Part 4:
When You Least
Expect It
“So
how’s Little Chunk doing?” Nick asked, walking past Kevin to the large bedroom
in the back of the tour bus.
In
an effort to draw the five of them closer it had been decided that this would
be a ‘Back To Basics’ tour with the guys sharing meals, hotel rooms and their
free time together. As well as bunking up like in the old days, three in one
bus and two on the other.
In
a game of draw straws Kevin ended up with Nick.
“Nicky,
you don’t seriously think that you are going to get to sleep in the big room?”
Kevin yelled after him as the driver slid the bus into drive pulling away from
Nick’s house.
“Huh?”
Nick came back to the front of the bus where Kevin sat lounging on the couch
watching a basketball game.
“You
heard me dipshit. I’m the oldest so I get the big room.”
“Bullshit,
that’s not fair. I’m an adult so I should be treated like one.” Whining Nick
plopped himself down beside Kevin, propping his elbow on Kevin’s shoulder.
“Act
like an adult and I’ll treat you like one.”
“Wait,
wait, wait.” Nick put his hands up in a surrender gesture. “Before we start
fighting let’s get the important business out of the way. How is Little Chunk?”
Nick had affectionately dubbed Nate Little Chunk in honor of his fat dimply
cheeks and folds of creamy pink flesh all over his tiny body.
Smiling
Kevin pushed Nick’s elbow off of his shoulder.
“Nate’s
good. He’s really, really good.” Then standing Kevin walked back towards the
back of the bus, yelling over his shoulder as he went. “But if you think that
talking about my son is going to distract me from throwing your ass out of the
big room you’re out of your freaking mind.”
*
* *
Kristin
slept soundly upstairs while Lily made herself at home.
The
Richardson’s Florida home was a far cry from the warmth and beauty of the
plantation house that she and Kevin had shared in St. Thomas all those years
ago.
This
home was all sharp angles, high ceilings, steel beams and glass with sparse
splashes of color in between the white on white walls, carpets and furniture.
It was more of a sterile museum then a loving home to raise a child in.
Walking
down the winding staircase Lily gazed at the pictures on the wall, stark black
and white photos of Kevin and Kristin taken by a fashion photographer in
London. Looking at each one closely Lily found it sad that Kevin didn’t seem to
smile anymore while Kristin seemed too smile too much.
She
had only known the woman a short time but already her hatred for Krstin ran
deep, so looking back it seemed almost comical how simple it had been to get
the job as Nathaniel's nanny.
Kristin
was seven months pregnant with the two women began to bump into each other at
clothing shops, the beach, the gym as well as the local grocery store. It
appeared like nothing more then sheer coicidence that she would be pushing her
cart through the store and look up to see Lily standing across from her
dropping tomatoes into her plastic sack in the produce asile.
“We
have to stop meeting like this.” Kristin would giggle tapping Lily on the
shoulder.
“You
shop here too?” Lily would grab her sides with laughter. “Well if we’re going
to keep running into each other like this I might as well introduce myself I’m
Leslie, Leslie Rogers.”
“Kristin
Richardson.”
Little
did Kris know at the time that Lily had been stalking her 24/7 for the last
five months, shadowing her every move in an effort to make what had been
methodically planned out events appear like chance encounters. Including the
day they ran side by side on the treadmill, two weeks after Nate’s birth.
Kristin
was going on and on about how frazzled she was at the prospect of Kevin leaving
to go on tour so shortly after their son’s birth when she had still not hired a
nanny to help her out.
“Nobody
that has applied has been right for the job.”
“That’s
rough.” Lily pulled up the incline on her treadmill stealing glances at CNN as
it flashed on the t.v. screen above them.
“I
had no idea it would be so difficult to find someone. Kevin keeps telling me to
let him handle the interviews but he has so much going on with the upcoming
tour that I don’t want to bug him with this.”
“You
know I was a nanny for a few years after I graduated from highschool. It was
such a fulfilling job, and I just adored the kids.” Smiling Lily went on. “The
people I worked for had all but given up hope when I came along.”
“Really?”
Tucking a strand of hair behind her ears Kristin smiled.
“Yes.”
Lily pulled her treadmill to stop, reaching out a comforting hand to place on
Kristin’s arm. “So don’t give up, the right person will come along when you
least expect it.”
*
* *
The
following week Kristin and Lily bumped into each other shopping at the Rockaway
Boutique.
“So
how is the nanny hunt going?” Lily asked standing in front of an oval floor
mirror a cream colored silk nightgown draped over her as she admired her
reflection in the mirror.
“Don’t
ask.” Kris rolled her eyes heading to the dressing room with a mauve satin
camisole and a pair of pale gray slacks over her arm.
“That’s
pretty.” Stopping behind Lily Kris glanced over her shoulder into the mirror.
“My
boyfriend loves me in cream colored silk.” Lily smiled running her hand over
the slick cool material, thinking how much it reminded her of a nightgown that
Kevin had once purchased for her in London.
“So
does my husband.” Kristin smiled back nodding her head. “You should buy that,
your boyfriend will love it on you.” Turning she walked into one of the
dressing rooms shutting the stained glass door behind her.
“I
never asked you what you do for a living Leslie.” Kristin called out sliding
off her wild patterned sundress and hanging it on a hook in the dressing room.
“Well
I came out here to work for a Dot.com company that just recently went down the
tubes, big surprise.” Handing the nightgown to a salesclerk Lily signaled that
she would be purchasing the item but wanted to continue to look.
“Really,
wow that’s too bad.” Sliding on the camisole and slacks Kristin turned around
in the mirror well aware of every ounce of extra flesh left on her lithe frame
from the pregnancy. “So what are you going to do now?”
Admiring
the same mauve satin camisole on the rack in front of her Lily slid one in her
size off of the silk hanger and signaled for the sales girl.
“I’ll
be taking this too.” She said softly with a smile.
“Oh
I don’t know,” She went on continuing the conversation with Kristin. “I really
didn’t want to have to go back to California but if I don’t find a job soon
I’ll be forced to go home. You can’t pay the bills without a job.”
Stepping
out of the dressing room, Kristin smiled. “I have an idea, after we’re done
here can you come back to my house so we can talk?”
Lily
would have thought that Kristin would have been more strict about references
and background checks on anybody who would be the nanny for her child,
especially given the crazy Backstreet fans out there would jump at the chance
to live in Kevin’s world with him.
But
after an hour of chit chat on the big white L shaped couch in the sunken
livingroom Kristin had proclaimed Lily “perfect for the job”, hiring her as
Nate’s nanny on the spot. Not even bothering to introduce her to Kevin who was
working long hours on last minute choreography changes for the new tour.
Lily
was glad of that now, she thought as she circled around the deck doors that
looked out on the beautiful blue ocean. Glad that she had not had to come face
to face with the man she once loved. Not because he would have recognized her by
her appearance, she had long ago changed that. Taming her chin length wild
black curls into a long blonde sheath with heavy bands that often tangled in
her eyelashes. Disguising her pale blue eyes with a pair of deep brown contacts
and putting on just enough weight in all of the right places to soften the
sharp striking facial features and petite figure that had once made her so
desirable to Kevin.
No,
recognition was not a problem; Lily was glad that she had not come face to face
with Kevin yet because all of the chess pieces were not in place for the game
they were about to play.
Suddenly
the soft sounds of Nate’s cries could be heard from upstairs.
“I’m
coming Kayden.” Lily whispered, walking quickly to the stairs. Headed in the
direction of where her baby boy cried out for help.
*
* *
“So
Kris got a nanny for Chunk huh?” Nick lay in the puny tour bus bunk bed just
outside of the big bathroom where Kevin was shaving.
“Yup.”
Pulling the razor up his chin Kevin winced as it nicked his flesh/
“Is
she hot?” Pulling a pillow from the bunk across from him Nick propped it
beneath his head.
“I
don’t know?” Dabbing at the blood on his chin Kevin continued shaving.
“Hey
just cause you’re married, doesn’t mean you can’t tell if a chick is hot or
not. You’re married not dead.”
“You
idiot,” Kevin flicked water off of his razor at Nick through the open door. “I
don’t know if she’s hot or not because I haven’t met her yet.”
“You
haven’t met her? What kind of a husband and father are you?”
“What
the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Tossing the razor to the sink Kevin was
beginning to regret the whole drawing straw game that wound him up with Nick as
a bunkmate.
“Well,
what if she’s some super freak psycho ho’ like that lady in The Hand That Rocks
the Cradle? She could be some crazed rabid fan who is posing as Mary Popping so
that she can steal your baby…….kill your wife……” Walking from the bathroom
Kevin pulled Nick’s pillow out from beneath his head knocking him in the face
with it.
“You
watch too many movies Nicky.” He said as Nick struggled to get away from the
pillow beating.
“And
you don’t watch enough!” Nick yelled as Kevin made his way to the front of the
bus for some peace and quiet.
*
* *
“So
how long is your husband on tour?” Kristin had finally woken up, coming
downstairs to a late lunch prepared by Lily while Nate slept in his bouncy seat
on the kitchen counter.
“Six
months.” The two women chatted casually over spinach salads and bread sticks as
a pot of coffee brewed nearby.
“Wow,
that’s a long time.” Lily looked over at Nate with a smile.
“Really?”
“Oh
yeah, but you get used to it. Besides, back in the old days we were so up and
down with our relationship that sometimes we would be apart for years, so six
months on tour seems like nothing.” Lily’s ears perked up at Kristin’s mention
of the ‘old days’.
“You
guys have had a rough relationship then?” Walking over to Nate’s bouncy seat
Lily tucked the soft fleece blanket up and under his chin.
“It’s
had its’ fair share of growing pains that’s for sure.” Kristin laughed.
“Did
you ever cheat on him?”
“Oh
for sure I did. But he cheated on me too. He almost married another girl once
after she had his baby.” Lily almost dropped the plate she was carrying on her
way to the sink.
“So
he has another child?” She hesitated before placing the plate in the sink.
“No,
the baby died and so did their relationship when Kevin realized that he and I
were meant to be.”
Just
then Nate let out a squeal that could wake the dead. Lily moved quickly to
comfort him but Kristin beat her to it.
“It’s alright Leslie, you’ve taken care of
him all day, I’ll get him this time.”
***
