Curvy Nanny for the Nerd

2. Toni

Chapter 2

Toni

“ A refill, madam?”

The Maitre’d smiled at me as if he knew that the only way I would survive two hours of torture—also known as dinner with my parents—was with more wine.

“Absolutely. All the way to the top, Luc.” I held out my red wine glass and nodded until I was satisfied that the glass was full enough. “Thank you very much.” I raised the glass in his direction, smiled and took a big sip. “Delicious.”

My mother was a stickler for decorum, as such, she has never passed up an opportunity to let me know how much I disappoint her. “Was that truly necessary, Antonia?”

“Truly? Not at all. But he offered, and I wanted more wine. What is the problem?” We’d barely sat down ten minutes and already she’s found at least four things to criticize me about.

“You’re looking good, sweetheart.” My dad was the nice one in the Stafford family. He always had a kind word for me and found happiness when his only child was happy.

“Thank you, Daddy. You look like you’ve been making time for tennis.” His skin had a golden glow, his blond hair was sun bleached and he looked about ten pounds slimmer. Not bad for a guy in his late fifties.

“Good, yes,” my mother sniffed with disapproval. “But you’ve put on a few pounds, haven’t you?”

Five things to criticize. “I’m the same size I’ve always been,” I told her as I rolled my eyes. I’ve always had a few too many curves for my mother’s liking, and by a few too many I mean too many, period. She didn’t appreciate my D-cups or my wide hips, even though they were separated by a small waist that gave me the perfect hourglass, if you’re into that kind of thing.

“Yes well, you’ve always needed to lose a few pounds.”

Six things. “I’m fine the way I am, thanks for your concern, Mother.”

She gave me that heavy sigh, the one that reminded me I was a constant disappointment. “If you don’t slim down you will never find a suitable husband, Antonia.”

“It’s Toni, and I’m not looking for a husband, suitable or otherwise.” She would never understand that while I was grateful for the life my folks provided for me, it wasn’t a path I wanted to follow.

“A man wants a fit woman. Think of how much weight you’ll put on after a few children.”

I rolled my eyes. “Who says I want children?” I loved kids, of course I did, otherwise I wouldn’t have become a nanny. But other people’s kids were great because you got to leave them at the end of the day. Come home to more kids plus my nanny duties? No thanks. “And I am fit, Mother. I get plenty of exercise, and if a man doesn’t like me the way I am, fuck him.”

Dad grinned. “That’s right, honey.”

Mom gasped. “With that kind of language you won’t have to worry about finding a suitable man.”

“Good.” I took a few more healthy sips in an effort to hold my tongue before I said something to my mom that I couldn’t take back.

“Trevor Halsey is back in town after finishing law school. Suzanne said he’s ready to find a wife.”

“Good for him. I hope he finds what he’s looking for.” I didn’t bother to remind her that I didn’t know Trevor and had no interest in any of her friends’ sons.

“Antonia, you cannot be a nanny forever. That’s sad, and worse, it’s pathetic.”

“It’s an honest career, Mother.”

“Yes, it is,” she agreed with a glint in her eyes. “For women who have no choice, who don’t have the options you do.”

“I love my job and if you can’t respect that, then I guess you don’t respect me. Still.” I stood just as our food arrived and finished off my wine. “It was so good to see you, Daddy. Mother,” I growled and walked out of the fancy restaurant filled with Houston’s elite with my head held high.

By the time I made it the few blocks to the parking garage, because I refused to pay for valet, my mother had called at least a dozen times. I smiled to myself thinking how furious she probably was that I kept sending her to voicemail. I drove home, ignoring three more calls, and parked my car before I made my way to my favorite watering hole just two blocks from my condo.

I called Lucy first because she was my closest friend. “Toni, I thought you were having dinner with your parents?”

“I was, and now I’m not. You free for a drink or ten?”

But she sighed, and I knew it was a no go. “Not tonight, Toni. Lena isn’t feeling well and my boobs are sore. Sorry.”

New motherhood was harder than it looked. “Don’t be. Talk soon.”

“Are you all right?”

No. “Absolutely. Go relax while you can. Later.”

I stared at my contacts and knew I would get a similar answer from Sasha, so I went with someone a bit younger.

“Toni?”

I pasted on a smile and nodded even though the newest nanny on the Elite Nanny Service roster couldn’t see me. “Hey Molly. Are you busy tonight?”

“Kind of,” she hedged. “I lost my new placement because the mom said I was too tempting or something stupid like that, so I’m trying to find a new wardrobe on a budget.”

“Damn, I’m sorry Mols. Tonight I’m drinking, but I’ll be happy to help you tomorrow.”

“Really?” She gasped excitedly because I have the best fashion sense, period. “You sure?”

“Of course. As long as you realize nothing can cover up curves that spectacular.” Molly needed to learn that her curves were not a statement on her sex life, despite what desperate housewives wanted her to believe. “But we’ll tone it down as much as possible if that’s what you want.”

“It is.”

“All right, see you tomorrow.” I ended the call and stepped inside the dimly lit bar, finding an empty stool at the far end where I could be surrounded by people, but also be relatively alone. “Double whiskey. Neat, please.”

I needed to get a new placement. Soon. I didn’t do well with a lot of free time, especially after another interaction with my mother. She poked and judged until I lost my shit, and I hated that she knew the exact combination to make me lose my shit.

My next gig would be better, I told myself. It had to be better than a negligent workaholic who kicked me to the curb for daring to request a day off after working twenty-one straight days. The guy was an asshole, and if I never met another single parent like that again, it still wouldn’t wipe away the nasty taste he’d left in my mouth.

Or maybe what I needed was someone to leave a nasty taste in my mouth. I smiled to myself at the double entendre. Maybe I needed to get laid, and that would take my mind off things. But looking around the bar, all I saw were old timers who’d made drinking a profession, other sad bastards like me, and the young but poor crowd in search of one night of fun. No, thank you.

Yeah, I needed a new placement, and soon. Not because of the money, my trust fund made sure of that, but I needed to be busy. And if I didn’t get one soon, maybe I would take off for a few months to a tropical island somewhere and work on my tan.

Oh yeah, that sounded perfect.