I shook my head and laughed. At least I knew she was excited about seeing Preston again. And she wasn’t the only one. I’d spent way too much time reliving moments from yesterday. He hadn’t been at all what I’d expected—in a good way. In the best way.
Sophia skipped into the kitchen a moment later with Preston in tow. He was dressed more casually than yesterday, but he still looked nice. His shorts were fitted, but not so tight that it looked like he’d raided the women’s department. And his T-shirt stretched over the muscles of his chest, highlighting his golden skin.
“Hey.” I smiled, feeling like the atmosphere of the room had changed just by virtue of his presence.
“Hey,” he said. And we stood there for a beat, just smiling at each other until Sophia tugged on his hand.
Then Lauren cleared her throat, and I remembered she was standing there. Watching us. I started bracing myself for her comments.
“Preston, this is my associate and good friend, Lauren. Lauren, this is Preston.” I hesitated a moment, debating whether to call him the nanny.Manny?Instead, I decided to avoid the topic altogether. “He’ll be looking after Sophia for the summer.”
“Friend?” She turned to stare at me, her expression indignant. “Friend?” Her voice rose. “Girl, I’m not justafriend. I’m your best friend.”
I laughed, throwing my arm around her shoulder. “Yeah. I know.”
She turned her attention back to Preston with an appreciative glance. “Nice to meet you.” She held out her hand to shake.
“Take good care of our girl,” she said, tightening her grip on his hand. And for a minute, I felt like she was referring to me, not Sophia.
“Of course.” His voice radiated sincerity.
I saw a gleam in Lauren’s eye that I knew meant trouble. I needed to get him out of here before Lauren ran her mouth.
“Oh,” I said to Preston, rounding the island and grabbing the spare key from the drawer. “This is for you.”
I handed it to him, and our fingers brushed in the process. That simple touch had lightning racing up my arm, across my skin. And when I glanced up at him, his eyes seemed to flicker with the same surprise I felt.
“Thanks.” He added it to his key ring, and I admired the dexterity of his long fingers. “I’ll go through the gate.”
“Can I help?” Sophia asked, practically jumping up and down.
“Soph, I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” I said at the same time Preston said, “Of course.”
He chuckled, placing a hand on her shoulder. “It’s fine, really. I didn’t bring much, and this will allow you to get back to your meeting.”
“Are you sure?” I asked.
I hadn’t expected him to start working until tomorrow morning. And while I didn’t want him to feel like I was taking advantage, I appreciated the offer.
“Absolutely.” He turned to Sophia. “Come on, princess. You can help me organize my clothes.”
“Really?” she practically shrieked, and I watched them disappear toward the front door.
“Mm. Mm. Mm,” Lauren said after they’d gone. “Girl, he is foine.”
I laughed nervously, feeling my cheeks heat. Was my attraction completely obvious?
“It’s okay,” she said. “I’m not going to judge. You can admit it—you were totally checking him out. He has a good ass. And face. And, well, pretty much everything.”
I laughed, this time a more genuine one. “He’s the nanny. Manny?” I shrugged. “I don’t know what to call him.”
“I think he’d let you call him whatever you want.” She arched an eyebrow. “Because boy, is he into you.”
“He is not,” I responded quickly, too quickly, and my cheeks flushed with heat. Though, really, I wanted to know. Was he? “And besides, he’s just a boy.”
“Handsome, hardworking, and he calls your daughter princess.” She held her hand to her heart and pretended to swoon.
“Okay,” I said, grabbing her bicep and picking her up off the floor. “I think we’re done here.”
