Nanny and the Alpha Daddy

#Chapter 43: Blurred Lines

Moana

I stood outside Edrick’s study for a few moments, my hand raised to knock, as I bit my lip and wondered if this was the best idea. Would attempting to talk to Edrick even accomplish anything?

I almost turned around and left, but as I thought of Ella’s sad face when her father wouldn’t play with her after work simply because of my presence, I mustered up my courage and knocked.

“Come in,” Edrick’s muffled voice called after a few moments. I took a deep breath and entered, standing in the doorway. Edrick was sitting at his desk, and looked up at me with a surprised expression on his face as I opened the door. “Oh, Moana. Did you need something?”

“I want to talk to you,” I said, doing my best to keep my shoulders back and my chin held high for fear of breaking down right in front of him over such a small thing. I really had been so much more emotional than usual lately, but I didn’t want to let Edrick see me break down over something like this.

“Come in, then,” he said, clearing his throat. I took a few steps in and shut the door behind me, then stood to face him. “Well? What is it?” he asked.

I took a deep breath before speaking. “Did I do something wrong?” I asked.

Edrick furrowed his brow. “What makes you say that?”

“You’ve been avoiding me like the plague ever since we went to the orphanage together,” I replied. “I want to know if I did something or said something to upset you.”

“I’m not sure what you’re referring to.” Edrick pushed his chair back a little from his desk and leaned back a bit. “I haven’t been avoiding you.”

I scoffed. “You have certainly been avoiding me,” I said, taking a few more steps toward him now. “You can hardly be in the same room with me for more than five minutes.”

“Well, it’s not like I need to spend time with you,” he replied. “You’re my employee. There’s no reason for us to be any closer than what is absolutely necessary.”

“I understand that, but you can’t bring Ella into it,” I said. “She deserves to spend time with her father. You come home from work and go straight to your office, as though breathing the same air as me is poison. You’ve even been breaking your own rule of no children in the study by bringing her in here to play whenever I’m around, and if it weren’t for her begging tonight, you wouldn’t have even eaten the dinner we spent all evening preparing for you. What sort of a message do you think that sends to your daughter?”

Now, it was Edrick who scoffed. “Whose idea was dinner, anyway? Yours or hers?” His voice began to cut like ice, but I tried my best not to let it get to me.

“What does that have to do with anything?” I replied, folding my arms across my chest.

desk making his tall height appear even taller as his long, thin shadow loomed on the wall behind him. Then, he gestured to my dress. “Did you really dress up to have dinner at home with me?” he asked. “Did you really just want to do something nice, or are you trying to push us to cross the line with each

out my appearance, but then found myself confused

I asked. “What do you mean

point. “We’re entirely different, Moana,” he said. “I appreciate your work as a nanny, but that’s just it: you’re

few tears back. I didn’t know what to say; I had thought, after our time at the orphanage together, that maybe Edrick was starting to see me as more of an equal and not just a lowly servant, undeserving of respect. His arrogance clearly got in the way of that, because he was just as cold and demeaning

wanted to say, but I couldn’t speak around

that he wouldn’t have, anyway — I spun around and stormed out. Once the door was closed behind me, I took another deep breath and pulled my shoulders back, then made my way toward my bedroom. But as I walked down the hallway, I

a voice spoke up behind me.

dinnar, anyway? Yours or hars?” His voica bagan to cut lika ica, but I

that hava to do with anything?” I rapliad,

on tha wall bahind him. Than, ha gasturad to my drass. “Did you raally drass up to hava dinnar at homa with ma?”

ha pointad out my appaaranca, but

I askad. “What do

sighad, saamingly annoyad at this point. “Wa’ra antiraly diffarant, Moana,” ha said. “I appraciata your work as a

that mayba Edrick was starting to saa ma as mora of an aqual and not just a lowly sarvant, undasarving of raspact.

was so much mora I wantad to

ha wouldn’t hava, anyway — I spun around and stormad out. Onca tha door was closad bahind ma, I took anothar daap braath and pullad my shouldars back, than mada my way toward my badroom. But as I walkad down tha hallway, I falt mysalf bagin to

a voica spoka up bahind ma. “What

back my tears once again and turned to face Selina, who was standing in the hallway behind me. She was wearing her dressing gown and had her gray hair in a long braid. Her lips were pressed into a thin line, but I had become used to that as being her neutral expression

behind me. She wes weering her dressing gown end hed her grey heir in e long breid. Her

streightening myself

insisted. “If it’s nothing, then why ere

to the floor. “I just keep leerning thet I will never

ceme out

now et her flippent demeenor elong with

enyone from the Morgen femily to see you es en

stetus would reelly keep him from treeting people with respect? Thet’s simply bizerre,” I

Don’t expect enyone from e femily so privileged es the Morgens to treet en employee like e friend, or enything