The Au Pairs (The Au Pairs 1)

"Huh?"

"Time to go to the bathroom." Mara yawned.

One morning Mara had discovered Zoe drenched up to her neck in her own pee. No one in the household seemed to know

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or care--least of all her stepmother--that the six-year-old was still wetting the bed. The kid was ruining five-hundred-threadcount Frette sheets by the day. She had also developed an itchy rash on her legs from her nightly emissions. Mara couldn't believe that the girl hadn't been potty trained. So after picking up a well- thumbed copy of Dr. Spock from Bookhampton, every night at midnight Mara stole into the kid's room and walked her to the bathroom. Zoe still couldn't believe it when she woke up in the morning to dry sheets. Mara was a miracle worker.

"I'm done, Mara," Zoe called from the bathroom. She flushed the toilet and walked back to her bed.

"Maybe next time you won't need me to wake you up," Mara said hopefully.

Zoe nodded. Whatever Mara said, Zoe was starting to believe.

Mara closed the door and walked out to the landing just in time to see Ryan Perry walk out of his room, fully dressed to go out. His hair was still wet from the shower, and he smelled like Ivory soap and cologne. He was wearing a linen sweater and dark jeans. Mara thought he could not look any cuter.

"Hey," he said. They hadn't seen much of each other since the first night. He had apologized about missing the Scrabble game, citing a friend in a broken-down Jeep as his excuse.

"Hi," Mara said, wishing she was wearing something other than a plaid robe, bunny slippers, and a ragged nightshirt that read I ONLY SLEEP WITH THE BEST! in big pink bubble letters.

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"Cute shirt." He grinned. "Is it true?"

"My sister gave it to me for my birthday when I was eleven," Mara said, embarrassed.

"Kids being a pain?" Ryan asked.

"No, I thought Zoe buzzed the intercom. But she's asleep. What are you up to?" Mara didn't want to blow up Zoe's spot, even if she was only six.

"My friends are dragging me out," he said, cracking his neck. "Some party to save babies; I don't remember."

"At Trupin Castle?"

"Yeah." His face lit up. "You going?"

She laughed, looking down at her slippers. "Does it look like I am?"

His smile faded a little. "Do you want to come? I'm sure it won't be a problem."

She shook her head. "No, I'm fine, really."

"Next time, then."

"Sure."

Mara walked back to the cottage, wondering if she should have taken Ryan up on his offer, and found Jacqui sitting on the front steps, looking dejected. "What happened? Where's Luca?"

"He canceled," Jacqui said. "I sat out there in front waiting for him for an hour, and he just called and said he was too tired."

"I'm sorry."

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"I feel like going out, though. Esta una noite bonita. Don't you?"

"I'm in pajamas," Mara pointed out.