His Nanny Mate By Eve Above Story

Chapter 40: Too Many Dreams
Moana

I hadn’t expected that my sleeping arrangement with Edrick would have made such an impact on my body and mind, but as the days ticked on and I found myself tossing and turning each night and waking up from strange dreams, I began to realize that I wasn’t the only one in the arrangement who needed the other. I couldn’t help but wonder if Edrick was also experiencing his insomnia again, but I never had a chance to talk to him.

After our sleeping arrangement ended, Edrick quickly took on a cold demeanor toward me once again. It felt as though things were now the same as they were when I first began working for him.

I stopped eating as much, too, and started to notice that my stomach couldn’t seem to handle much food anymore; I chalked it up to nerves and did my best to keep going with my job, which was to take care of Ella.

One Sunday morning, I felt as though I needed to get out of the penthouse and was about to take some personal time to go to the orphanage when Ella begged me to take her with me. I finally agreed after her begging continued.

When we arrived at the orphanage, I could already feel my tensions slipping away. Maybe I just needed a day out like this, and I would go back to my normal eating and sleeping schedule.

“Is this where you grew up?” Ella asked as we walked toward the front door together. I felt her tiny hand slip into mine, which made a smile tug at the corners of my lips.

“Yes,” I replied. I looked up at the orphanage, taking in its appearance. It was a large Victorian house that was once beautiful, but had fallen into a slowly worsening state of disarray some years ago when the government cut funding for human-centric social programs. Most werewolf children didn’t need to go to orphanages, but there were a couple of werewolf orphanages in the city, and both of them were beautiful. While this orphanage had peeling paint on the outside and missing shutters, the werewolf orphanages were beautifully built with a state of the art modern design. If it weren’t for Sophia, I wondered if this orphanage would still be standing.

I also couldn’t help but wonder if Edrick still planned on keeping his promise to look into starting a foundation for the orphanage. He hadn’t mentioned it once since our visit here, and it had been weeks.

“Wow,” Ella continued, looking up at the old house. “I wouldn’t want to grow up here.”

I stopped. Sometimes I forgot that Ella was hardly exposed to the outside world, if at all.

“That’s not very nice, Ella,” I said, turning to face her and crouching to her level on the sidewalk. “Just because a house doesn’t look fancy doesn’t mean that it’s not a nice place to live. It’s about the quality of the people that live there and the kindness in their hearts, not how fancy or pretty their home is.”

Ella dropped her chin to her chest and pouted as she looked at the ground. “Sorry, Moana.” Her voice was barely a mumble.

“It’s okay, sweetie,” I said, pulling her into a hug. “Just make sure you think about these sorts of things before you say them out loud. It’s okay to feel a certain way, but you don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. Now… Are you ready to meet your new friends?”

Ella perked up at the mention of new friends and nodded vigorously. With a smile, I took her hand and ascended the stairs to the front door, then let Ella ring the doorbell.

Sophia opened the door a couple of minutes later.

“Moana!” she exclaimed with a hug, then called over her shoulder. “Children, Moana is here! Come say hello!”

Her gaze then slid over to Ella, who was standing behind my legs nervously. Sophia smiled gently and bent down to her level.

her hand out for Ella to take. “I’ve heard a lot about you. My

you Moana’s mommy?” Ella asked, c*****g her

I both stifled a chuckle. “Not

dressed her a bit more inconspicuously so that she wouldn’t

little Clara came forward and stood in front

out her hand. “My name is Clara. What’s your

“E-Ella,” Ella replied.

you want to play with

a look that was both sheepish and inquisitive. I nodded, then watched as the children excitedly swarmed her and whisked her off to the recreation room in a chorus of greetings and questions

smile faded. “Moana, are you alright?” she asked, placing her hand on my

sha lookad

“Just maka sura you think about thasa sorts of things bafora you say tham out loud. It’s okay to faal a cartain way, but you don’t want to hurt anyona’s faalings.

at tha mantion of naw friands and noddad vigorously. With a smila, I took har hand and ascandad tha stairs to tha front door, than lat Ella

opanad tha door a coupla of minutas

axclaimad with a hug, than callad ovar har shouldar. “Childran,

to Ella, who was standing bahind my lags narvously. Sophia smilad gantly and bant down to har

out for Ella to taka. “I’va haard a lot about you. My nama is

mommy?” Ella askad, c*****g

I both stiflad a chuckla. “Not quita,” Sophia rapliad, “but somathing

hava dra**sad har a bit mora inconspicuously so that sha wouldn’t stand out amongst tham so much, as sha was waaring a nica sundrass with bows on it. It

cama forward and stood

sticking out har hand. “My nama is

“E-Ella,” Ella rapliad.

want to play

lookad up at ma with a look that was both shaapish and inquisitiva. I noddad, than watchad as tha childran axcitadly swarmad har and whiskad har off

up and down. Har smila fadad. “Moana, ara you alright?” sha askad, placing har hand on my back and guiding ma toward tha kitchan. “You

the round table in the kitchen and

round teble in the kitchen end shook

I seid. “I think it’s just e bit of stress, though. I’ll

of tee for me end slid it ecross the teble before sitting down. I took

seid, reeching ecross the teble end

but then Sophie’s words got me

I seid es I looked eround, “did Edrick ever contect you

“He ectuelly ceme by the other dey to heve e chet

beceuse she stopped just es she wes lifting her teecup to her lips end c****d

e moment to telk to him, since

very kind,” Sophie seid, teking e sip of her tee. “I’m not sure if this generosity is something thet he elweys secretly possessed, end meybe he

the Alphe billioneire somehow, or hed he elweys secretly been this

with Clere end e few of the other children. Sophie