Page 40 of Trouble from Abroad
She rubs her eyes and asks, “Do you meanstartmy day?”
“No, cutie. I mean, star. You’re the star of your day.”
She smiles mid-yawn. “Mia, you’re silly.”
I am. So I’ll take it.
“Come, let’s get dressed. What’s today’s vibe, kiddo? Sparkly or all the colors of the rainbow?”
“Sparkly,” she answers without hesitation.
“Excellent choice.” I pull out glittery pink tights from her drawer. “How about these?”
“Yeaaaah.” She bounces out of bed and picks a pair of bright orange Mary Janes that may or may not match, but I’m not here to question Lily’s fashion choices. I’m here to hype her up.
“And that’s why you’re a star, Lils. Born to shine.”
She giggles and hands me a three-tier acrylic box packed with about a thousand hair clips and ties. “Can you do hairstyles?”
“Oh!” I grin smugly and tickle her. “I can.”
We sit cross-legged on the smiling sun rug in front of her mirror. I brush her hair first as we sing anotherDisney classic. Once I’m done, I use the brush as a mic for my falsettos, then pass the improv microphone to her.
She watches in awe as I pull off a double, five-strand braid. I’m absolutely showing off right now.
Since she likes my British accent so much, I narrate the hairdo, doing my best David Attenborough impression. My plan kind of backfires when she can’t sit still from chuckling. Nevertheless, I thrive as a child’s hairdresser. My CV keeps getting funkier.
“Mia, it’s… beautiful.” She pulls the braids over her shoulder, admiring them. Admiringherself. Mission accomplished. “I’ll be the coolest kid in class.” Her eyes practically twinkle.
“Oh, Lils. I bet you were already the coolest.” I kiss the top of her head as I stand up, then pull her hand, making her twirl in front of the mirror.
That’s when I see him—Preston rounding the corner. His shirt is only halfway buttoned, towel hanging from his arm, hair damp from the shower.
He looks like the regret I haven’t had yet.
“Oh wow, you’re dressed already, Lil.” Preston gives her a proud smile, then shifts his gaze to me, giving me a nod.
My first instinct is to twist my legs together like a pretzel. I’m not built for poise. I’m built for public embarrassment.
“Good morning, Miss Thorne.”
Oh, fuck. Now he’s made Miss Thorne sound dirty. My thighs clench tighter. I don’t dare move—I’ll faceplant if I do.
He leans down and kisses Lily on the cheek. “Give me a second, Lil. I’ll be right back.”
He disappears down the hall toward his room, and I exhale so hard I almost topple backward.
Lily heads for the loo, and the second that door shuts, I’m back to tidying socks, narrating nonsense, and unleashing mayhem one word at a time.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
preston
I’m buttoningmy cuffs when the baby monitor on my nightstand crackles to life.
“And here we see the rare and exotic Nanny Thorne,” Mia narrates in an overly posh accent, pacing Lily’s room with a hairbrush as a mic. “Roaming the fairy forest, fighting the primal urge to shag the fine doctor…”
My fingers freeze.
