Page 11 of The Single Dad

“Sociology. I just got out of grad school, and I’ve been looking for a job in social work.”

“Social work,” I echo. The beginnings of a thought are forming in my head, but before I can voice them, she glances down at her phone and sighs.

“Almost five—sorry,” she says, seeming genuinely apologetic. “I have to get to work.” She tucks the phone into her pocket, then adds, “But maybe I’ll see you around sometime when I visit my brother. Bye, Archie.” She waves down at him, smiling. “Make sure you take care of that dinosaur.”

“I will!” Archie says brightly, holding up his new friend. “I’ll take so much care of him!”

Riley chuckles, gives me a nod and a smile, and heads off down the sidewalk. I stare after her, dumbfounded, until I feel a tug at my sleeve.

I glance down at Archie, who’s still beaming. He holds up his new dinosaur proudly. “Do you see him?”

“Sure do,” I say, ruffling his hair absent-mindedly. “That’s a great dino you’ve got there. Do you think he wants to come with us to get cupcakes?”

Archie frowns, humming in thought as he looks down at the dinosaur. Then he declares, “He doesn’t like cupcakes, but he’ll come with us!”

“Sounds good,” I say. “Let’s go.”

We set off toward the cupcake shop. There’s a new spring in Archie’s step as he skips along, clinging to my arm, waving the dinosaur around like it’s running alongside him.

As we go, I pull out my phone and dial my assistant’s number. She picks up on the third ring.

“Mr. Sullivan? What can I do for you?”

“Hi, Kerry,” I say, watching Archie play with his new toy. “How many more interviews do I have scheduled for prospective nannies?”

“You have four more tomorrow, then two that couldn’t meet until Tuesday,” she replies swiftly. “Why?”

“You can go ahead and cancel those.” I’m not even entirely sure why. I just know that there’s no point in meeting all of these candidates, none of whom will be the right person for the job.

“If-if you’re sure,” she stammers. “Any particular reason?”

Even though she can’t see me, I shrug. “I’ll explain everything later,” I tell her, and mentally add, Once I’ve figured it out myself.

“Okay,” Kerry says, her tone dubious. “Whatever you say. Will that be all?”

“Yes, that’s all. Thanks.” I hang up the phone, slipping it back into my pocket, and smile down at Archer. “You ready to go, buddy?”

I take Archie for cupcakes, and indulgently get him two, since he insists that his new dinosaur might feel left out. Of course, once I’ve picked up our cupcakes from the counter, Archie quickly remembers that his dinosaur isn’t a big fan of frosted treats.

“Well,” I say with a heavy sigh, “I guess you’ll just have to eat both of them, won’t you?”

Archie nods solemnly. “I guess,” he says, his head bowed under the weight of responsibility.

Archie and I sit outside, enjoying our treats, then walk back home. I spend the rest of the evening with him, and after dinner and a bath, I usher him up to his room for bed.

Archie carefully places his new dinosaur on the pillow beside him, looking up at me with huge, round eyes. I know exactly what he wants. I pull the covers up to his chin, making sure to tuck in the dinosaur alongside him.

“You know, you’re gonna have to give him a name,” I tell Archie. “Any ideas?”

Sleepily, Archie shakes his head. “Not yet.”

“Well, you’d better sleep on it. Maybe it’ll come to you in a dream.”

Archie’s eyes flutter shut, and I sit on the side of his bed for a few moments, watching him as he drifts off to sleep. Sighing, I stand and plug in his nightlight, then leave, closing the door behind me.

Now that Archie is down for the night, I have some time to myself. I sit down in my office to get some work done, pouring myself a glass of scotch with a single, large cube of ice. I spend about an hour in there, drafting a few emails to send out the next morning, before I hear a knock at the door.

That’ll be either Declan or Reed—whichever of them has arrived first for poker night.

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