Lauren hesitates when her MIL offers free childcare, but the high cost of daycare forces her to agree. Everything seems fine… until Kelly “accidentally” breaks the nanny cam.
Suspicious, Lauren checks the audio and hears a secret meeting — proof that Kelly has been up to no good.
I stared at the numbers on my laptop screen.
My maternity leave was ending soon, and no matter how I ran the numbers, the cheapest childcare option was still out of reach.
“If only that place near the mall still had space,” I muttered.
“I still don’t understand why you want to waste money on daycare when I can watch this little angel for free,” Kelly, my MIL, chimed in.
She peered over my shoulder as she swayed baby Lily in her arms. “Those prices are ridiculous!”
My jaw clenched involuntarily.
From the moment Jordan had introduced us six years ago, his mother had made it clear no woman would ever be good enough for her precious son.
The passive-aggressive comments about my cooking and the cleanliness of my house were already too much to bear. I had no desire to give her an opening to become overbearing about Lily, too.
“I don’t know…” I replied hesitantly.
Kelly tutted. “It’s simple, Lauren.
Just say ‘yes.’”
I looked at my beautiful daughter sleeping peacefully in Kelly’s arms. “I’ll think about it, Kelly.”
When I discussed Kelly’s offer with my husband that evening, he thought it was the perfect solution.
“I know you two have had your differences,” Jordan said. “But she raised me just fine, didn’t she?
And it doesn’t have to be a permanent arrangement. You said that woman from the daycare center you liked would contact you when they had an opening, right?”
I nodded. “Okay.
We’ll have Kelly watch Lily for now.”
“But you have to ensure she understands we want her to follow normal babysitting rules, okay? Even if she is family. No guests, no extended phone calls, no afternoon glasses of wine,” I added.
“If I tell her, it’ll probably start a fight.”
“I’ll tell her.” Jordan leaned over to kiss my cheek. “Don’t worry, babe. I’m sure everything will be fine.”
And he was right.
It was fine… at first.
For the first week, I got a steady stream of updates from Kelly on how well Lily ate and slept, how her mild diaper rash was doing, and photos of their walks in the park. I’d come home from work to find dinner waiting and the house tidier than I’d left it.
Maybe this arrangement could work after all.
“Thank you for everything this week,” I said sincerely that Friday. “It’s been a huge weight off our shoulders.”
Kelly smiled, her eyes never leaving Lily’s face.
“Being a grandmother is the greatest joy of my life. I should be thanking you.”
I was ready to put all my doubts behind me until the nanny cam incident.
When I got home on Thursday evening, Kelly was standing in the kitchen, nervously wiping her hands on her pants. Her smile seemed forced, her eyes not quite meeting mine.
“How was your day?” she asked too brightly.
“Fine,” I replied slowly, setting down my bag.
The story doesn’t end here — it continues on the next page.
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