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I ignored that reminder of how young she was—so young she had to Google the Tasmanian Devil—and gestured to my son. “Uncanny, right?”
She laughed, and I explained, “He doesn’t talk much. When he does, most of it won’t make sense to you until you start to understand his vernacular. He’s in weekly speech therapy. Or, I should say, it’s supposed to be weekly, but with how everything’s been going lately, I haven’t been able to keep up with it very well. Which is why you’re here.”
“Does he sign?”
“Like ASL?” I asked, and when she nodded, I said, “No. Why? Do you?”
“I’ve picked up a few words here and there, but I know a lot of kids who struggle verbally sometimes do really well communicating with ASL.”
“It’s never something we tried.”
“Well…” She held her hand out to Finn. “Want to show me around your house?”
He took her hand and pulled her into the hallway.
“You don’t have to do anything tonight,” I told her, following them downstairs. “You don’t officially start until tomorrow. I figured you’d want to get settled.”
“I’m settled enough. Besides, there are so many things I want to know. Right, Finn?”
When we landed in the living room, she plopped down in the middle of the mess with my son and righted his glasses. “I need to know so much about you. Like your favorite animal and color and toy. So much we have to talk about, huh?”
Finn didn’t answer, of course, but he did hand her a stuffed horse while he held a plastic zebra.
“Ooh, you want to play zoo? I used to love going to the zoo when I was a kid.”
I watched them for a few moments, Kennedy rambling sweetly while Finn played silently, and I found myself grinning.
Maybe this would work out after all.
Lack of transportation, notwithstanding.
FIVE
KENNEDY
Finn was a wild animal. And an amazing little boy. Funny and full of energy, he never spent more than a few minutes on one thing before he was on to the next. I knew I’d have my hands full with him and that I’d really have to get creative in finding ways to keep him in line and on track, while still allowing him freedom to expend all that horsepower.
Liam had ordered pizza for dinner, and we’d sat at the small kitchen table, chatting a bit about what exactly had happened with that viral video. He’d said he had prepared for a long time and that he was really disappointed those ten seconds of bad timing took over the whole interview. I’d told him the upside was he looked great and now the country knew he was a wonderful and patient father. He’d frowned at me and explained the downside, that it apparently wasn’t great for an academic to have his face plastered everywhere for being hot as opposed to being smart.
A shame. Because he had a great face.
Prior to moving in, I had spent a good amount of time Googling Liam and learned he’d grown up in Boston and attended American University in DC for undergrad then received his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania. I was never big on academics, but if my teachers had looked and sounded like Liam O’Neil, I might have been more interested.
He was tall, over six feet, with a head of caramel-colored curls and blue eyes that could be both inquisitive and kind. Like he was interested in knowing everything about the world around him, but he also didn’t hold grudges. He was slow to smile, so when he did, his mouth would pull lazily at the right corner until his lips finally parted, revealing two rows of perfect teeth. I’d had braces as a kid, and even my teeth weren’t that straight.
I could only conclude he had really good genes.
Finn was dark-haired but had a smile like his dad, slightly crooked and so addictive. I wondered what his mother was like—and what the story was with her and Liam, although I didn’t think I knew him well enough yet to ask. I kept my questions to Finn and my new job, which I believed I could really excel at, despite my lack of experience.
I knew Liam had taken a chance by hiring me, and I didn’t want to let him down. Let alone myself.
So when he called my name in thattone, I immediately went on high alert. This voice let me know that underneath that charming and handsome professor front, he was stone.
I’d only been on the job for a few hours, and already, I was in trouble.
“I need to talk to you,” he said from the top of the first staircase, his eyebrows narrowed, his hands on his trim hips.
“Okay.” I smiled at Finn and made sure he was occupied with jamming on a plastic drum set. I could feel Liam’s sharp gaze on me as I took my time crossing the living room and up the six steps to where the kitchen and dining room were laid out with the second set of steps up to the top floor. That was where Liam stood, holding an orange prescription bottle.
