Page 17 of The Nanny Contract
Henry’s gaze remained focused on his feet. I could sense from his demeanor that he was genuinely sorry.
The officer scratched his chin. “Your son isn’t facing any charges and is free to go.”
I gestured for Henry to follow me. “We’re going car shopping tomorrow for something nice and slow. And Casey’s going with us. He seems to know a lot about cars.”
With Henry’s back to me, I winked at Casey and his face momentarily lit up.
As we walked through the parking lot toward my car, a familiar voice caught my attention.
I turned and saw the Mercers standing next to their car, lurking in the shadows.
I had no idea what the hell they were doing here.
Helen’s lips pursed as she walked toward Henry, gently placing her hand on his face as if he’d been hurt in a car crash. Her theatrics weren’t serving anyone but herself.
“Poor Henry,” she said, shaking her head. “Are you okay?”
I answered for him: “He’s fine. His friend drove the car over the speed limit, now we’re going to replace the car with something slower and more reasonable.”
Robert raised one eyebrow. “Over the speed limit? We heard on the police scanner that it was one-hundred and twenty miles per hour.”
That’s really none of your business, I thought, but didn’t say it. Plus, what the hell were they doing listening in on police scanners?
I didn’t want to agitate the situation further. I needed to get my son back home to Westbrook Meadows so I could give him a good talking to about not handing over his car keys to just anyone who asked.
Helen’s voice dripped with condescension. “That’s why we’re so worried about Henry. We just want to make sure he’s living in the best situation possible.”
It was starting to sound as if Helen wanted custody of my son.
Which was absolutely absurd.
I turned to Henry. “Go wait in the backseat of my car. Casey’s driving the Cadillac home.”
I didn’t want Henry to overhear our conversation. Casey stood next to me. Once Henry was out of earshot, I turned to Helen.
“Helen, what’s going on here?” I asked. “The last two times I’ve seen you, you’ve hinted that you have some ideas about Henry’s living situation. What are you getting at?”
Helen turned to her husband for approval, and upon receiving a nod, turned back to me.
“Fine,” she said, her words like venom, “since you insist. We’ve been talking about what’s best for Henry. We think new certain influences have been added to his life that have created an unstable environment for him.”
I lowered my voice. “Certain influences? Is this about me, or is this about Casey?”
Helen flinched at the name as if he disgusted her. “We’ve read the headlines, Logan. People are talking, and it reflects poorly on Henry. It’s a lot for a young man to endure. Don’t you think?”
I stepped closer to her, forcing her to hold my gaze. “Are you trying to say that you’re better equipped than me to raise my son?”
Robert had been uncharacteristically quiet thus far, but he finally chimed in. “We just want to make sure that Henry has a good future ahead of him. That he’s stable. That’s all, Logan.”
I hated the way my name sounded coming from him.
My voice rose in spite of my attempts to prevent it. “Stable? The only instability in Henry’s life is the two of you. You swoop in here every few months to make judgments from your ivory tower.”
Helen’s façade of politeness finally cracked. “We’re not the ones parading strangers into his life. We’re not the ones forcing him to live in a circus!”
Robert squinted at me. “We’ve heard the rumors about your mother.”
My blood suddenly boiled, and I snapped. “Enough! You can say whatever you want about me. But Henry is my son, and you have no right to dictate how I raise him.”