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“As much as the next guy, I suppose.” Oz leaned against the break room wall. God, she was beautiful. Sexy. Amazing. Intelligent. Totally off-limits. “I like his early stuff best.”
“Anything he sings is phenomenal. He just has that raspy voice that pulls me right in.” Blair grabbed her personal items. “Are you going to be at Dr Talbot’s tonight?”
“Yep. Stephanie’s coming by later, but it’ll just be me and him for dinner. Unless you and Addy plan to stop by.”
Why did he hope she’d say they would?
For that matter, why had he just agreed to babysit Blair’s daughter? True that the little girl had him wrapped around her little finger, but offering to babysit crossed a line Oz didn’t cross.
Ordinarily.
So why had he?
Hadn’t he asked Stephanie to sit with Dr T and Addy so he could ask Blair to go out with him and his friends? So why had he offered to take Addy with him? Why had he changed his plans like that? To babysit? Him? Mr Playboy Confirmed Bachelor and happily so. Babysitting.
Why did
he suspect he’d babysit a dozen nights just to see that smile on Blair’s face?
“Of course we’ll be by. I want to spend as much time with Dr Talbot as possible.”
He understood. Dr T looked weaker and weaker each day. Oz suspected the older man wouldn’t be with them much longer if something didn’t give soon. He just hoped his friend lived long enough to attend the fund-raiser, to see how many people turned out to show their love and support.
“Addy and I made a banana pudding last night.” Dr T’s favorite dessert. “Do you need me to bring anything else?”
“Nope. Where are you parked?” Oz followed Blair from the break room.
Blair’s face pinched. “Actually, Reesee has my car today. Hers wouldn’t start this morning and I let her take mine to Birmingham. I caught a taxi.”
She’d taken a cab?
“You should have called me.” He pushed the elevator down button. “I’d have picked you up this morning.”
“It wasn’t that big a deal.”
“I’ll drive you home.”
He could tell she wanted to argue, but then she smiled. “Thanks. That’s a friendly thing to do.”
Friendly.
Yep, that was all he was feeling toward Blair.
Oz brought Blair to her apartment building, went with her to get Addy from her neighbor’s and hung out while they got ready to go to Dr T’s.
While Blair changed out of her uniform and took a quick shower, Addy showed him her schoolwork, read him a story and told him about her day.
Warning bells sounded in his head. Warning bells that said the scene was way too cozy, way too white picket fence and domestic for Oz Manning.
But Addy’s adoring eyes as she snuggled in his arms had him ignoring the warnings, had him breathing in the scent of her shampoo and listening to her jump from one subject to the next with lightning speed.
Of course, focusing on Addy allowed him to ignore the fact that Blair was just down the hallway. Showering. Because he definitely needed to ignore what knowing that did to him.
Oz tugged on his collar, mentally giving himself a cold shower, and took the book Addy had just run off to collect for them to read together. Reading about a patchwork elephant sounded like just the thing to keep his thoughts off Blair.
Or at least distract him enough that he could pretend to.
When they were ready, he drove them to Dr Talbot’s. Oz and Blair cooked dinner together while Addy entertained Dr T. While the pasta boiled, Oz chopped chicken breasts into strips. When done, he grilled the strips. Blair made a gallon of sweet tea, then spread garlic and butter on toast.
