His Nanny Mate By Eve Above Story

Chapter 20: The Banquet
Moana

The day of the Morgan family dinner banquet finally came. Selina informed me that anyone attending these banquets was expected to dress formally, so I found a nice, dark blue dress with bows in Ella’s closet and dressed her up with cute socks and shoes, then curled her hair and put a big bow in it. She seemed to have completely forgotten Kelly’s rude comments at the luncheon the week before, and if she didn’t forget, she at least didn’t seem to let it bother her.

“Wow! My hair’s so curly!” Ella said, bobbing her head to make her curls bounce. “Thank you, Moana!”

I smiled at the little girl in the mirror and squeezed her shoulders. All of a sudden, her gaze slipped over to my outfit, and her smile faded.

“Are you going to dress up?” she asked.

I looked down at my own outfit with a slight frown. I had chosen the nicest clothes I owned that were also appropriate for a nanny at a family gathering: a simple dress, low heeled shoes, and no jewelry so as not to stand out too much. I thought I looked perfectly fine for my status, but now that Ella pointed it out, I felt incredibly plain.

“Oh… I’m just wearing this,” I said with a shrug.

“Nonsense.”

I looked up to see Selina standing in the doorway. Her lips were pressed into a thin line as she looked at me, shaking her head with her arms folded across her chest.

“Is this inappropriate?” I asked Selina, stepping away from Ella to show my full outfit.

Selina sighed. “It’s fine, but you can wear something a little nicer. You’re a pretty girl, but it makes you look homely.”

housekeeper’s sudden kind words. She had never mentioned my appearance before, save for the night of the interview. She seemed a bit

heel. “We’ll take care of this. Hurry up! You

down the hall. I jogged after her, ignoring Ella’s

“Now, let’s see…”

looked around confusedly, not knowing where Selina went although I could hear her muttering to

a large closet in the hallway holding a long dress. It was

me. “The green will complement your complexion and your

It felt like a light cotton material, perfect for the summer

to look in the hallway mirror. “Does this belong to one of the

at her, I noticed that

For a moment, I imagined her

dress in my room. It fit like a glove, and Selina was right — it suited my coloring perfectly, and brought out the green in my eyes. Although it was a dress that was appropriate for a nanny, it was still a

and then pulled it back into a half-bun before giving me minimal makeup, with dark

doors opened and I emerged with Ella’s hand in mine, Edrick’s eyes became transfixed on me for a fleeting moment. I felt my heart pulse suddenly as he looked at me, and for a brief moment, I felt Mina’s presence inside of me, as though the way he looked at me made my wolf stir. Just as quickly as it began, however, it was over. Edrick looked away, returning to his usual aloof self,

sculptures. As we entered the foyer, I couldn’t help but feel out of

by older aunts and uncles and cousins who all doted on her, and who also barely paid me any attention — not that I minded — before we were even able to take our seats at the

“Come here, Ella.”

an older man standing beside Verona; judging from the steely gray eyes and his tall, thin build, he

“Hello, Grandpa.”

that her eyes widened when she saw me told

between Ella and Kelly. Across from me sat Edrick and Verona, with Edrick’s father — I discovered his name was Michael — sitting at the closest end of the long banquet table. The luxurious meal was served, consisting of roast duck and countless

whispered into my ear, making a face at her

alright,” I responded with a gentle smile. “You can eat something

she swirled her wine around in her glass, “is such a

and didn’t know how to respond; Verona, however, heard Kelly’s

Verona said with a wink. “I’m so glad you were able to come.