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I climb behind the wheel and start the car.
“Now, press on the brake.”
I do.
“Alright. You’re all set.” He slams my trunk closed.
I get out and walk around the car as he climbs behind the wheel. “Thank you.”
He waves me off as he pulls on his seatbelt. “It was nothing.”
“Lincoln?”
He freezes when he hears me call his name. Slowly, he turns his head back to me. His blue eyes move up, locking on mine. They darken as they grow hooded, reminding me so much of the night we spent together. For the first time since realizing we’re neighbors, he’s not looking at me like he hates me. He’s looking at me like he did that night in the club. He’s looking at me like he wants me, and it sucks the air from my lungs as my mouth suddenly goes dry.
I take a deep breath trying to reign in my lust.
“Really, thank you for helping me. A shop probably would’ve charged me seventy-five bucks for that.”
He doesn’t reply. He just nods before shifting into reverse.
He starts rolling backward so I step onto the sidewalk, and watch him as he drives away from me. When he’s no longer in sight, I climb behind the wheel and make the drive to the daycare, happy that I was scheduled to come in at nine this morning.
After my encounter with Lincoln today, I’ve been excited to see him when he comes in to pick up his daughter. I’ve spent the day thinking about our situation from every possible angle. I’ve now convinced myself that he doesn’t hate me, even if he wants to. The night we spent together was amazing, for him as well. The problem is that he has a little girl to worry about. He can’t just jump into a relationship because if it fails, it doesn’t just fail him but Ava too. He keeps people at arms length to protect her. Now that I think I understand it, I want to honor it and I will honor it. But I need to let him know that we can forget the night we had together. We can leave it in the past and start over. He doesn’t need to avoid me. From here on out, I’m just his next door neighbor and the woman who works at his daughter’s daycare. The only problem is that he doesn’t come in to pick up Ava so I have to save my speech for another day.
* * *
I’ve just gotten out of the shower when I hear someone knocking on the front door. With Ana being gone at work, I wrap my towel around myself before rushing to answer it. I pull it open, finding Lincoln and Ava on the other side. His eyes nearly pop from his head as he looks me up and down. Ava, being completely innocent, smiles and waves from her dad’s arms.
I’m in shock as I stand before him, soaking wet and only covered in a towel. And he must be in shock too, because it feels like a whole minute passes before neither of us have said a word. His mouth is practically hanging open.
“Can I help you?” I ask, tugging my towel up a little higher on my chest.
He shakes his head, almost like he needs to clear it. “I’m sorry to bother you, but I was hoping that maybe you could come over and babysit Ava for a few hours. I just got called back into work. The daycare is obviously closed and my mom, who I usually go to in moments like these, is out of town. I can pay you?—”
“No, no you don’t have to pay me. Of course I can come and sit with her,” I reply, cutting him off. “Just let me get dressed and I’ll be over.”
He nods and offers up a tight smile. “Okay, thanks.” His eyes take me in once more before he turns and walks away.
I smile to myself as I run to my room to get some clothes on. I rake a brush through my hair quickly and pull it into a messy bun. Then I dress in a pair of cotton shorts and a t-shirt. I pull on some socks and slide my feet into some slides. Grabbing my phone and keys, I lock up behind me and head across the yard.
My heart is racing by the time I’m on his front porch. Part of me can’t wait to see the inside of his house, the other is frantically playing out every possible scenario in my head. I raise my fist and knock on the wooden door. The glass panels are frosted, so I can’t see if he’s approaching, but it’s pulled open a moment later.
“Come in,” he says, opening the door but turning and walking away as he is pulling on all the pieces of his uniform. I follow him in.
“I should be home by eleven at the latest. Ava is already eating dinner.” He points to the little girl who’s sitting at the coffee table with some pizza, watching cartoons. “She’ll need a bath. She’s old enough she can wash off, but she needs help with her hair and I don’t like to leave her in the room alone for safety.” His fingers are busy buttoning up the shirt of his uniform.
I nod.
“After her bath, she’ll want a snack and I try to give her healthy options to keep her away from sugar so late at night. There’s fruit, yogurt, and crackers she can have. After her snack, she’ll need help brushing her teeth and then she goes to bed at eight. Tuck her in and read her a story. She’ll try and get you to read two, but don’t fall for it. She has a nightlight in there and I like to leave her door cracked. Got it?” He’s now tucking the shirt into his pants. Once it’s smoothed out, he fastens his belt. Part of me wishes he was doing these things in reverse.
“Got it.”
“I left my cell number on the kitchen table. If for some reason you can’t get ahold of me, I left my mom’s too for emergencies.” He puts his hand on my shoulder and it causes my stomach to tighten. His blue eyes meet mine. “Thank you for doing this. I would never ask normally. It’s just that you already work at her daycare so I know she’s comfortable with you.”
I nod, swallowing my desire. “It’s not a problem. Go.”
He nods, his hand falling away as he rushes from the room, leaving us alone. I look over at Ava. She doesn’t even seem to notice me as she’s shoveling her food into her mouth, eyes glued to the TV. “It’s just you and me, Ava.” I plop down on the couch. “What are we going to do with the evening?”
