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“Hi, Grayson and Ivy’s dad!” Britta waved furiously from her latest cooldown stretch with one leg crossed over the other.
He dipped his head. “Britta. Bridger. Thanks for coming over. Kali, tell your grandparents hi.”
No details missed this guy. I hadn’t been sure he knew the kids joined us each day, but the noise was undeniable. He’d been working constantly since I’d started, but I assumed he tucked the kids in each night since he dismissed me before bedtime. He had them up in the morning and dressed like they were going to the office, too, before I arrived. Some days, I wondered if he had a mini-board meeting over their oatmeal with no more than one spoonful of sugar.
I had them change out of their stiff and formal clothing before we did art projects and played outside.
“Tova, a minute, please?”
My stomach fluttered at my name and sank with the rest. I should’ve asked him before letting all the kids come over. Was he so rigid because he was upset and hiding it from the kids? “Finish the cooldown,” I said to the kids as I joined him on the deck.
He set the water on the patio table and stuffed his hands into his navy-blue slacks. I looked like a tourist standing within his vicinity with my casual shorts and the fitted pink tee that landed just above the waistband.
It wasn’t a game to dress as opposite of him as I could, but the soft ballet slippers didn’t help.
“Yes?” I had to tip my head back to look at him. The clear sky soared over his head, and the green leaves of the tree were stark against the blue. This starchy man did not fit in this environment with his blue-and-white-pinstriped polo shirt. I kept picturing him as a cowboy. Wouldn’t he have to get dirty and stuff to raise cattle and breed horses?
The guy intrigued me. If he were a steam-pressed business guy with nothing but dollar symbols to make him attractive beyond his superficial looks, I would be immune. But he was a dad. He had a body that screamed fresh air and hard work. To top it off, he had an edge I wanted to cut myself on. Not a bad-boy edge. Nothing screamed dangerous about him other than he was off-limits.
The man controlled my pay, though. I’d do well to remember that, and Andra’s update wouldn’t let me forget about Frederick.
“My sister called and invited us over for dinner,” he said. “Are you comfortable taking the kids? I can give you directions.”
“You aren’t going?”
“I have some paperwork to catch up on, but the kids shouldn’t have to miss out.”
I caught a flash of regret in his eyes. He’d been buried in that office for a week. Didn’t he want to see his sister? He spoke like he was fond of her.
He scrutinized me. “Is that an issue?”
His question wasn’t hostile, but I didn’t know him. He might smell like an intoxicating combination of cedar and sage and put off heat that didn’t chase me to cooler areas like the summer sun, but I couldn’t automatically trust him. Men in general didn’t like to be challenged. “Well, I don’t have a car.”
“You can use mine.”
His car was a giant pickup. I’d only buzzed around in tiny, economical sedans. The car Frederick had let me use was electric. Cody’s pickup didn’t look like an ego stroker either. The body had a few dings and even a rust spot beginning above the tire rim. The vehicle looked like it had done work before.
Even the vehicle was a contradiction. What was the real Cody Knight like?
Didn’t matter. I didn’t need to know. At all.
But I wassocurious.
I licked my lips, and his gaze momentarily dropped to where my tongue flicked out. He grew more tense, his expression more of a mask.
“Grayson’s been having at least one meltdown a day,” I said. I had planned to give him a general update once a week, but sending me on a solo trip with the kids to his sister’s wouldn’t go unnoticed by Ivy and Grayson.
He frowned, instantly worried. “I haven’t heard him.”
“I’ve talked him through a few. One time, I just sat with him and Ivy until he calmed down. You had a meeting, so we were on the front porch.” My mouth went dry. He’d been reasonable so far, especially when it came to his kids, and I wasn’t just collecting a paycheck. This was my job, and I had to be honest. “You’ve been working a lot more than they’re used to.”
His jaw flexed so hard I waited to hear his teeth crack. Then he let out a long, slow breath. His gaze pierced mine, searching. “You think that’s what’s doing it?”
Inhaling was a struggle. This man’s intensity should send me running, not wondering if it translated to being naked.Mind out of the gutter, Tova. He’s a workaholic widower!“They miss you.”
He nodded, his gaze stroking around the yard one more time. Bridger and Britta were climbing over the fence separating the yards, and Kali was twirling with Ivy. I could finally draw an easy breath with his focus off me.
“Want to come with us?”
