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Aiden says, “I want more than snacks. I’m hungry.”
“Yeah,” Franny adds.
“Itisgetting late.” Lily smiles and shrugs. “Ready to head home, then?”
“Yes, please,” Aiden says, while Franny nods.
“I’ll pack things up. You stay put,” I tell Lily.
“I can help—
“Not with that ankle.” I gather all the things and load them into the cars. Towering over Lily, I extend my hand and ask, “Ready?”
“I can get up,” she says as she tries to stand. But when she puts her weight on the ankle, she starts to fall.
I catch her, and for a moment, holding her like I’d dipped her, I wish I had. That we’d been dancing to some romantic tune, and I had held her close because she wanted that, too. She stares up into my eyes, a blush on her cheeks. But then I blink back to reality and help her stand up straight. “Better?”
“Yeah.” Her voice is less than a whisper as her eyes narrow to my lips.
My heart isn’t the only one that’s racing. Or perhaps I am delusional and seeing what I want to see. She’s a young, vibrant, smart person full of possibilities. I’m a father with decades of baggage. Oh, and she’s my employee. The fantasy must end now. I clear my throat to shake my thoughts free. “Can you drive?”
“I think so. But maybe the kids should ride with you? Just in case.”
“If you’re that worried—
“I’ll be fine. I’d like to drive myself. But their safety comes first.”
I nod once and give her my arm to lean on as she hobbles to her car. “This is intolerable.”
“Hmm?”
I scoop her up, and she laughs like I’d hoped she would. Walking in the sand with her in my arms is a challenge, and I hope I don’t twist my ankle, too. But I tell her, “Much faster this way.”
She giggles. “Yeah.”
Franny grins at us. “Daddy, you’re like a knight.”
I laugh. “You’re too kind, Lady Franny.”
My kids have a field day with that, and on the drive home, Lady Franny and Lord Aiden discuss the castle they’ll build one day. It sounds marvelous, but truly, all I focus on is Lily’s driving.Is she okay? Why is she driving so slowly? Is she trying to make me think she doesn’t drive like a maniac?
Rolling my eyes at my ego, I huff a laugh at myself. Leave it to me to think my presence influenced her actions. When we park at the house, I help the kids out first, before helping Lily into the house. Again, being so close to her that I can smell her and feel her warmth, I am transported to the night we spent together. By the time I get her inside, I’m so in my head that I hardly hear a word she says. “I’m sorry. What was that?”
“If you don’t mind, I’m not up to making dinner.”
“I thought we might order Thai food—
“Yay!” the kids holler.
“Sounds good,” she says.
But the children are asleep when it arrives. I have to wake them just to eat, and they don’t do much of that. An early bedtime is in order, and Lily frets about not being able to help with their nighttime routine. I assure her, “I’ve been doing this mostly on my own until you came around, so don’t worry about it.”
“I just feel bad. You hired me, and—
“And you got injured in the line of duty,” I tell her with a chuckle, “so relax. I’ve got this.” When I finish up with the kids, it’s after seven, and Lily is still in the living room. “Hey, I—
“If they’re in bed, I guess it’s time for me to go.” But she doesn’t make a move to leave.
