah, that’s why,” I answer. “Some mainlander recognized her and complained.”

Dodger’s eyes turn to narrow slits as he looks at me. “Ah, shit. You’re going after this guy, aren’t you? I can see it in your eyes.”

Fen’s gaze moves to Dodger. “Do you blame him?”

“Nope. In fact, I’m in. That whole Do-No-Harm oath I took when I became a doctor has an exclusion clause for shithead senators.”

I smile, liking that my brothers share my thinking. “Much as I’ve considered wiping the pavement with his face, that won’t get Annie’s life back in order.” Even though it would sure make me feel good, I want to add, but don’t.

“So what are you going to do to set the record straight?” Dodger challenges.

I nod, glad we’re on the same page. “Annie just wants to see if this all blows over. I mean, he’s a senator. It’s not like he’s the president or something.”

“Yet,” Dodger adds, his eyes on his iPad. “This guy seemed to be his party’s favorite for the next election until all this happened.”

“Yeah, and he’ll be the party favorite again within the year after this bullshit confession,” Fen adds, watching a video on YouTube. “People forget in that town. It’s like politicians get an automatic pass.”

Dodger glances down at the story he pulled up. “But his wife filed for divorce the next day. She didn’t give him a pass.”

“But he’s right back at work like always,” I point out. “It won’t be that way for Annie because she’s taking care of kids. She was almost hired by this really good school out in D.C.—it was her dream job, right? But they don’t want a teacher there if they think they’ll need to worry that she’s screwing around with a parent. They’ve got a reputation they need to maintain.”

“Like the Queen K,” Fen grumbles. “Never did like that place.”

“So here’s the thing that bugs me.” Leaning forward, my fingers lace together on my lap. “Why is there just one picture that was released? I mean, no one stalks a senator and takes just one photo. There must be others.”

Fen’s eyebrows rise. “And if there are others, then they probably show her fighting him off or something like that.”

“My thinking exactly,” I agree.

“So, who took the photo?” Dodger asks.

“I called the network that broke the story,” I answer. “I even threw around the Sheridan name, but got nothing out of them.”

Dodger taps a few things into his iPad. “It’s the wife. Probably hired some P.I. to follow him.”

My eyes dart to him as he affirms my theory. “Why do you think so?”

“Look at these articles about her. She hasn’t got a job, but loves to be surrounded by luxury. She’s a total society maven. Says she’s a stay-at-home mom but needs a live-in nanny? I mean, come on. Who does that?”

“Okay, so she’s not like any mom we’ve known. But that doesn’t mean she did it,” I point out, playing the devil’s advocate. I need my brothers to think this through from every angle like I have.

“Yeah, but think about it,” Fen agrees with Dodger. “Who else could it be? If it was paparazzi or a reporter trying to break a story, or even someone trying to ruin his career, they would have released photos of Annie fighting him off. That’s a better story than just some senator boinking a nanny.”

“But—” Dodger picks up my brother’s line of reasoning, “—if someone got ahold of photos of him assaulting his nanny… now there’s a story, right? He’d need to resign, especially with all the headlines these days. He’d say bye-bye to his paycheck and this nice home they featured in Architectural Digest,” Dodger finishes, lowering his chin to one of the headlines that popped up on his iPad.

“But if the wife just wanted grounds for divorce and a nice settlement to keep her living in luxury forever…”

“…which she wouldn’t be able to do if his career was ruined by an assault charge…” I toss in.

“…then she’d only use the photo that made it look like he was having an affair,” Fen finishes, then raises a single eyebrow at me. “But you must have already figured that out.”

I nod. “I’ve been thinking it, but didn’t want to talk to Annie about it until I made sure I wasn’t grasping at straws here. But what cinched it for me is something Annie said.”

“What’s that?”

“It was the wife’s suggestion that he drive Annie to her night class that night it happened. You know he’s screwing around elsewhere. Those who cheat will cheat again, right? And what wife would send their husband out at night alone with their cute nanny if she suspected her husband was cheating?” I suggest.

Dodger frowns. “I bet she’s been trying to get photos like this one for a while now. He’s probably just pretty good at covering his tracks. But when he was alone with a tasty morsel like Annie, he couldn’t resist.”

I scowl at the sound of Dodger referring to her as a tasty morsel.

“So what are we going to do about it?” Dodger adds before I can rebuke him.

I let out a pained sigh. “I need to get my hands on those photos. What do you think the chances are that the wife’s still got them?”

“One hundred percent. At least until her divorce is final. So long as she’s got those photos, he’s a cuckold. He’ll give her whatever she wants.”

“How’s Annie holding up through all this?” Dodger’s brow pinches with concern.

“Getting fired by the Queen K was a blow after all she’s been through. But she’s partnered up with a friend and they’re hoping to expand the babysitting business a bit. I’m starting to think she’s one of those girls who could fall in a pile of crap and come out smelling like a rose.”

Fen leans back. “You know, if you get this all straightened out for her, she might go back to D.C., Cam.”

“Yeah. Well, that’s her plan.” I force a shrug. “She wants to get back to her life there.”

“And this doesn’t bother you?” Dodger asks.

“Why would it?” I keep my tone casual. “I know she’s not looking for anything permanent, and she knows I’m not either.”

Fen’s brow rises. “Girl after my own heart. I can’t believe you got to her first.”

“Let’s just hope she sticks around till Stella leaves,” Dodger adds.

Shifting in my seat, I reach for the remote on the coffee table just to have something in my hands to fiddle with. I’m less concerned about my need for a babysitter than I am worried about this apparent addiction I’ve developed to Annie. Babysitters can be found with a simple web search. But girls like Annie are a little harder to find.