“Not everyone here is treating me like dirt,” Parker said. “Maybe there are some people in this town who are able to see past all this glitter and drama and actually behave like friends.”
“You see!” Liz said. “Welcome to the real world, Parker.”
Parker grinned. “I only said maybe. I haven’t actually decided if my theory is true or not.”
Liz shook her head, laughing. “Well, at least it’s a start!”
“You know,” Mimi said, coming up from behind Adrienne, “I really owe you for this one.”
Adrienne smiled and turned to face Mimi. “I’d say we both contributed to tonight’s success. After all, I had my own reasons to want to out Graydon and Cameron as the evil duo. Maybe now they’ll stop.”
“Let’s hope so,” Mimi said. “Cameron has been trying to make me look bad for years. She’s so jealous that I’m a princess, because it’s something she can never be. She’ll do just about anything to make me look dreadful. It’s wearisome.”
“If you’re a princess, does that mean your father is a king?” Adrienne asked.
Mimi smiled patiently. “No,” she replied. “It just means that once, very long ago, our family ruled a very small part of a piece of land that became part of Austria.”
“When?” Adrienne asked. “Like, in the eighteenth century?” She was studying that period in her history class.
“No,” Mimi said, “like, in the ninth.”
Adrienne smiled. “Seems like a long time to hold up a reputation.”
“Believe me, it is.”
“Speaking of reputations, I’m going to go salvage mine,” Adrienne said. “I’m going to find Graydon.”
“Good luck,” Mimi said. She moved through the crowd, head high. Adrienne was glad to see the swarm of guests who hadn’t been very welcoming at the beginning of the evening stopping to talk to her.
Now if I were a pair of humiliated, spoiled brats, where would I be? Adrienne wondered. Trying to get to my limo!
Adrienne scurried down the hall to the doors. She spotted Cameron and Graydon huddled by a column. They looked as if they were trying to become invisible. Luckily for them, everyone was still upstairs, gossiping about what had just happened.
Adrienne smiled and walked up to them.
“Leaving so soon?” she asked.
Graydon looked at her, pained. Cameron stared past her as if she weren’t there.
“I think you two owe a lot of people apologies,” Adrienne said.
“We’ll never apologize to you,” Cameron snapped.
“I wouldn’t expect you to,” Adrienne said. “The way you treated Parker—that was really shameful. I hope you two learn a lesson from how you both get treated in the next few weeks.”
“If I ever figure out how you did this,” Cameron said, “I will get even with you.”
“How, Cam?” Adrienne asked. “Will you ruin my reputation?”
“You don’t even have a reputation,” Cameron said. “You’re already nothing in this town.”
“I’m really sick of your threats,” Adrienne said. “And guess what? After tonight, my reputation trumps yours any day!”
Cameron shot Adrienne a withering stare, but then crumpled. She leaned against the pillar and shut her eyes, as if she believed that if she couldn’t see anyone, no one could see her.
“Oh, and Graydon?” Adrienne said. “Just so you’re clear? I was onto your little bet all along. I was just playing with you to see how far you would take it.”
“Sure you were, nanny,” Graydon scoffed.
“I guess you’ll never know for sure, will you?” Adrienne taunted. “And you know what—I wonder what would happen to your success as a ladies’ man if it got around that you couldn’t even make time with the high-school nanny.”
“Shut up,” Graydon snapped.
“Oooh, clever,” Adrienne said.
Cameron’s eyes popped open. “You are so fired.”
“I don’t think so,” Adrienne said. “How happy do you think Christine is going to be when she hears how you two trashed the family? After all her hard work to try to make the Warners respectable? She is definitely not going to fire me on your say-so.”
“I said shut up!” Graydon shouted.
“Who knows? This could even get you cut out of the family fortune all together.” Adrienne doubted this was true, but she was on such a role, she couldn’t bear to stop.
At those words, Cameron and Graydon both looked stricken. Cameron’s already pale complexion went ashen, and Graydon’s mouth hung open.
Graydon’s cell beeped, indicating that his driver had arrived at the library. Graydon snapped open his phone. “Side entrance,” he ordered. “Now!”
“Ta-ta!” Adrienne called, as Graydon and Cameron raced down the hall.
She pulled her cell out of her tiny evening purse. “Emma,” she said when the little girl answered, “you did great. Mission accomplished!”
Liz stepped into the ladies’ room. She and Parker had found a quiet corner and kissed all of her lipstick off. She wanted to freshen her makeup in case any of the photographers snapped her.
She stood at the sink and applied the deep rose lipstick when Adrienne burst into the room.
“We did it!” Adrienne squealed. She threw her arms around Liz, and together they jumped up and down.
They pulled apart and grinned at each other.
“Congratulations!” Liz said. “You really pulled it off. And those two really had it coming.”
“Amazing.” Adrienne burst into giddy peals of laughter. “You know, I felt a little guilty at first about embarrassing them that way. But when I realized how many people they were hurting—”
“Total no-brainer,” Liz said firmly. “It was the right thing to do.”
“I need to get Emma a big present,” Adrienne said. “But what do you give the girl who has everything? Literally!”
“You know, Parker’s dad knows lots of TV people,” Liz said. “Maybe Parker can set up a visit to the CSI-New York set.”
Adrienne’s eyes widened. “Brilliant! That is the best.” She gave Liz another hug, then stepped back. “So how is Parker?”
Liz smiled a slow, satisfied smile.
“I know that look,” Adrienne said. “Your plan worked. He’s actually handling real life!”
Liz nodded. “I think he’s really beginning to get it. At least he’s willing to give it a shot.”
“That is so great!”
Liz looked at her friend in the mirror. “How are you really? I mean, I know you’re totally psyched over what just happened, but you were so into—”
Adrienne cut her off. “Don’t even say his name.”
“So…are you okay?”
Liz watched Adrienne swallow hard. “I’m still getting used to it,” Adrienne admitted. “But it’s not like I’m mooning over him—wishing we could get back together. You know what? Red-hot anger takes away a lot of the heartache.”
“That’s good,” Liz said.
“And I really am glad that things are working out with Parker,” Adrienne said.
Liz shrugged. “For now. He’s pretty unpredictable. In another week, I could be as single as you are now!”
“You know, Liz,” Adrienne said, as the two friends walked arm and arm back into the library, “I’ve been thinking…”
“About what?” Liz asked.
Adrienne sighed. “Well, since the whole Graydon thing blew up, I’ve realized that I’m happy with my friends, with my family—at least most of the time—and with school. What makes me really unhappy is being around the Warners. So…”
“So what?” Liz asked, her eyes widening.
“So, I’m going to quit working for the Warners.”
“No!” Liz said.
“Yes.” Adrienne said firmly. “I’d rather work at a Dairy Queen than go into that snake trap again.”
“What about Emma?”
“Emma will be fine without me. She’s smarter than all the adult
s in her life,” Adrienne said.
“You know that the COW will just offer you more money, and you’ll cave,” Liz teased.
“No way. Not this time,” Adrienne said. “I’m a whole lot better person than they are. I’m worth too much to sell myself for so little.”
“You know,” Liz said, “you’re awfully smart.”
“I know.” Adrienne grinned. “So are you except for this babysitting hang-up you have. If it weren’t for that, we could go into business together.”
“Design shoes,” Liz said.
“Hand-paint furniture,” Adrienne responded.
“Mix lip glosses,” Liz countered.
“We could do anything, together.” Adrienne smiled. “Come on, Liz, you know you’re too good for them.”
“I wish I could,” Liz said, “but I just like Heather and David way too much to leave…just yet.”
“Soon. Soon,” Adrienne predicted.
“Who knows?” Liz said. “But now I’m going to race you to the dance floor. The DJ is really hot tonight!”
About the Author
VICTORIA ASHTON was born in New York and attended an elite private school. She has worked and played with the rich and famous and has seen it all—the good, the bad, and the completely outrageous. Victoria divides her time among New York City, the Hamptons, and London. She is also the author of CONFESSIONS OF A TEEN NANNY and RICH GIRLS.
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Credits
Cover art © 2006 by Izak
Copyright
CONFESSIONS OF A TEEN NANNY #3: JUICY SECRETS. Copyright © 2006 by Parachute Publishing, L.L.C. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
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