Ghosts (A Christian Yelich Story)

Chapter Seventy-Eight: Mexican Food

When I woke up, Annie wasn't next to me. I rolled out of bed naked and threw my clothes on as quickly as possible. I stopped in the bathroom to fix my hair with my hands and then made my way downstairs.

Annie's family was sitting around the table eating a big breakfast. "Hey, sleepyhead. Have a seat," Annie's mom welcomed me. "I'll make you up a plate."

"Thank you, Mrs. Delaney," I said politely.

"You can call me Nora, sweetheart." She chuckled as she got up from her seat. I took my place next to Annie – directly across from Sarah and Zach.

"So, you two had a fun night, huh?" Sarah started. "Like, super fun. Very . . . bouncy."

Zach laughed while Annie's dad, Charlie, rolled his eyes and told the pair to "not start anything."

"Yeah, it was pretty great," Annie mused, which caused Sarah to blush. I laughed and placed my hand on Annie's thigh underneath the table. She smiled at me sweetly.

"So, Annie, mom thinks I should spend the summer in Malibu with you before I head off to college," Sarah informed the table. "She thinks it would be, and I quote, 'a great learning experience.'"

Nora put a plate with generous portions of eggs, bacon, potatoes, and toast in front of me. She topped it off with a glass of orange juice. "I said it's something you should consider, Annie. It might be nice to have a family member around when you and Christian can't be together. Things are going to get more difficult when you get later into this pregnancy."

"It's okay, mom. I have Hannah and our new nanny, Andrew. I think I'll be able to manage the pregnancy. I mean, Sarah, you're welcome to stay for the summer, but I'd expect you to get a job of some sort before we ship you off to college in New York."

"I'm okay with that," Sarah agreed. "I graduate a month from today, and I'll fly out to Los Angeles right after. I'll look for an internship or temp job now."

"Sounds like a plan," Annie finished. "Speaking of our nanny, he gets into Milwaukee today. I'm going to show him around the city and take him to the game tonight and then Christian's going to get a chance to meet him and spend some time with him after his game on Sunday."

"Are you looking forward to meeting him?" Zach asked Christian.

"Yeah. I'm sure he's good. Annie picked him out."

"Are you guys afraid baby Eloise is going to eventually call the nanny daddy because you're so busy?" Zach asked both me and Annie.

Annie shook her head. "No, I plan on being as present as possible."

"Same," I added.

"Will you be in Milwaukee more? It would be nice if you were in Milwaukee more," Zach added.

"I plan on staying here whenever I'm not working and the MLB season is in action." Annie sounded a little flustered and worried, so I squeezed her thigh while I continued to eat my breakfast. "We're going to get a house here."

"That's wonderful, Annie Banannie. Do you want me and your mother to look for you? Anywhere in particular you'd like to live?"

Annie nodded. "It would be great if you could take a look. I want to be in the city – preferably around here and close to you. I'd love to be near the lake and green spaces."

"We'll keep an eye out," Norah said.

"Thanks, mom."

***

I was taking the nanny, Andrew, for dinner without Annie. I was actually a little nervous, and I couldn't figure out why.

He was staying at the Westin downtown, so I offered to pick him up. He was ready to go when I pulled up to the hotel doors. "Hey, Christian," he greeted me when getting into the passenger seat of my car.

"Hey, man, nice to finally meet you," I said, offering him my hand to shake. He responded with a firm grip. My first impression was that he was much more attractive than I was expecting – tall with an athletic build. He wouldn't look out of place on a professional baseball team.

"How are you liking Milwaukee?" I asked him as we drove to Walker's Point.

"What I've seen is pretty great. Annie took me to the lakefront yesterday, and Miller Park was really cool. Definitely an upgrade from Dodger's Stadium.

"Yeah, it's a super nice park. So, I know this whole situation is a little awkward. Annie loves you already, but now you have to sorta prove yourself to me or whatever. I just want to make sure you're doing this for the right reasons. So, first question, do you think Annie is hot?"

Andrew chuckled and shook his head. "Annie is objectively an attractive person – inside and out, but I don't want to sleep with her. I think that's what you're trying to get at. I already think of her as a friend."

I nodded. "I know it's an insecure question, but it's likely you'll get to spend more time with her than me, you know? You'll be living with us, so I have to ask. Our relationship is still new, and we already have a lot of stuff to deal with."

"I just want to be good friends with both of you, so I can help with Eloise as much as possible. I'm not here for the celebrity lifestyle. I'm a pretty big homebody, actually." He seemed honest. For whatever reason, I was trusting his answers. Maybe it was his calm demeanor.

"This is a pretty non-traditional career path for a dude. Why nannying?"

"I was a teacher and living paycheck to paycheck. This seemed like a good option. I can still have a positive impact in a kid's life and support myself."

"Fair," I said as we pulled into a parking spot.

"Do you like Mexican food?" I asked him.

"Love it," he responded.

"Cool. We'll probably be okay then."