Chapter Thirty-one
“Fine. I’ll tell mom and dad later. But please come back and see them some time soon. They miss you.” Izabella nodded, bumping Devon into the center seat. “Alright, what can I feed you guys? Chicken fingers, right? You want fries?”
“Yeah.” He was grinning from ear to ear.
“And for you, Bram?” He looked substantially nicer right now than he had earlier.
“Go ahead and let Izzy order first.” Bram waved at her, picking up the discarded menu and looking at it.
“Sorry, okay. Izzy?” Johnnie suddenly looked uneasy.
“I’ll have the grilled chicken, extra mayo, no tomato. With mashed instead of fries please. And a side of cottage cheese.” She winked at him.
Bram suddenly realized that he hadn’t asked her, because he already knew exactly what she was going to eat. Once again, he felt like an ass. “I’ll have the burger, as rare as you’ll make it, and any fresh fruit you have, or a vegetable mix, please.”
“Sure, those will be right up.” Bram noticed he went back behind the bar, and that’s when he realized the entire kitchen was in the front, and anyone could watch their food being made. He never would have come in here if she hadn’t asked.
“So…”
“I swear, I’m not a stalker.” She lifted her hands up in defense.
Bram wanted to smile, he would take her as a stalker any day. He didn’t though. Oh no, he was going to use this to get as much out of her as he could. “A year?”
“Well, no. Seven months ago, there was an article in the paper about you and Devon. I read it. I mean, I’m an orphan, and I was adopted almost in the exact same way. It was touching. And, well, my dad was dying. I guess it stuck with me. A few months later, I started seeing adds for the DAS Foundation. I applied there a few times, but it never worked out. Tyler was a happy mistake. I was in the area and literally had nowhere to go. I was going to have to stay on the streets.” Bram felt his whole-body tense. She wouldn’t have survived that area overnight, not on her own. “He didn’t know that the other nanny had already left, just that he thought I would be a good fit for a job for his friend. I didn’t know any more of the details until yesterday morning when he called.” Hiding her face behind her hair and refusing to look at either of them, her voice got really quiet. “It almost felt like fate.”
Fate. It was never kind to him. It would never give him anything this good, it had to be something else. “Then you found out I own some bars and ended up meeting Tyler. That—” He stopped himself. Devon seemed to have gone emotionless. When Bram stopped, Devon immediately looked at her, as if waiting to see what she would say. “Anyway, look… yesterday was mostly a flop, that was on me. And I’m sorry for that. But I’ve enjoyed today. I always assume people know me in some way. That you know me for DAS… I still want to give this a serious try. But I need transparency.”
He realized how ironic that was coming from him.
“I will give it to you. I should have told you this in the beginning, I planned to, but the interview wasn’t exactly like an average interview. And by the time I could tell you, it felt too late.” She looked nervous and scared, but hopeful too. “I’ll be as transparent as a window. You can even have full access to my phone. I don’t have anything to hide.”
Bram ran his hand through his hair and turned his head away. “I’ve got to use the restroom. How about you buddy?”
His voice was small again. “Yes.”
Izabella stood, letting Devon out, and Bram could feel her stare as she watched them leave. He felt really bad that she was starting to cry, but he needed to know that she was truly sincere. He couldn’t let his excitement get the better of him. Devon was watching him with curious eyes, had he ever seen this side of him before? He didn’t think so. Dejection wasn’t something he permitted most of the time.
“Dad, what happened? I don’t understand.”
Bram pressed his lips together. “Izabella knew who we were. It wasn’t just Tyler finding someone he thought was a fit. She was looking for us.”
“So? Maybe she wants us as much as I want her? Maybe it is fate?” His face started to pinch, and Bram could see him getting ready to cry.
“Maybe buddy.”
“You’re mad?”
“Kinda. I’m mostly disappointed. I should have known better. But I don’t think she’s lying. Don’t get mad at me if I’m a bit chilly the next few days. She should have told me that to start, but I get why she couldn’t. And I understand her hesitation there-after.” Bram relieved himself in the urinal on the wall while Devon sat on the toilet.
“So, what now?”
“Let’s go back out there and eat. For now, we’re going to see where this goes. If she doesn’t omit any more truths from us, then I don’t see any reason not to keep her around.” Bram and Devon washed their hands in synch. Neither of them noticed that they followed the exact same motions at the exact same time. “You really like her, right? Does she make you happy?”
“I haven’t been this happy ever. Except for when it was just us. Most the nannies are awful, but I think I’m going to like her. She’s different.”
Bram nodded, “I think so to. It’s rare, and so far, I like it. Anyway, I’m hungry, what about you, big guy?”
“Starving.” He said loudly, throwing his arms in the air as Bram opened the bathroom door for him. Johnnie was at the table, and as he stepped out, she seemed to be trying to get control of her tears.
When she turned away from him, he pointed at the door, “I’m going to have a smoke, I’ll be back in a minute.”
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