family？s Park Avenue town house。 ？Let？s just do one final bag check and then we are out of here。
Ready？？
？Ready！？ Nils and Edgar screamed in unison。 They were twins and so they did pretty much
everything in unison； whether it was spilling cranberry juice on their mother？s antique ivory
silk？upholstered armchairs or screeching at the top of their lungs （probably to remind their mother
that they indeed existed）。 They were adorable in their own way； but that way was particularly hard
to see when you were responsible for wiping their various body parts and making sure they got
through the day with those body parts intact and unharmed。 And that was exactly the position in
which Vanessa found her…self。 She？d been fired from her first serious Hollywood gig as the
cinematographer onBreakfast at Fred？s； and in a moment of personal and financial desperation；
she？d signed on to be a nanny。
Also； she？d been drunk at the time。 Obviously。
It was almost too depressing to consider that two weeks ago she？d been in private rehearsals in a
major movie star？s suite in the Chelsea Hotel； doing what she loved best； and now she was in a
slightly Edwardian attic nursery in Carnegie Hill with a grape jelly stain on her Levi？s and two
snot…nosed boys somersaulting at her feet； while the movie？s stars were sunning themselves on the
beach； only a few miles away； in the Hamptons。 Not that she was much of a star…fucker； but still。
？Here we go。Tissues？？Vanessa asked。
？Yay！？ cried the twins； brandishing two Kleenex bundles。 They flung them into the
pink…and…green Lilly Pulitzer tote bag。
？Snack bags？？
？Yay！？ They whipped in two little plastic baggies f