Kelly McClymer-Must Love Black (11 page)

The twins had apparently been giving it a lot of thought. “Maybe we shouldn’t get a traditional pet, like a cat or a dog,” Rienne said. “It seems cruel to get one only to pretend we’re having fun. That kind of pet should be with someone who would really have fun with it.”

“Just because we pretend the pet is for fun doesn’t mean there aren’t genuinely good reasons to get one,” I told them. I didn’t even offer illogical reasons, I spoke straight to their centers of common sense and practicality. “Having a pet can help lower your blood pressure, help you fight illness, and make you live a lot longer.”

Unhelpfully, Triste added, “Unless you fall off a cliff.”

“True.” Or got in a car accident. “But that we can’t help.”

Rienne was in the mood to challenge me. “Sure we can: We can make certain not to get too close to the cliff.”

I wasn’t about to let them sidetrack me. I could be logical too. It was something my father—and more recently, Krystal—found exasperating. “There are things we can control and things we can’t. You don’t eat a menu of gummi worms and M&M’s, now, do you?”

“Of course not, that’s not a healthy diet.”

“Exactly.” It was nice to have kids who actually got the importance of common sense. “So, even though we can get hit by a bus anytime we’re not looking, we still do everything we can to live forever.”

“Nobody lives forever.”

“No.” We all sounded so sad. I was picturing my mom. No doubt they were picturing theirs.

After a second when I tried to pretend that the words
hadn’t just sucked away all my enjoyment, I said, “A pet solves a lot of problems for us. Why don’t we try it? If it doesn’t work, we’ll find a good home for the pet where people will have fun with it.”

“Okay.” They agreed with identical little sighs that said they were humoring me. Worked for me.

“Great! How about a goldfish?” It was fine with me that Rienne had already vetoed cats and dogs. You can’t trust a cat, and I was deathly afraid of dogs. Not to mention, they smelled, bit, and, worst of all, licked your face when you weren’t looking. “There’s not a lot of room up here, but a fish tank would fit in nicely.”

Triste and Rienne looked at each other, brows wrinkled and lips pursed. “Maybe.” The zero enthusiasm wasn’t encouraging.

“What else would you want as a pet? A rabbit? A hamster?” Either of those would be fine with me and easy enough for the girls to take care of.

“Good question. We need to do some research.” They hopped on to the computer and started searching with the words “pet” and “practical.”

Triste threw out a suggestion as she typed. “We could ask Geoff. He likes outdoorsy things. He might have a good idea.” The girls shared one of those twin looks, which made me think the suggestion was slightly more than casual. Had they caught on to my crush? Or did they have crushes of their own?

“Great.” Any reason to talk to Geoff was a good idea. “But we’ll also need to check with Laurie. We should ask her first to make sure there aren’t any no-pet rules.”

Rienne gave me a look that said I was a clueless idiot.
“Laurie would want us to get a stuffed animal because it’s less disruptive. Geoff’s advice will be more reliable. He’s a gardener, and he doesn’t mind that a live pet might make noise.”

Why did I get the feeling that Triste and Rienne were more interested in getting me and Geoff together than they were in getting Geoff’s opinion on a pet?

I suspected I was in deep trouble, but I really couldn’t say exactly what kind of trouble, or how to head it off.

CHAPTER NINE

You have been kind but firm with my children, Miss Putnam, and I thank you for it. However, this scheme of yours seems unwise to me. Are you certain you wish to continue along this path to certain disaster?

—Lord Dashwood to Miss Adelaide Putnam,
Manor of Dark Dreams,
p. 63

I decided to check with Laurie about arranging for a visit to town to find a pet. I assumed Geoff could give us a ride, but a pet would need to be paid for and I had no clue how to arrange that—or even what a pet might cost. I waited until the twins had left for their music lesson, and then I headed for Mr. Pertweath’s office.

All the discouragement I’d gotten from Lady Buena Verde and Laurie about leaving the domain made me feel a bit jumpy. But I wasn’t a ten-year-old kid. I was the nanny, staff. I should be able to handle a trip downstairs without worrying that I’d disrupt the peace. But I walked quietly, listening for voices,
prepared to leap into a closet or crouch down behind a piece of furniture to avoid being seen by a patron.

Even though I had an absolute need to seek out Laurie, the high polish of the marble floors, the faint scent of incense, and the worry that I would be seen made me feel as if I were trespassing on sacred ground. I hurried toward the office, hoping to conduct my business and be out of the way before Lady Buena Verde was any the wiser.

I still couldn’t quite understand Lady Buena Verde. Did she just not like children? Did she resent them being a part of their father’s life? Or did she actually think the twins would scare away patrons? In this house, children didn’t even get the option of being seen, never mind heard. It didn’t strike me as healthy, but I thought I’d wait until the end of the summer to let Mr. Pertweath know exactly how I felt about it. I really liked my shower and my personal fridge. Besides, like Addie in my mom’s book, I was hoping to do a little positive family building between father and daughters this summer. Couldn’t do that if I was fired, now could I?

Laurie was alone—no Lady Buena Verde, no cute brother David—but her smile faded a little when she saw it was me coming to bother her busy self. She held up her hand imperiously. “Wait here. I have to run an important errand.” And then she was gone, leaving me standing there like an idiot.

She was masterful at alienating me, bringing back echoes of Krystal as she made over our house, switching out perfectly good paint, furniture, and carpet until I felt as if I’d walked into her house instead of mine. She’d always asked, though, before
she changed anything. As if my opinion would change what she would do. I felt the same way when I talked to Laurie.

Laurie didn’t hurry back to her desk. I stood there, the faint sound of “ohm” in the distance making me feel more stressed rather than less.

Just before I couldn’t take it anymore and was about to bolt, Mr. Pertweath came in. He didn’t seem upset to see me, which felt weird, since I’d gotten so used to the way Laurie and Lady Buena Verde jumped a little every time they saw me. Mr. Pertweath just said, “Hello, Philippa. Can I help you find something?”

“I was waiting for Laurie.”

“Ah. She’s assisting Lady Buena Verde at the moment. May I be of help?”

“No. I just wanted to discuss arranging to get the twins a pet.” Since he looked confused, I clarified. “For fun, you know?”

“Excellent!” He beamed. “Have they decided on a puppy or a kitten? I had a dog myself when I was a boy.”

“Well, actually, neither.”

“What, then?” His eyebrows went up.

“Undecided.” I shrugged. “They’ve been doing research. Looking for something practical as well as fun.” I hoped that didn’t sound like we were fudging the point of fun.

He nodded thoughtfully. “Interesting. Was this your idea?”

“The girls and I came up with it together. They thought it might be a good way to incorporate fun into their daily routine. More practical than coming up with a new kind of fun every single day.” I couldn’t help thinking that he should be hearing
this from the twins. That he should be telling them stories of when he had a dog. I’d heard my dad’s stories about his dog, Blue, so many times that I felt like I’d met the darned thing.

“Practical.” He smiled. “I shouldn’t have even had to ask.”

“They’d be happy to tell you more if you wanted to come up this afternoon.” I suddenly wanted to take the little bit of connection between father and daughters that I could see there and make a bigger connection. I held my breath hoping he would say yes. Hoping he wouldn’t dismiss the idea without any consideration at all.

He cocked his head to the left, thinking. “Well, I might have a little free time—”

Just then Laurie returned, Lady Buena Verde in tow, like twin waterfalls to douse the weak ember of Mr. Pertweath’s memory of having children who needed him. Lady Buena Verde was first. “Time? Today? I’m quite sure you have none.”

Mr. Pertweath protested, “I thought, from two-thirty to—”

Laurie chimed in, with a few taps on her Blackberry, “One of our guests wants a private audience at two-thirty. I’ve just finished confirming.” She looked at him. “She will be very annoyed if I have to shift her time with you, because that will interfere with her mud wrap.”

Mr. Pertweath nodded, and I knew the twins weren’t going to get a chance to bond with their father at all.

“Maybe we can discuss it tonight, then, at dinner?” No one could say I didn’t give it a good try.

Laurie tapped her Blackberry. “Sorry, that won’t work, either.” She didn’t look one bit sorry. “We’re going to have
to cancel the family dinner tonight and tomorrow night for certain.”

“Again?” I blurted. So maybe I wasn’t able to keep all my disapproval out of my voice, but I didn’t actually frown. I don’t think.

Mr. Pertweath ducked his head, just like my dad did when he felt guilty but wasn’t going to change his mind. “Maybe later this week, when we’re not so swamped.”

“But—” I don’t know why I didn’t just give it up then, but I liked the girls, and I felt like I had to look out for them. Like maybe I was the only one looking out for them in this place.

Lady Buena Verde frowned at me. “Philippa, please. I only have a few minutes to brief Mr. Pertweath. Your job is to make things easier, not harder, is it not?”

Mr. Pertweath, surprisingly, defended me. “Philippa’s done that very well so far.” He smiled at me. “In fact, you’ve done so well in such a short time that I can say unequivocally that I trust your judgment. Arrange things with Laurie and let the twins have their pet. No sense waiting for me, they know what they need better than I do.” He gave a weak smile and waved a hand as though to royally commend my soul to Laurie. He and Lady BV disappeared into his office without another word.

I’d always thought it would feel great to have an adult trust me. But it didn’t. How could I possibly know his kids better than he did? I’d only been here a couple of weeks. Laurie must have been thinking the same thing, because she just stared at me, with both eyebrows raised. I had the feeling she was trying
to decide what to do with me now that Mr. P had given me carte blanche on the pet situation.

“What did you need?” Laurie moved behind her desk and sat down at her computer as she spoke to me. I guess so I’d know her time was more valuable than a nanny’s.

“The twins need to get into town to pick out a pet. I was wondering if I could have some money to pay for one.”

She looked me over. “A pet?” She glanced at Mr. Pertweath’s closed door. “He approved this without speaking to Lady Buena Verde, I gather.” She sighed. “How much do you need?”

“How much do you think a pet would cost?”

Laurie shot me a “how should I know?” look.

“I haven’t had a pet since my cat died, and my mother bought it, so I don’t even know what it cost,” I babbled. I’d gotten it on my sixth birthday. I’d wanted a kitten so badly. If I’d known they turned into troublesome cats, I wouldn’t have begged so hard.

Laurie sighed. “Geoff has a company card so he can take care of the purchase. He’ll need to drive you anyway, since the pet should not be transported in the Chrysalis Cliff limo. We can’t risk it soiling the seats. You’ll need to go in the truck.” She punched up the twins’ schedule on her computer, and cross-checked it with Geoff’s schedule. “Good. The twins have fun time scheduled during Geoff’s unassigned miscellaneous task time between two and four. Does that work for you?”

Like she cared. “Sure.”

Suddenly I was sick of the tension between us. I decided it was up to me to pop the uptight bubble. “Thanks for setting
this up. Hey, do you want to join us? Maybe we’ll have time to hit the arcade again after.” I wondered if Geoff had told her about the Dance Dance Revolution excursion. Maybe that was why she couldn’t stand the sight of me—she knew I’d become friends with her guy.

Laurie did a 180 in attitude at the invitation. She actually smiled. “Sounds like fun.” But then she shuffled some folders on her desk and muttered, “No time for play today, I’m afraid.”

I shrugged, trying not to look happy that she wouldn’t be able to join us. I think I’d be sick if I had to watch her and Geoff acting like boyfriend and girlfriend.

“Do they want a puppy or a kitten?” she asked. So now we were playing nice.

“Probably a kitten.” I told the lie for one reason and one reason only: I liked knowing something she didn’t. I didn’t even feel guilty.

Laurie, clueless about my lie, just smiled. “I hope they get a Maine Coon. I had one when I was eight. Lady Alice Blue. She was the best cuddler, I miss her. You?”

I tried to get the disturbing picture of her cuddling with Geoff out of my mind. “Mine was good at causing trouble.” Like escaping at inopportune times and causing mother-killing car accidents.