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I put the last can of paint back in the cart and pursed my lips at him. “Stay out of trouble, Harvey.”
“Me? Never.”
Chapter Eleven
If there was one thing I wasn’t prepared for on Monday morning, it was Brantley Cooper hustling his children like a boss while wearing a sharp as fuck suit.
That’s right.
The first thing I was coherently able to see on Monday morning was a suited and booted guy, herding two tiny humans the way a dog herded sheep.
I stood just inside the front door, blinking at the sight before me.
“Eli! Get your dinosaur. Ellie, I’ve asked you three times now to put on your shoes.”
“I can’t find dem!”
“You had them in your hands five minutes ago!”
“Ewi stole dem!”
“Eli, did you take Ellie’s shoes?”
“No! I don’t want her shoes. I can’t find my dinosaur, Daddy.”
“It’s on your bed. Eleanor, put down your juice and find your shoes now!”
“But I’m firstyyyyy!”
“Shoes, Eleanor! Dinosaur, Elijah! Now!” He leaned against the banister, pinching the bridge of his nose. His nostrils flared as he took a deep breath, and with his eyes shut, it was easy to say he was already over this day.
All right, so he wasn’t hustling like a boss of herding them like sheep. He was more kinda throwing out instructions and hoping something would stick and that one of them would listen to him.
Huh. Maybe it was kinda like herding sheep…
“Morning,” he said, much brighter, dropping his hand from his face. His eyes sparkled a little when they met mine. “Welcome to Hell. At least there’s aircon.”
I couldn’t help it. I burst out laughing. It took all my concentration to cover my mouth with my hand to control it. “You look smart this morning.”
Smart. Sexy. Panty-melting. They were interchangeable, right?
He sighed, tugging at the lapel of his suit jacket. “Work won today. I have to go and introduce myself and head up a big meeting. Easier said than done when you have to get kids to daycare first.”
“I can’t find shoeeeees!” Ellie screamed. “Ewi stole them!”
“I did not!” Eli shouted back. “You won’t give me my dinosaur!”
“You can had it when you give me my shoes!”
I slid my eyes toward the living room where World War Three was apparently starting. “Wow. That’s fun.”
“Don’t,” Brantley groaned. “Eleanor, give Elijah the dinosaur. Elijah, return your sister’s shoes to her right now, or you go without the dinosaur and without shoes! You have two minutes!”
“Shoeless. Pulling out the big guns,” I noted.
“Desperate times call for desperate measures. Which is why I’ll be buying whiskey on my way home from work for my coffee next time I have to go in to the office,” he added, stalking into the front room. “Elijah.”
“I don’t had her shoes!” Eli yelled. “She put them under the coffee table!”
I bit the inside of my cheek. Ha!
Ellie narrowed her eyes. “No, I didn’t!”
Brantley sighed and got on his knees.
Boy, if I thought his ass was good in jeans and sweats…
I cleared my throat and looked away.
“Dinosaur, now.” He demanded.
I peeked back in time to see Brantley swap the dinosaur for her shoes.
“Car, Elijah. Now.” He pointed toward the door.
Eli muttered something about it not being fair because daycare sucked, but he stomped off, storming right past me.
“You. Shoes.” Brantley gave Ellie a death stare.
Wordlessly, she put them on, redoing the Velcro four times before she was happy with it.
“Car, please.” Brantley pointed to the door.
Ellie stared at him, her head turning as she walked.
“Sofa!”
She jumped, moving out of the way of the sofa and walking into it.
Brantley rubbed his eyes, blowing out a long, slow breath. “I need a nap already.”
I laughed as he scooted past me and put both kids in the car. All right, I enjoyed the view as he bent over inside the car, too.
He slammed the door shut. “You hear that? That’s silence. It’ll last for—”
A muffled scream came from inside the car.
“That long,” he sighed. He reached inside and grabbed the two backpacks on the floor by the door—plus Ellie’s monkey. “Okay, uh—”
Another scream.
“God fucking help me,” he muttered, then met my eyes with a wry smile. “You’ll be done before I get back tonight, but help yourself to coffee or water or what—”
“Go away!”
“Go.” I barely managed to keep my laughter inside. “I got it.”
He smiled gratefully and headed for the car.
I had no idea how he did it.
***
I was covered in pink paint. Honestly, I looked like Barbie had thrown up on me. For whatever reason, today had not been my friend, and today was the reason I never put the flooring in before the paint.
It was everywhere. Not only had I accidentally stepped into the roller tray, but sometime around lunch, I’d dropped the paintbrush I was using to edge around the ceiling and it had hit me square in the forehead.
