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A nervous laugh spilled out of me. “I’ve made it four hours and counting so far.”
“I’m impressed. Has she been asleep the whole time?”
“No, she has not,” I said, grinning and crossing my arms as if I’d conquered the universe, not merely kept a baby safe for less than a quarter of a day. “Longer than a few hours though… I’m man enough to admit when I need help. How well do you know Quincy?”
“She’s grown up in this town and worked for me for months. It’s not easy to keep secrets around here, so I’d say pretty damn well.”
“You obviously trust her, or you wouldn’t employ her.”
“She’s honest, shows up early for every shift, and pretty much emits sunshine on the daily.” He gave me a knowing look. “And she’s really good with kids.”
“She said she works full-time here.”
He confirmed it with a nod.
“Any chance you could spare her for a while and hold her job for her?” I asked. “I mean,ifshe’s interested in helping me out?”
“Like a babysitter, you mean?”
“I’m thinking more like a nanny.”
“You haven’t asked her yet?”
“I wanted to make sure it was possible without her giving up her job here. I’ll probably only need her for a few days, but it could end up longer.”
“You need her more than I do. Lucky for you, we’re overstaffed now that it’s off-season. People are fighting for hours.”
“No repercussions when she comes back?”
“None whatsoever. If she chooses to help you.”
That remained to be seen, but I was hopeful. Quincy seemed to adore Juniper.
“Thanks, Seth.” I stood up, put the diaper bag strap over my shoulder, and tucked the blanket over Juniper’s feet—again. She apparently had something against her feet being wrapped up.
“Seems like the brotherly thing to do,” he said.
I met his gaze, surprised at his apparent acceptance.
He nodded once and a hint of a smile tugged at his mouth as he rose too. “Are you eating?”
“Planning to.”
“She’s working the middle section today. I’ll seat you at one of her tables.”
CHAPTER9
QUINCY
While dropping glasses and plates was something I did on the regular, fortunately I hadn’t spilled on anyone for quite a while. Until today, of course.
Around three p.m., I was down to one last table of late lunchers when Seth led Knox and Juniper into my section. At the sight of the man whose house I’d slept in, my pulse sped up and a burst of energy pumped through me.
Which was completely dumb.
I barely knew the man, and even if I had, there was no reason to react to the sight of him. Yes, he was good-looking, but I was, in fact,notlooking. Not for a relationship or a date or even a passing attraction.
Mitchell’s breakup at the end of spring had shocked me, hurt me, and woken me up. It’d knocked me on my butt emotionally for a bit, but in hindsight, it was the best thing that could’ve happened. The more distance I got from it, from him, the more clearly I could see our relationship had run its course, probably a year or two ago. At the time, I hadn’t noticed our feelings had waned, and instead I’d kept looking forward, moving toward a future with him, banking on a ring and, eventually, a family.
