Chapter 14

“WHAT did my husband tell you?” Grace asked Penelope as soon as Justin left their clinic. “Did he treat you right? He seemed calm when he left.”

Penelope stared at the blank information sheet that the man refused to fill up before leaving their counter. Usually, they asked the client to fill this up before the facial massage starts. Still, because Justin Rosburn was in a hurry when he went here, they let him do the information sheet after the massage. Still, he refused. 

She shook her head. Until now, Penelope couldn’t believe that a famous celebrity like him would talk to her personally about hiring her as his son’s babysitter. Even if he could just send someone here to talk to her about it. She drew her brows together. ‘He wanted me to be his son’s nanny? And he’ll pay me triple of my salary here?’ She smirked.

“Is he insane?” she voiced out. “I am not just an employee here. I’m the owner!”

“Hey, Penelope!” Grace nudged her in the waist. “What’s wrong with you? Are you with Nicholas or with me?”

She glared at her friend. “Don’t start on me, Grace. My head is aching because of that celebrity,” she warned her. “And can you please stop mentioning the name of the man that caused me so much pain and suffering?”

Grace frowned at her. “Let me remind you, girl. It was your choice to feel that way,” she said. “And, the cause of your headache is a hangover, not my Justin.”

Penelope shut her eyes. Whatever she did to ditch the offer on her mind, it doesn’t go away. “Can you please just shut up? I’m thinking…”

“Okay,” Grace said with a grin. “Look, he paid more than the service fee. We’ve got excess money for today! What do you wanna eat for lunch?”

“I’m still full,” she said with a sigh. “And I don’t want to eat the food from his money.”

Grace laughed. “What’s wrong? Why are you so pissed at him? What did Justin tell you? Is he nice to you?”

“No,” she answered quickly. “He’s the most arrogant client that I’ve ever encountered!”

“Hey, hey! Don’t say that word to my future husband,” Grace scowled at her. “How could you say that in front of me?”

Penelope turned to her friend and glared at her. “If he’s your husband, teach him some manners!” she said and banged the table.

Grace got startled by what she did. Her brows furrowed as she studied her expression. “Wait a minute, did he do something to you?” she asked in a calmer tone. “Did he molest you? Tell me, Penelope, did he? Is that the reason why he wanted you to assist him?”

Penelope caught her forehead. The man was right that they’re all seemed on drugs here. “He didn’t do something to me,” she said and heaved a sigh. “He offered me a job.”

The lines in Grace’s forehead deepened. “Job? What kind of job? And why?”

Penelope curled her lips. Justin told her not to disclose it to anyone, but since Grace was her business partner, she has the right to know about it. “He asked me if I could be his son’s babysitter.”

“S-son?” Grace asked. Frown lines didn’t leave her forehead. “Girl, are you sure about it? Because that’s quite impossible. Justin is a bachelor!”

Penelope’s brows furrowed in confusion. “Really? Then who is the kid that I saw him with on the other day…” She covered her mouth. “Ah, never mind—”

“So, it was really him?” Grace asked in disbelief. “Oh my god, so my Justin is a single dad?”

“I’m not really sure…” Penelope said awkwardly. “Maybe I heard it wrong.”

Grace narrowed her eyes at her. “Penelope, I know that you hate Justin, and you’re not in a good mood today because of that Nicholas guy, but you shouldn’t be making stories against my Justin just because you’re pissed at him—”

“What are you saying?” Penelope cut her with a glare. “I told you, maybe I heard it wrong!”

“Yes, you’re wrong!” Grace shouted back. “You’re groggy and drunk. You must have hearing something that doesn’t exist.”

“Whatever,” she said and stared at their TV monitor again. A commercial toothpaste ad of Justin flashed on the screen. Her brows furrowed as he watched him smiled like a matinee idol.

Penelope thought that maybe the kid was really his son, and he’s just hiding it from the public. But why does she have to be his babysitter?

‘You’re the only person I saw that Vince talked to, aside from me…’ Penelope recalled what he told her when she asked why he wanted to be his babysitter and not hire the professional ones. 

She also recalled the kid’s struggle in speaking when he approached her to the claw machine. Justin told her that his son is already six years old but couldn’t talk well because of a speaking disorder. The child was also born with mild autism that resulted in his short temper.

Penelope felt pity for the child. She sighed, but it doesn’t mean that she’d accept the job offer. It wasn’t easy to take care of a child. Her chest tightened at the thought, and tears suddenly stung her eyes. She ditched the thoughts quickly before it could ruin her mood again.

“I’ve had so much bad luck today…” She brushed her fingers thru her hair. “Why does it have to happen to me?”

She ducked on the counter and tried to snatch some sleep, but the steamy moment of last night with her and Nicholas clouded her mind. Tears started to fall again from her eyes. 

“I know you love me…” she murmured in between tears. “But you just don’t know it yet… You’re blinded by your divine responsibility…” she sniffed. “How will I make you realize your feelings for me?”

“Make him jealous,” Grace suggested. She was holding a lifestyle magazine with Justin on the cover. The man was topless and showing off his complete six-pack abs. “Get a man that could pretend as your boyfriend, then introduce to him. If Nicholas really has feelings for you, he’ll make ways to separate you from your fake boyfriend.”

Penelope sat up straight. Grace’s suggestion brought a bright idea to her mind. “You’re right,” she agreed, not taking her eyes off the magazine cover. “And I think I know a person that could act as my boyfriend.”

***