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Thinking about it for a moment, it was true that she had more money than he did. Why was he fighting it?
“I don’t want to get into the habit of taking from you all the time.”
“When did you ever take anything? You pay me well to nanny. It’ll even out in the end, okay? Just relax. I can’t wait to sit on a balcony overlooking the beach with a cup of coffee.”
“Okay, well, I guess if you put it that way, it makes sense. I can’t wait, too.”
Silence for a while gave them a chance to regroup. “It’s great the way you take care of Violet,” she said. “When we’re together, you don’t give her care over to me. I’d be more than willing to share with you, but you don’t assume I’ll do it because I’m the nanny. You’re a good dad.”
“Thanks, but I haven’t even had her a month yet. You can reevaluate in a year or two,” he said with a grin. “Plus, I’m away from her for, like, three days at a time.”
“It’s not like you’re out partying though. You’re working at a demanding job.”
“Lead the way,” he said, wanting to change the subject. The praise had started to grind a little bit.
“Don’t try to change the subject,” she said, laughing.
“It’s just that being one of six boys meant not getting a lot of attaboys, and I’m not used to it.”
“I thought all guys like to be worshiped.”
“Oh. I didn’t know that was what you were doing. Continue on, then.”
“Ha! I want to go to that place,” she said, pointing. It was a timeworn adobe building with a faded red tile roof, one of the few from the nineteen forties that had escaped demolition.
“If you knew how much I like this style…”
“Really? I love this place. You’ll see. It’s got a private courtyard so all the rooms have an ocean view. At this time of year during the week, we should practically have the place to ourselves.”
He pulled up to the side entrance.
“I’ll run in and get the room, and then we can find a place to park,” she said.
Nodding, he was comfortable with her taking charge. A little excitement brewed. Although they’d been alone in her house, a hotel room was usually all about the bed. He glanced in back of the car and saw that his daughter was awake, contemplating a good howl to get his attention.
“Hang on there, sister.”
Nothing of a romantic nature would take place today, he was pretty sure, because the baby would be there as an observer, and that was creepy. How did couples share a room with their kid? It wasn’t going to happen if he could help it.
It didn’t take Ava long to register, and soon she was running out to the car, waving a key, a huge smile on her face.
“They had a vacant room at the top, right in front,” she exclaimed. She left out that it was a two-bedroom suite, having a little seduction in mind, saving that for the reveal.
Parking was relatively easy and close by on a well-traveled street, an important consideration to Leon because the truck was new and he didn’t want it stolen.
They didn’t have much to bring in because the idea of the hotel was last minute. “Next time, we’ll pack for a night at the beach,” he said.
“Yep, I should have thought of it sooner. Or at least suggested it sooner. To say I didn’t think of it would be a lie.”
He laughed, giving her a sidelong glance. “You thought of going to a hotel with me?”
“Of course. Is that wrong?”
“If it is, I don’t want to be right.”
They high-fived, the excitement palpable. “It feels illegal,” she said. “Forbidden love.”
“Wow, you’d better stop. I think the baby might be a stumbling block.”
