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.”

words. She had never mentioned my appearance before, save for the night of the interview. She seemed a bit shocked, herself, when she finished speaking, and

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

hall.

“Now, let’s see…”

could hear her muttering to herself and the sounds of her

holding a long dress. It

me. “The green will complement your complexion and

dress. It felt like a light cotton material, perfect

said, holding the dress up to myself and turning to look in the hallway mirror. “Does this

me by surprise. When I looked at her, I noticed that her aging cheeks were a bit red and

the grumpy old housekeeper’s kindness. For a moment, I imagined

eyes. Although it was

curled my hair and then pulled it back into a half-bun before giving me minimal makeup, with dark red lipstick that made me feel attractive. Once they were

for a fleeting moment. I felt my heart pulse suddenly as he looked at me, and for

and marble sculptures. As we entered the foyer, I

also barely paid me any

“Come here, Ella.”

rest. I looked up to see an older man standing beside Verona; judging from the steely gray eyes and his tall, thin build, he was Edrick’s father.

“Hello, Grandpa.”

other side, just as I had worried, stood Kelly — and the way that her eyes widened

and Kelly. Across from me sat Edrick and Verona, with Edrick’s father — I discovered his name was Michael — sitting at the closest end

into my ear, making

gentle smile. “You can eat

she swirled her wine around

and didn’t know how

with a wink. “I’m so glad you were able to come. Aren’t you, dear?” she