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I put my hand over Ben’s mouth, but I could see the damage was done.
Nola was watching me with wide eyes. “You’re a klutz?” she asked, a smile spreading across her face.
I sighed. “No. I’m a professional athlete.”
“Show me your knees.”
“What?” I asked. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Show me.”
I didn’t move, so Nola took it upon herself to take the hem of my pants and push them up as much as she could. Thankfully, they bunched up just above my shin and wouldn’t go higher. Yes, my knees were currently bruised from something I’d done last week.
She inspected my shin, apparently unaware that she’d pulled my leg across her thighs and had her hands all over me. Nola was running her fingers along my skin, bending her neck to inspect me for signs of damage when Damon, Chris, Chelsea, Belle, and Luna came in with the cake. It was Luna’s seventh birthday, and she’d apparently asked for a unicorn. Chelsea had done her best, but I saw now why the debate had raged in the kitchen. The unicorn’s horn had an unusually girthy shape and a slightly mushroomed head. I would’ve probably laughed except I was too busy looking at the way they were all staring at us.
Chris pointed to my leg his mouth half-open. “Are you giving Jack a foot rub?” Chris was standing behind Luna, and he covered her eyes, ignoring the way she swatted at him. “Think of the children, you heathens.”
In my hurry to pull my leg off Nola’s lap, I kicked the table and spilled my water. It splashed straight toward me, soaking my crotch.
Nola grabbed a handful of napkins and started to reach for me.
I had vivid flashbacks to her rubbing napkins across the front of my pants the first time we’d met in the restaurant.
She paused, then grinned. “It was a joke! Don’t look at me like that.”
Everybody laughed nervously, except Luna, who cackled with delight. I was fairly sure she had no idea what was going on, but she always wanted to be the one who laughed the loudest.
I rubbed the back of my neck, then decided I hadn’t just made a run-of-the-mill mistake when I hired Nola to be Ben’s Nanny.
She was laughing along with Luna even as her cheeks were still flushed red from embarrassment. I found myself smiling along with her, once again, and knew I’d gotten myself far, far in over my head.12NolaI was reclined on Jack’s couch while Ben and Griff played in the other room. I’d just fed the two of them and offered to help them with their little art project, but they both insisted they were fine. Since the boys were practically shooing me away, I decided to FaceTime Lindsey and Luca.
She picked up, filling my phone screen with a view straight up her nostrils as she walked on a busy street in the city. I could see glimpses of Luca’s head bobbing in and out of the frame beside her.
“Ciao,” Lindsey said.
I grinned. “That’s like saying ‘goodbye,’ doofus.”
“Oh. Whatever. Did you want to Facetime to show off how adorable you look with those pigtail braids? Or—”
I self-consciously tucked my braids behind my shoulders, then gave her a look. “I was calling to get your advice, actually.”
“Oh,” she nudged Luca and said something the phone didn’t quite pick up, then the two of them found a bench somewhere and sat. Luca leaned into the frame, waving and smiling. “Those pigtails are cute Noles. Love them.”
Lindsey whacked him on the shoulder. “Why don’t you marry her, then?”
“If I married her, who would maintain the bruises on my shoulders?” he asked, rubbing him arm where she’d smacked him.
“I’m not interested, for the record,” I added.
Lindsey waved my objection away. “What advice is it you need?”
I stuck my head up over the couch, making sure the boys were out of earshot.
“Well, Jack invited me to this dinner three nights ago. I thought it went pretty well, and I don’t know. Maybe I was thinking he might actually be starting to show some interest in me. You know, beyond the whole nanny thing. But ever since the dinner he’s hardly said a word to me. The last three days I showed up to watch Ben and he basically makes sure I have what I need then rushes out the door for practice or meetings.”
Luca nodded. His eyes had narrowed to slits, and he looked at Lindsey, who nodded as well.
“What?” I asked. “What does all that nodding mean?”
Lindsey let out a sigh like she was about to explain something very simple to someone very dense. “He’s running from his feelings. This guy, he’s the strong silent type, right?”
“I guess, yeah?”
“It’s typical,” Luca said, nodding once again.
“It is,” Lindsey agreed. “The strong silent type is only afraid of one thing. Their own feelings. You need to loosen him up. Alcohol. Sex. Flirtation. Do you need more options?”
