Secret Nanny Club by Marisa Mackle Read Free Book Online

getting up to put the empty teacups in the dishwasher, “and then when I checked with both her referees, I was absolutely convinced that this girl was going to be the right one for our family.”
    Okay, now I felt sick. I hadn’t asked Samira for any references. Sheelagh had phoned two people. She had obviously wanted to be doubly sure of who she was hiring. Sheelagh was a good mother and I was not. I really did feel bad about myself. Samira could have been a school drop-out or a social delinquent, yet I had chosen to put her in charge of the person I was supposed to love more than anyone else in the whole world. I was not fit to be anybody’s mum. Sheelagh then looked over at me. “So how did you find Samira?”
    “Um . . . she had put up an ad in the supermarket and I just happened to come across it.”
    “Oh. Okay. Well, at least you didn’t have to pay an agency fee. They can be pretty hefty.”
    “Yeah, I know.”
    I squirmed in my chair. Suddenly I wanted to get out of there and hide away somewhere I could mentally give myself a kick. This woman obviously thought I was too stingy to go through a proper nanny agency that would probably have produced a golden girl who had won all sorts of medals and could speak five different languages and maybe was in her final year of medicine or something.
    “Gosh, I never even asked you if you would like another cup of tea! I just cleared the cups away without even thinking. That’s my baby brain at work now. I’m sorry for being rude. I can put the kettle on again if you like?”
    “Oh no, I’m fine honestly. Actually, is it okay if I use your bathroom, please?”
    “Sure, it’s just in the hall under the stairs.”
    As soon as I closed the door behind me I took a deep breath. Sheelagh’s little cloakroom, like the rest of this house, was immaculate. The floor looked like it had been polished, the white hand towel was soft and luxurious, and a brand-new Molton Brown liquid soap and hand lotion perched on top of the sink. How did she have her house so perfect? Why did she have the nicest au pair ever? And why was I being so pathetic as to compare myself unfavourably to a practical stranger? Stop it, I chided myself. Seriously, get a grip. You can only do your best. Samira may never be runner-up for best au pair in the world but there’s nothing wrong with her. You make it work.
    I splashed some cold water on my face and then washed my hands. I was almost afraid to wipe them on the fluffy white towel afterwards.
    “Well, the girls seem to be getting on great,” beamed Sheelagh when I came back into the kitchen. “I just popped my head in the door and they’re laughing and chatting like old friends.”
    “Really?” I was surprised. I’m not sure if that small revelation was supposed to make me feel better or worse.
    “You must come over again. Or maybe we could go over to you? What do you think?”
    “Yeah, brilliant, any time!’
    “Maybe Claudine can take Samira and little John to the mummy and baby yoga classes in the town?”
    “Mummy and baby yoga?” I raised an eyebrow.
    “Yup, the classes are held twice a week there on the main street above that café that recently opened. I’ve gone a couple of times but half the grown-ups that attend are au pairs as the mummies don’t have time to go. I’d say Samira would love it!’
    I wasn’t so sure about that but I said I’d suggest the idea to her anyway. To be honest I wasn’t really sure if herself and the bubbly Claudine would become pally, but I hoped that Sheelagh and myself would become firm friends. I admired her and I wanted to know her more. Hopefully she would be a positive role model for me.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER FOUR
    You know when you’re so tired you can’t even speak properly, never mind being able to remember things or even think of anything besides crawling back to