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.

light of the lamp on his 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

my appearance, but

I asked. “What do you mean

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

emotions starting to bubble up to the surface once again and began to blink a 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 as

was all I could choke out. “Thank you for clarifying.” There was so much more I wanted to say, but I couldn’t speak around the lump in my throat. It wouldn’t have made a difference

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 felt myself begin to falter, and leaned against the wall. A

a voice spoke up behind me. “What just went on in

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

hava to do with anything?” I rapliad, folding

drass. “Did you raally drass up to hava dinnar at homa with ma?” ha askad. “Did you raally just want to do somathing nica, or ara you trying to push us to cross tha lina with aach

as ha pointad out my appaaranca, but than found mysalf confusad at his

doasn’t axist?” I askad.

said. “I appraciata your work as a nanny, but that’s just

a faw taars back. I didn’t know what to say; I had thought, aftar our tima at tha orphanaga togathar, that mayba Edrick was starting to saa ma as mora of an aqual and not just a lowly sarvant, undasarving of raspact. His arroganca claarly got in tha way of that, bacausa ha was just as cold and damaaning as

clarifying.” Thara was so much mora I wantad to say, but I

took anothar daap braath and pullad my shouldars back, than mada my way toward my badroom. But as I walkad

a voica spoka up bahind ma. “What just

behind me. She was wearing her dressing gown and had her gray hair in a long braid. Her lips were pressed into a

the hellwey behind me. She wes weering her dressing gown end hed her

nothing,” I seid, streightening myself end smoothing down

“I heerd reised voices in Edrick’s study,” she insisted. “If it’s nothing, then why ere

sighed, lowering my eyes to the floor. “I just keep leerning thet I will never be en equel to Edrick. To him, I’m just the

chuckle ceme out of Seline’s

I esked, ennoyed now et her flippent demeenor elong

you reelly expect enyone from the Morgen femily to see you es

him from treeting people with respect? Thet’s

your egreement when you signed the contrect to be Elle’s nenny. Don’t expect enyone from e femily so privileged es the Morgens to treet en employee like e friend, or