Page 67 of Sleeper: The Palisades Edition

I touch the heart pendant on her neck. “I like this. I like that you’re always wearing it.”

“Oh… That’s…ironic.”

“Why?”

She takes a deep breath and shrugs, reaching for her towel as she lifts herself up off me. “I bought it for myself after I found out you were going to marry Margo. To remind myself to protect my heart.”

“To protect your heart from me?”

“To remind myself not to give my heart away so easily. I mean, it was just a crush. I had an overactive imagination.” She’s sighing and blushing and smiling again, but this time she’s embarrassed.

Fuck.

Guilt again.

“I hate that. I hate that you felt that way.”

“It’s not your fault. Honestly, I mean, it’s no different from having a crush on Zac Efron, except that I happened to meet you once because of my brother… Oops. I’m not supposed to mention Nico when we’re naked.”

“Don’t tell me it’s not a big deal if it was a big deal. You’re still wearing the necklace. Also—fuck Zac Efron.”

“It was a big deal and then it wasn’t. I like the necklace. And I didn’t say I had a crush on him.”

“Good, because the guy’s a dick.”

“Is he really?”

“No, not at all. But stay away from him.”Fuck, I’m losing my mind. But fuck Zac Efron.

“I mean, I’ll try to stay away from him, but I can’t promise anything.”

I grab her hand. I want to promise her everything, but I can’t. “I’m going to make it up to you.”

“There’s nothing to make up for. You didn’t do anything wrong. You didn’t even know how I felt. Nobody did.” She gives my hand a squeeze. “You have good judgment. You did the right thing. I don’t want to change the past.” She lets go of my hand to wrap the towel around herself and then leans down to kiss my cheek. “And I don’t want to protect my heart anymore.”

Goddammit.

This woman.

Her heart isn’t the one that needs protecting.

TWENTY

WILLA

It was so sweet, how upset Shane seemed to be about the meaning of my heart necklace. He told me that next month, Margo would be in town for five days during spring break, so she’ll have the kids at her house. He told me that he wants me to stay with him for those five days, even when the kids aren’t around. He told me that he wants to take me out for a real grown-up date and do all the things that twentysomething Angelenos do, all night long. I said sure, as long as “all night long” means until ten p.m. After showering together again, we went to pick up the kids from school—together—for the first time since my first day on the job. We got frozen yogurt on the way home. I had the kids help me cut blooms from the front yard, and we made bouquets for them to give to Mrs. Babcock for her birthday. I took a bunch of pictures of them with the flowers and posted my favorite one of them—where you can only see them from the back—on my Instagram. Shane and I both gave them a bath together, and then once the twins were asleep, we made out in the laundry room downstairsfor fifteen minutes and then he went off to read while I worked on the fragrance for Margo. It was perfect.

This morning, after one of the greatest Mondays ever, I woke up to an e-mail from Margo Quincey, informing me that by posting an image of her children on Shane’s property on Instagram, I have violated one of the terms of the nondisclosure agreement. She told me that she would let it slide since I didn’t name them, as long as I take down the post immediately. Then she asked me how her fragrance is coming along.My fragrance, she called it.

I deleted the post and wrote her back, apologizing once and telling her that I think she’ll be pleased withmydesign when she samples it next month.

I didn’t hear back from her.

And I’ve been annoyed about it ever since. I was annoyed about it while I fed the kids breakfast and while I took them to school. I was annoyed about it while I bought groceries with the credit card that Shane gave me for buying things for the kids. I was annoyed while I went to the stationary store and the toy store to get gifts for the birthday party the twins are going to next weekend. I’m annoyed now that I’m putting away the groceries that I bought for us and getting out the things I’ll need to bake cookies for the kids to snack on after their karate class.

I get that she’s the mother and I’m just the nanny. I get that she’s the ex-wife and I’m just the girl who had a massive crush on her ex-husband many years ago and is currently having awesome sex with him for who knows how long. I get that I did not pay close enough attention to the NDA when I started working here because I was so overwhelmed by Shane’spheromones.

But fuck.