Confessions of a Teen Nanny

by Victoria Ashton

  “No problem.” Emma turned and gave Adrienne a mischievous grin. “And if you ever lose that CD, don’t worry. I can always make you another copy!”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  “to us!”

  Saturday afternoon, when Adrienne and Emma returned to the apartment from the new exhibit at the Guggenheim Museum, Adrienne found a note on the front hall table.

  Adrienne,

  I’m having a BIG party tonight. Need you to set up some things. Instructions are in the kitchen. Party will be a blast—invite your friend Liz. (Parker will be there.) Make sure Emma is asleep before party. Home at 8. See you then.

  Ciao! Cameron

  P.S. You keep my secrets, and I’ll keep yours!

  Adrienne tore the note in half. Somehow, her nanny job had morphed into party planning as well. But whether she liked it or not, Adrienne knew she was going to have to do what Cameron asked—until she could think of a better way out.

  Adrienne asked Liz to help with the party preparations. They worked all afternoon getting the apartment ready. They moved furniture, arranged platters of food, and accepted alcohol deliveries. Luckily, Liz didn’t have to watch Heather and David that day, and Emma was in her room much of the time—first with her French tutor, then with her calculus tutor.

  Finally, after giving Emma dinner and a bath and saying good-bye to Tania and Kane, who were both off for the night, Adrienne tucked Emma into bed. The apartment was quiet. Adrienne gazed around. Everything was in place for the party, except the hostess herself. Adrienne had no idea where Cameron was. But she had no doubt Cam would show up soon.

  Adrienne looked at herself in the front hall mirror. “I’m a wreck!” she said to Liz.

  “Me, too.” Liz moaned. “What should we do? Everyone will be here soon. I can’t have Parker see me like this. The last time I saw him I was covered in cupcakes. I need to look good tonight—sexy.”

  Parker had been e-mailing her since he returned from Florida. Liz hadn’t said anything about the hot tub, and neither had he. In fact, she had almost forgotten about it. Well, not really, but what was important was that he said he couldn’t wait to see her again, and he sounded like he meant it.

  “Follow me,” Adrienne said, grabbing the brightly colored duffel bags that she and Liz had brought with them. “We’ll go into Mrs. Warner’s room. We’ll get ready there.”

  Once inside the bedroom, Adrienne pulled out of her bag the Dolce & Gabbana cocktail dress she had gotten during her shopping spree with Cameron at Bergdorf’s. She had debated if she should wear it now that she knew that it wasn’t free after all. But, in the end, she decided to go for it—next to it, everything else in her closet looked tacky.

  “Oh, no!” Liz groaned, staring at Adrienne’s designer dress. “I can’t wear the dress I brought with me if you’re wearing that!”

  Adrienne had an idea—an idea that, a few weeks ago, she never would have considered. But a lot had changed since then.

  She opened Mrs. Warner’s closet door. “Let’s go shopping!”

  Half an hour later, Liz and Adrienne sat waiting for Cameron and her guests in the living room of the Warners’ apartment. They had raided Mrs. Warners’ closet and dressed Liz in Chanel and used her expensive perfume. Adrienne poured glasses of the champagne for each of them.

  “To us!” Liz said. And getting Parker! she thought.

  “To us!” Adrienne replied. And keeping Brian away from Cameron, she thought. Adrienne had “neglected” to tell Brian about the party tonight. He thought she was working late. There was no way Adrienne was going to bring Brian together with Cameron. Ever.

  Within a few minutes, Cameron arrived, looking gorgeous. She walked around the apartment, surveying the setup. “You guys did a great job,” she said appreciatively. “Honestly, my mom has hired caterers for thousands of dollars to do what you two have done practically for free!” She smiled. “You guys are the best!”

  The elevator opened, and the first of an unending stream of New York’s most glamorous and popular kids arrived.

  An hour later Parker found Liz. “Hey!” he said, and took her by the hand. “I’m back! Miss me?”

  Parker moved closer to her and kissed her deeply. Liz closed her eyes and kissed him back.

  “Hey,” she said, finally pulling away.

  “Hey,” Parker repeated, his eyes glazed and unfocused.

  He’s stoned again, Liz thought. She wondered if she should say something, but Parker leaned forward and began kissing her neck. His fingers moved through her hair. Liz kept her eyes open this time, staring at his gorgeous face as his lips found hers.

  A few minutes later, it was Parker who pulled away. “Listen, I need to go talk to someone. Don’t leave, okay? I really want to spend time with you.”

  “Who do you have to talk to?” Liz asked.

  “Just a guy from school. It will only take a few minutes. Promise you’ll be here?”

  “I promise.” She watched Parker walk toward the kitchen. He was so cute.

  Adrienne came up to her. “Isn’t this wild?” Adrienne shouted over the noise. The music was loud, the champagne and cocktails flowing. Mimi was dancing on a table with Bandar, and there was a huge line for the bathrooms.

  “Exactly what I expected!” Liz shouted back. “These kids are animals.”

  Liz looked around the room at all the beautiful teens in their designer clothes. The hip-hop music pulsed, and Liz rocked to the beat. She gazed at the crowd around the bar and sucked in her breath. She thought she saw…no, it can’t be him, she told herself.

  She took a few steps to her left, to get a better view, but he had disappeared. Or maybe he was never here. Liz had to find out.

  “I’m going to look for Parker,” Liz told Adrienne. Liz forced her way through the crowded living room and library and hall, all the while searching not for Parker, but for Brian. What is Brian doing here? Adrienne didn’t invite him! Could Brian really be at this party without telling Adrienne? The thought of it seemed kind of ridiculous. But she was pretty sure she had seen him by the bar.

  Liz searched all the party rooms and couldn’t find Brian anywhere. Catching sight of herself in the front hall mirror, she realized that her lip gloss was gone. I’ll duck into Cameron’s room, she thought. The lines for the bathrooms are way too long.

  Liz opened the door and walked into the quiet hall that led to the bedrooms. Emma was asleep in hers, so she tiptoed quietly. She carefully opened the door to Cameron’s bedroom and took a step inside. Then she stepped out quickly.

  Cameron was in there. On the bed. Making out.

  With Brian!

  “Oh, my God!” shrieked Adrienne, who had just come up behind her.

  Liz shut the door. Adrienne opened her mouth to speak, but then turned and ran down the hall. Liz hurried after her friend. She found Adrienne pressed into a corner just past Emma’s room.

  “It’ll be okay,” Liz said softly to her friend.

  “No, it won’t,” Adrienne said, taking a deep gulp of air.

  “Don’t worry, we’ll figure out what you should do.” Liz grabbed her friend’s hand and led her back down the hall. “But you can’t hide here. If you do, Cameron will know she upset you. You have to pretend to be strong—at least for a little while.”

  Adrienne nodded and wiped her tears. She took a steadying breath. Together, they headed to the living room.

  “Okay, everyone!” Cameron appeared. She stood on a marble tabletop so people could see her. “There are limousines downstairs to take everyone, and I do mean EVERYONE, out to Vapor!” The kids roared. Vapor was the hottest club in town. Cameron had called cars to take everyone less than two blocks away. “You’re all on the list!” Cameron called. “Let’s get moving!”

  Everyone streamed out of the apartment, leaving their glasses, their half-eaten food, and a big mess behind.

  Adrienne, Parker, and Liz were the last to reach the elevator door, where Cameron was standing in one of her mother’s fl
oor-length sable-fur coats. “Come on, you guys, get in!” Cameron said cheerfully, pulling Parker into the elevator.

  Adrienne pressed her hands on the front hall table, watching Cameron. She willed herself not to cry again. She would never cry in front of Cameron.

  “Aren’t you coming?” Mimi called to Adrienne and Liz from the packed elevator.

  “Adrienne can’t come,” Cameron said. “She has to stay here and clean up this mess up.”

  “I am not cleaning up your mess!” Adrienne said.

  Cameron stepped out of the elevator. “My mess? I don’t think so. You’re the one my stepmother left in charge here tonight. I didn’t have a party. I wasn’t even home. So I think that it is your mess, isn’t it?” she said with a sneer.

  Adrienne stood aghast as Cameron slithered deep into the crowded elevator. Hiding in the back, she could see the top of Brian’s head. Adrienne wanted to scream. But all she could do was stare. At her cowering boyfriend—with Cameron.

  The elevator door closed, leaving Adrienne and Liz with the wreckage of the party.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  “you’re fired!”

  Back to the Present

  How on earth did I get into this mess? Adrienne asked herself again as she sat on the floor of Mrs. Warner’s closet. The diamonds were gone. Stolen!

  Adrienne heard the elevator open in the entry hall.

  “The building’s private security force is here,” Emma said, still standing in the closet doorway. “I think you better get up off the floor.”

  Adrienne stood and took a deep breath. Then she and Emma hurried from the bedroom into the front hall. Four security men, dressed all in black, and Reilly, the doorman, stood by Liz in the entryway.

  “Anything wrong, Miss Lewis?” Reilly asked.

  In a shaking voice, Adrienne told her story, and the security men began to search the apartment for clues.

  “Don’t worry, Miss Lewis,” Reilly said kindly. “We’ll have it all sorted out.”

  “Will you tell Mr. and Mrs. Warner?” she asked.

  “Let’s see what happens first,” he said.

  An angry buzz came from the elevator.

  “Residents downstairs,” Reilly said. He got back into the elevator and disappeared downstairs.

  “I’m going to take Emma into the kitchen,” Liz whispered to her. “Give her some milk or something.”

  “Thanks,” Adrienne said, so incredibly glad that her best friend was there.

  Once Liz and Emma left, Adrienne went into the living room. The lights were blazing as the security detail pored over the apartment. They opened all the curtains she had closed, to see if the windows had been tampered with. They were moving furniture and looking behind paintings, leaving them askew. Adrienne prayed she could put it all back in order.

  She returned to the hall, pulled out her phone, and began to dial her home number to ask her mother for advice. As the phone rang, she stared ahead into space toward the elevator.

  Adrienne watched the numbers: 9…10…11…

  There is no way it can be the Warners, she thought. It’s way too early.

  12…14…15…

  Oh, no. It is. I’m dead, she thought. She closed her phone.

  PH…DING!

  The doors of the elevator opened, and Cameron Warner stepped into the front hall.

  She was drunk—no doubt about that—but still gorgeous. Her pink organza Chanel minidress was ragged and looked like it had been splashed with something. Her Jimmy Choo shoes were ruined, but her makeup, hair, and posture were, as always, perfect.

  “Oh! Adrienne, darling!” she said, her eyes focusing. “How divine that you’re home! Run and get some pink champagne from the wine cellar—it matches my outfit, right?” Cameron reached out for support, grabbing Adrienne’s bare shoulder with an icy hand. “I am so wasted,” she said.

  She stepped out of her dress and left it on the floor, standing in the hall in her bra, stockings, and high heels.

  “Oh,” she said, smiling sweetly. “You can have that Chanel dress. Bandar threw up on it, but if you dry-clean it, it’ll probably be fine. I can’t wear it again, that’s for sure—Page Six got a picture of me in it.” She tottered down the hall toward her bedroom.

  DING!

  The elevator door suddenly opened again. Adrienne turned around. Standing there, framed in the light, were Mr. and Mrs. Warner, back early from their benefit.

  Mrs. Warner slipped her mink coat from her shoulders and silently handed the coat to her husband, who grinned stupidly. She walked across the marble floor slowly, her Manolo Blahnik heels clicking deliberately as she drew closer to where Adrienne stood. She took in the fact that the lights in the apartment were all blazing, the curtains open, and the furniture in disarray.

  “Adrienne,” Mrs. Warner said quietly, suddenly able to remember her name. Her eyes glittered as brightly as her emeralds. “I’ve had a little conversation with our security force, and it appears we have a problem. I’m not quite sure how to handle it, but I can start by saying, you’re fired.”

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  going back…and getting him back

  “Honey, you’ve been on the sofa all day. It’s almost four o’clock.” Mrs. Lewis handed Adrienne a glass of Diet Coke and sat next to her.

  Adrienne groaned. “Mom, leave me alone.” Adrienne had spent most of Sunday curled up in bed. She had refused to answer even Liz’s phone calls. She had convinced her mother to let her skip school today. She couldn’t bear seeing Brian—not yet. He hadn’t even called her, that pig!

  I can’t believe that Cam invited Brian. I can’t believe they were making out! I can’t believe he went with her and left me behind.

  She was having a hard time making sense out of this nightmare. She pulled a sofa pillow over her head.

  She heard the phone ring, and felt her mother stand to answer it.

  “Oh, hello. Yes. She is.”

  Adrienne pulled her head out from under the pillow. Her mother held the phone out to her.

  Who is it? Adrienne mouthed.

  “It sounds like a little girl.”

  Adrienne took the phone cautiously. “Hello?”

  “Where are you? You’re late. My mother will kill you, and I’m very annoyed.”

  Adrienne smiled despite herself. It was Emma.

  “Emma, I’m sorry, but I’m not coming in. Your mom fired me because of the missing diamonds.”

  “Not coming in?” Emma sounded confused. “But I want you back.” Emma paused. “I’m really tired of this endless procession of nannies. I mean, you weren’t the greatest, but you didn’t stink.”

  “I miss you, too, Emma,” Adrienne said. “But you can call me whenever you like. E-mail me your French. I’ll help you anyway.”

  “I don’t like this at all,” Emma said grimly. “I’ll figure this out. I’ll fix it.”

  I really wish you could, Adrienne thought sadly, and pulled the pillow back over her head.

  Two hours later, Adrienne was still on the sofa, staring at the wall, wondering how Brian had managed to fall for Cameron.

  The phone rang. It rang several times. Adrienne listened to it ring. She wasn’t going to answer it. She heard her mother snatch up the receiver in the kitchen.

  Suddenly her mother hurried over, her hand over the portable receiver. “It’s Mrs. Warner!” she whispered.

  Adrienne shook her head. “No.”

  Her mother thrust the phone in her hand. “Yes,” her mother said.

  Adrienne glared at her mother. “Hello?” Adrienne said hesitantly.

  “Hello, Adrienne,” Mrs. Warner chirped. “How are you doing?”

  “I’m okay,” Adrienne said, wondering why Mrs. Warner was calling.

  “Well, Adrienne, I have your check for last week, and some extra money for watching Emma the other night.”

  “Uh, thanks,” Adrienne said. She took a deep breath. “Mrs. Warner, what about the diamonds?”

  “It al
l seems to have been a bit of a misunderstanding, Adrienne. Please come by in an hour to get your money. We’ll talk then. Ciao!” She hung up.

  Adrienne quickly calculated how much money must be in that envelope. It was a lot, and she had earned it. She should get it, even if it meant seeing Cameron again. Adrienne got up from the sofa and headed for the shower.

  She was going back to 841 Fifth—for the last time.

  Adrienne arrived to find Christine Warner, elegant as always in a white Givenchy suit, standing in the middle of her living room. Her perfume filled the room, and Bisquit pranced about her feet, barking at Adrienne cheerfully, happy to see her.

  “Well, hello,” Mrs. Warner said, carefully crossing to where Adrienne stood in the doorway and taking her hand. “Adrienne,” she said emphatically, “I believe I owe you an apology.”

  Adrienne blinked. Mrs. Warner continued. “Emma really misses you, and we’d love to have you back. And we found the diamonds.”

  “Where were they?” Adrienne asked.

  Embarrassed, Mrs. Warner reached over to the small table nearby. On it was a folded copy of the New York Post.

  “Emma brought this to me this afternoon, right before I called you,” she said. “Read Page Six.”

  Adrienne opened the paper.

  Flashing Heiress Feels Fine! said the caption, and above it was a picture of Cameron standing on a tabletop, flashing her underpants to the photographer. Around her neck, wrists, and on her ears Mrs. Warner’s diamonds glittered.

  “I guess I’ll need to put a lock on my jewel cases,” Mrs. Warner said. She looked at Adrienne. “Will you come back?” Mrs. Warner handed her an envelope heavy with cash.

  These people are a nightmare. This job is hell, Adrienne thought. But the money is great, Emma’s not too bad, and if I stay, I have a chance of getting Brian back. Her mood lifted slightly. I can keep a close watch on Cameron and figure out what she’s up to.