It was strange that the thought didn't occur to me. I could, but I needed the flexibility for auditions, and the money was too good here. There were also two huge reasons why it would be a bad idea, and they both had shiny dark hair and big blue eyes.
“And give up all this?” I laughed and gestured to the restaurant with a dramatic sweep of my arm. “Speaking of which, do you need to go to thecellar?” I patted the stack of boxes. Sasha shook her head.
"Too close to opening. Theresa?" she called, and one of the servers whipped around and raised her eyebrows.
"Do you need to go to thecellar?”
“Not right this second. Give me twenty minutes?”
I nodded and shoved the boxes between the ice machines where they would stay until I had an escort to the compactor downstairs when an idea hit me.
"Hey, Theresa, you're part-time, right?"
“Unfortunately, yes. It’s great for auditions, but I am so broke. I’ve been dying for more shifts. Why?”
I took a deep breath and blew it out. "My neighbor is looking for a nanny, and I told him I'd ask around." I tried to sound nonchalant, but suddenly my heart was racing.
“Oh, I love kids. How many? How old?”
"One. The baby is about eighteen months."
"Aww. Sounds perfect. Is your neighbor a single dad?"
“Um, something like that.”
"Is he cute?" She waggled her eyebrows playfully, and I felt my neck heat up. I'd just realized that Theresa was cute. She was beautiful with strawberry blonde hair that she kept tucked up in a messy bun. She had a sun-kissed complexion and huge green eyes.
"Yeah," crooned Sasha, "is he?" Her lips curled into a half-smile, and she was fluttering her eyelashes. I narrowed my eyes at her.
“I don’t know.” I hoped it didn’t sound as harsh as it felt. “I don’t really pay attention.”
"Well, sure. I'd love to meet with your neighbor to see if I'd be a good fit." Theresa's response was perfectly logical and innocent, but for some reason, I didn't like the sound of her being agood fitfor Cole and CJ.
"Do you have any experience taking care of kids and babies?" I focused my attention on Theresa because I could feel Sasha's eyes burning a hole in the side of my face.
"Um, yeah, lots." Theresa shrugged. "My mom remarried when I was ten and had three more kids, so lots of experience there. Plus, I babysat all through high school."
“Are you CPR certified?”
She flicked a quick glance at Sasha before answering. "Yes, I was a lifeguard in high school, so I had to be, and I renew my certification every year…which includes infant CPR," she added quickly.
“Do you smoke?”
“No, I don’t smoke…anything. I won’t drink while I’m working, throw wild parties, or sneak my boyfriend in to make out on the couch while the baby sleeps.” She laughed and gave me a strange, inquiring look.
A hot flush crept up my neck and into my cheeks. "Well, I just wanted to ask. I told my neighbor I'd help him find someone so…"
"Great. I'll give you my number, and you can have him call me." She scribbled her name and number on a napkin and slid it across the bar. "Once I finish filling the condiment trays, we can head to the cellar."
I nodded and watched her walk into the dining room.
“What the hell was that?” Sasha asked me.
“What was what?” I grabbed a towel to wipe down the bar. She put her hand over mine.
“You already did that.” She snatched the rag from me. “And I’m talking about theLaw & Order: SVU-style interrogation just now. I'm surprised you didn't ask for her references and fingerprint her. Do you want me to help you track down her third-grade teacher?"
"Shut up." I glared at her. She'd tucked her lips between her teeth, and eyes were twinkling. She was trying so hard not to laugh; I could see her chest jerking in tiny spasms. I rolled my eyes and burst out laughing. Sasha erupted, and we were both laughing.
