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“Miss. G9.”
“Miss. D7.”
“Hit.”
I looked over my shoulder and watched as Wesley reluctantly stuck a peg into one of his battleships. I couldn’t tell if he was losing on purpose, because Lucy was absolutely creaming him. He only had one ship left for her to sink, and she’d just hit it right on the bow.
Wesley hadn’t been exaggerating. His taco skills were incredible. My eyes were way bigger than my stomach, but thankfully, it balanced out all the wine I was drinking.
It was my nerves. I was guzzling down the wine like it was water. But between the smoldering looks and his kind gestures, the situation with Wesley had made me jittery. It felt like something was happening between us, something I couldn’t quite control or understand. Luckily, the wine soothed my anxiousness. However, it did make me silly in the process.
“E7.”
“Hit.”
“F7!”
“Hit! You got me!”
“I did it! I won!” Lucy jumped up and down, still wearing her chef’s hat. “Look, Cara, look!”
I went over to look at the boards. Indeed, all of Wesley’s boats were full of red pegs. “Wow. You’re a champ!”
Wesley moped playfully. I couldn’t resist touching his shoulder. “Sorry for your loss.”
He smiled at me and shook his head. “It’s okay. I’ll get her next time.”
Lucy laughed. “No, you won’t.”
“You better believe I will! Now come here!”
Wesley swiped her out of her chair and pulled her onto his lap, tickling her until she begged him to stop through a loud, breathless laugh. The two of them together were picture-perfect. She was his doppelgänger, with beautiful blonde hair and deep brown eyes. I would have loved to see a photo of her mother to confirm she was a complete photocopy of her dad.
Wesley kissed Lucy on her cheek. “Okay, how about we get your pajamas on and then turn on a movie?”
“Can Cara watch the movie with us?”
“Oh, Luce, Cara’s already stayed much longer than usual.”
Lucy pouted. “But if I ask and she says yes, can Cara stay?”
Wesley sighed and closed his eyes. “Yes, but —”
“I have to be okay with her saying ‘no.’ I know!” Lucy then looked up at me with a big smile. “Cara?”
I played the fool as if I hadn’t just heard their entire conversation. “Yes? Do you have a question for me?”
“Will you stay and watch a movie with me and Daddy?”
I looked from her to Wesley. “Only if it’s really, really okay with your daddy.”
Wesley smiled up at me, a lock of his blonde hair falling over his forehead in a smooth curl. “It’s really, really okay with me, Cara.”
Does that meanhewants me to stay?I tried to shake off the thought. I was already acting much more friendly with him than I should have been. I welcomed the lines being crossed, the small touches and the utterances of our names, as if we weren’t employer and employee.
“Okay, you get ready in your pajamas, I’ll make some popcorn, and then we’ll meet in the living room.”
Lucy jumped off Wesley’s lap and ran upstairs to get her pajamas on as fast as possible. Wesley got to his feet more slowly to follow, but when he stood to his full height, he stopped and looked down at me. “Cara, you really don’t have to.”
