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She paused and gestured for the kids to try, then she glanced around, her gaze sweeping to the window. I whipped away from where I’d been staring out, nearly tipping my old chair.
I was a goddamn pervert.
I needed this nanny thing with Tova to work out. Hopefully, she wouldn’t notice how hard it was for an older man not to creep on her.
* * *
Tova
Milk Daddy worked a lot. The kids had been right about that. For the last week, he gave me minimal instructions and then retreated to his office. His list usually pertained to meetings and phone calls, with a light suggestion that I find a way for the kids to either be quiet or be noisy elsewhere.
I hated how much I looked forward to seeing his stern expression every morning. His strong features. The way his dark hair was swept off his face and styled in place with barely noticeable hair product. And the business casual dress. It was a good thing he didn’t dress in a suit, or I’d melt for reasons other than the outside temperature.No more sleek businessmen, Tova.No more guys like Frederick who would sell their girlfriends to their biggest investors.
Only Frederick hadn’t been selling me. He had wanted to give me away.
I shuddered.
“Are you cold?” Ivy asked, painstakingly coloring the castle in her coloring book that had been delivered yesterday.
“Not when that little window air conditioner is trying so hard to cool the whole house.”
Heat rose, and the bedrooms were cooling off later in the day and staying warm longer in the evening. We’d abandoned playing in the bedrooms for the living room. Thelma said July could get hot and August even hotter. We might have to venture into the musty basement.
Or I could just mention how nice another AC unit would be, and it might just appear.
On my first day, I had mentioned a lack of toys. I thought Cody’s jaw would crack, but he’d asked what items I meant. More than a generic green ball he must’ve bought at the grocery store. I’d listed footballs, soccer balls, kiddy balls and bats, jump ropes, sidewalk chalk, coloring books, paints, crayons, and just to be coy, I’d tossed in face paint and costumes to play dress-up.
Two days later, a shipment had been delivered, and I’d nearly died when the doorbell rang during one of his timed calls. He hadn’t stormed out and chewed into me. He’d only popped out, gave one of those forthright nods that did it for me, and said, “Good. They’ve arrived.”
Everything I had listed.
Why was that so hot?
Grayson pushed his coloring book away. “Can we dance now?”
The little guy had taken a huge interest in actual dance steps. The way concentration etched into his face reminded me of his dad. Ivy loved to dance, too, but she was more of a free spirit. She wasn’t as interested in flexibility, coordination, or rhythm. But when Grayson got out of his head and into the beat, he displayed some promising skills, the biggest one being his interest.
“Ivy, you can bring the coloring book and crayons outside if you don’t want to dance.”
She nodded and gathered as much as she could. I handed some supplies to Grayson to help carry them.
My phone buzzed as we were walking toward the back door. I checked the number, and my heart sank. Mom’s home. “Grayson, Ivy? I have to return a call really quick.”
“I want to dance,” Grayson said. The wobble was in his voice. I’d been through one tantrum, thankfully not during a sanctioned quiet time. I couldn’t lose the money train this job was giving me, as the number on my phone attested.
I wrapped an arm around him. “I know you’re worried, but we will dance, I promise. Can you give me five or ten minutes? I won’t go anywhere, okay?”
He blinked big brown eyes at me, a few shades lighter than his dad’s fathomless brown. The kid reminded me of myself at his age. Needing constant reassurance. Losing all shit when his expectations were upended. Mom hadn’t dealt with it well at the time. She’d put me in dance to give me an outlet for my emotions and some semblance of structure. As an adult, I understood she had limited resources and was dealing with a lot herself. But as a kid, I would’ve killed for a hug and some time to process all the changes.
“I’ll stand on the deck while I call, okay? We’ll still be outside and ready to get started as soon as I’m done.”
He nodded and drew in a shuddering breath. Poor guy. He didn’t look like he was struggling. He held everything in until he blew. I bet he’d had a hard year in school. I used to be labeled a problem, and some teachers came down on me harder because of it.
My phone had gone quiet, but I called the number back. The administrator answered with a “Hi, Tova. Thanks for returning my call so quickly.”
“Hey, Andra. Is everything okay?”
“With your mom, yes.” Andra was a straight shooter. When Grandma and I had found this place for Mom in Springville, north of Yorba Linda, Andra had told us exactly what to expect for insurance coverage and out-of-pocket costs. In return, I made sure I was never a day late for payments. “But there was a man calling for information about her—and you.”
