Page 56 of Sleeper: The Palisades Edition

“And you? Should I be worried about you at all?”

“No. I’m still a cocky little stud muffin too. Why?”

“How are Shane’s children? What are they like now?”

I keep forgetting that my Grammie knew Shane better than I did for a few years, while she was out here with Nico. He probably sends her pictures or Christmas cards.

“Oh my God, they’re amazing. They’re so smart, and they both have really strong personalities. They’re beautiful. They look so much like Shane.”

“Yes. They do… And how is Shane?”

“Fine. He’s really good with his kids. He’s a great dad.”

“Mmmhmm. And how is he with you?”

“What? Fine. Nothing—how’s your foot?”

“Willa Dora Todd.”

“What?”

“Are we really going to keep pretending that I haveno idea how infatuated you were with that boy after you met him?”

“Infatuated? That’s a strong word.”

“Not from the woman who was with you when you first met him. Not from the woman who was with you when you found out he was getting married. Not from your Grammie who knows everything so why you’ve ever bothered trying to hide anything from her is beyond me. You can fool your brother, you can fool your parents, you can fool yourself, but you can’t fool me. Tell me. Are you clutching on to your little gold heart pendant right now?”

I let go of my heart pendant immediately. “That was a long time ago.”

“So it’s not a big deal that you’re currently living with him?”

“Pssh. It’s a job.”

“Willa Dora Todd.”

“Dora Prunella Todd.”

She snorts. “My middle name is not Prunella, you jerk.”

“What are you getting at? I’m living with Shane Miller, yes. I’m his temporary nanny. It’s going fine. I’m getting on with my life.”

“Is that what you call it?”

“Call what?”

“Living with the boy you used to be obsessed with.”

“‘Obsessed?’ I was hardly obsessed with him. I’ve dated tons of other guys—on two continents.”

“Yes, we’re all well aware of your astonishing, unsatisfying escapades. How’s that working out for you?”

“Grammie. Are there no other pots available for you to stir today?”

“I’m just worried about you. You’re brave, but you aren’t tough. You’re so practical, but you’re prone to flights of fancy when it comes to Shane. He’s a good boy—an excellent boy—but he has a big life that’s filled with big responsibilities, and you’re a special girl who deserves a special place in a man’s life. Don’t sell yourself short just because the single daddy wants a little nanny nookie.”

“‘Nanny nookie?’ Okay, first of all, Shane is not like that, and if you think he is, then you don’t know him nearly as well as you think you do?—”

“Defending him already. Wonderful.”