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The universe must really be out to mess with me today, because next thing I know a young couple is seated next to us. A bald baby with the chunkiest thighs I’ve ever seen is plopped into a highchair at my elbow.
She kicks her bare baby feet as her dad secures a rubber bib around her neck. Then she shouts with glee when he presses a noisy kiss to her cheek.
Emotion, sharp and achy, slices through me. God, ImissKatie being that little.
At the same time, I don’t miss it at all. That first year was brutal. Katie didn’t sleep through the night until she was almost nine months old. And I was on my own. My ex-wife Becca left us when Katie was still a newborn.
These days, Becca will call every few months or so to FaceTime with Katie. I’m over my ex. But I’ll never get over the confused look on my daughter’s face during those calls.
Kid doesn’t know who her mom is. And that kills me.
The fact that Becca broke not only my heart, but my daughter’s too, fucking kills me.
The baby beside me giggles. She’s looking at Maren now. I turn to see Maren playing a game of peek-a-boo with her napkin. She goes all in, making faces, blowing raspberries. The baby laughs harder, a high, happy sound that makes my chest swell.
I immediately grab the frosty beer Rose sets in front of me and down half of it in a single gulp.
“You all right?” Maren asks, napkin poised midair.
My beer lands with athumpon the table. “When can you start?”
two
. . .
Maren
All Bark, No Bite
The next week
“Hey.”
His greeting is curt, almost rude, but my heart still skips a beat when Tuck’s green eyes meet mine. They’re crystal clear, the color of peridot.
They are piercing in the late morning sunshine.
It’s hard not to look away. Tuck has this... extremely handsome intensity about him. The eyes, his size—guy must be six four, with shoulders like a grizzly bear—and the way he absolutely refuses to smile, all screamgo the fuck away.
He gave off the same vibe when we met last week, when we agreed I’d start today so I could have time to pack and complete babysitting jobs I’d already had lined up. His attitude was off-putting to say the least. I don’t know if he’s an asshole, or if he’s just the silent, broody type.
I do know I need this job. Last semester, I worked as an assistant teacher at an elementary school. I’ve always loved kids—so much so that I decided to get my master’s in education—and I thought I’d really enjoy it.
Turns out I don’t love teaching. Or maybe it was just working at an elementary school that I didn’t like. Either way, I gave my notice at the end of the semester, and have been babysitting to make extra money since.
But even living with my parents, I’ve struggled to keep up with expenses. The payments for my student loans from undergrad have been deferred since I’m still in school, but I still try to pay them down as much as I can every month. I’m taking on more debt as a graduate student, and since my plan is—was—to go into education, a field that typically doesn’t pay a ton, I can’t depend on some proverbial ship coming in when I get my degree next year.
Then Tuck shows up a week ago and offers to pay me a mind-boggling amount of money on the spot, and I almost lose my damn mind. I knew the man was rich, thanks to Mom filling me in, but I didn’t know he wasthatrich. Plus, being his live-in nanny means I still won’t have to pay rent. The more money I can sock away, the better. Especially considering the plans I had for my future are... ahem, a little up in the air.
Being on Bald Head also means I get to be close to home in Wilmington, so I can still see Mom and Dad. They’re just a twenty-minute ferry to South Port, and then a half-hour car ride from there, away.
I enjoyed the ferry ride over from South Port this morning. Then I hopped in a tram, which is essentially a golf-cart caravan that picks up people from the ferry and takes them and their luggage to their homes on the island. Cars aren’t allowed on Bald Head, so golf carts and bikes are the only forms of transportation.
Looking at Tuck, I silently repeat all the very good reasons why I’m here right now. So what if my new boss is kind of a dick? I’m never one to shy away from a challenge. I can make lemonade out of those lemons, especially if his daughter is as cute as Mom says she is.
“Morning.” I smile at him. “How’s everyone doing today?”
“Fine. You?”
