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I try not to make that mean more than it does, but it’s hard not to. If Cormac has grown comfortable enough to depend on me for things outside of my job description, then he doesn’t think of me as just an employee. I hesitate to call us friends, though. It’s not like we’ve shared our deepest, darkest secrets or whatever. I’m not sure what word describes a woman who you’ve slept with, who now nannies for you, and who you ask for off-the-wall favors from, but I think Cormac would call it Lily.
I snicker to myself as I pull up to his place, and he pops out of the front door in a flash. He’s dried off and dressed in a navy polo and khaki shorts—casual, but nice enough to meet with an investor on the weekend. He gushes, “Thank you, thank you, thank you for this, Lily.”
“You’re welcome, but seriously, it’s not—
“It is,” he says firmly. “It really is. Let me help carry the groceries.”
“Sure.” We unload the car, and as soon as we walk into the house, the kids hug bomb me. “Alright, you two. I have a lot of cooking and very little time to do it. Who wants to help with the green beans?”
“Me!” Aiden says as he raises his hand.
Franny merely makes a face at the thought of a vegetable.
“Franny, you can wash the berries if you promise not to eat all of them.”
She grins. “Okay!”
“Aprons, you two.”
They scramble for the aprons I had picked up for them last week, and Cormac stares, mouth agape, as we refrigerate some of the items. “How?”
“How what?”
“They’re helping you.”
I laugh. “Kids like to help.”
“Yes, I know that, but I mean…they have aprons.”
“Is that okay?”
He laughs, still staring at his kids as they put their aprons on. “Certainly. I just…I never thought they’d be into this.”
I lean closer, breathing in his scent, and for a moment, it’s hard to concentrate on the topic at hand. Being close to Cormac, smelling him…I fight not to get lost in other thoughts. Quietly, I tell him, “They usually get bored in about ten minutes, but they like to feel helpful. Don’t worry—I keep them away from the knives and all that.”
“I’m not worried, Lily. Just shocked that you’ve gotten them this far. And those denim aprons are adorable.” He sneaks out his phone to take their pictures as they tie the belts around each other.
“I wasn’t sure if you’d be cool with them in the kitchen, but they both showed an interest when I was making dinner, so I picked up the aprons. You don’t mind that they’ve been helping out?”
He shakes his head. “Not even a little bit. It’s good for them. I don’t want them to grow up as spoiled as I did.”
I smirk. “You turned out alright.”
He laughs again. “Gee, thanks.”
Aiden asks, “Lily, what do I do with the green beans?”
“I’ll show you.”
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20
Lily
The kids prove invaluable kitchen aids, washing the produce relatively well and keeping out from underfoot. Thankfully, we had a little practice before this debacle arose, so they understand the mission. To my surprise, their interest lasts for twenty whole minutes, before they feign tiredness and depart for the living room.
After an hour, things are winding down, and Cormac’s worried face is replaced by his game face as he watches the door. I had never seen this side of him before. His demeanor is calm, cool, and collected, and it’s kind of a turn-on. Who am I kidding? It’s definitely a turn-on. As he walks into the kitchen, he has the strut of a predator. “Something smells incredible in here.”
