Free Gettin' Lucky (Love and Laughter) by Kimberly Raye

touched her arm, just the slightest pressure that indicated she should turn and go the opposite way down the hall.
    “Yes, I’ll just go see about Bernadette.” She retreated, leaving Tyler to deal with his mother-in law while she fixed every ounce of mental energy on keeping her balance and finding Bernadette’s room.
    Neither proved very easy, but finally, after a few directions from Mabel and an occasional wobble. Lucky found the pink wallpapered room. The feminine decor went no farther than the walls, however. A double bed draped with a thick orange and white quilt dominated the room and Lucky wished she’d thought to grab sunglasses out of the cab. Maybe she could charge Tight Tush extra for eyestrain.
    The thought stayed with her as she scanned the rest of the room. A pair of huge black rubber boots flanked one side of the closet, the soles caked in dried mud. A desk occupied another corner. Schoolbooks lay scattered across the top. Lucky thought she saw beige carpet beneath the mess of clothes on the floor. Overall, the entire room looked as if a tornado had whipped through.
    Or the very sulky-looking girl who sprawled on a lime- green beanbag chair, her eyes glued to a handheld Nintendo game. She had dark hair the exact shade as her father’s, but hers was slightly longer and pulled into a haphazard ponytail. A bleep sounded and she frowned, her expression exactly the same as one Tyler would have worn. Her features were softer, more delicate, her complexion several shades lighter than her father’s, but otherwise the resemblance was eerie.
    “Bernadette?”
    The girl didn’t spare her a glance.
    “I’m Luck—retia. Did your father mention me?”
    The girl let out a heavy sigh. “The name’s Bennie. B-E-N-N-I-E,” she spelled. “And you’re another one of the agency nannies. A fill-in until the permanent nanny arrives to replace Miss Walker who left unexpectedly. Though I’m not supposed to mention any of that to my grandmother. As far as she’s concerned, you’re the permanent nanny. Grandmother would have a fit if she thought I’d scared another one away.”
    So Bennie didn’t know about the con-artist nanny. That would make things harder, because she expected Lucky to act like a real nanny. To be the nanny.
    Lucky cleared her throat and did her best Fran Drescher imitation. “Well, your grandmother’s here and your dad wants us front and center.”
    Bennie shook her head. “You can report for duty. I’m not going anywhere.”
    “But your grandmother came a long way to see you.” Lucky pushed aside some of the clothes covering the bed and sat down. Sighing, she slid her feet free of the heels. Her toes launched into a chorus of “Born Free.” “Don’t you want to see her?”
    “Sure I do, but like I told Dad and Mabel, I’m not wearing that.” Bennie stuck her nose up at a white lace dress that lay several feet away.
    “That...that’s something, all right.” It really was a beautiful dress, and that was the trouble. It was too pretty. A hands-off dress, the kind you wore for really special occasions, not the sort of dress you could really breathe in. Lucky was getting claustrophobic just looking at it.
    “I want to wear jeans and I don’t see why I can’t.”
    “But tonight isn’t just any night. Your dad’s trying to make a good impression on your grandmother.”
    Bennie rolled her eyes. “But I look awful in that and it’s itchy and Grandmother would have a fit if I started scratching myself at the dinner table. One time I burped and she almost had a heart attack.”
    Lucky caught a giggle with her hand and pretended to cough. “Well, can’t you just scratch discreetly?” Bennie seemed to give the idea some thought. “I’ll make you a deal,” Lucky went on, trying to tip the scales in her favor. “When you start to itch, you just wink at me. I’ll distract your grandmother and let you get in a few good scratches. She’ll never know.” When Bennie stayed silent.