Page 50 of Curvy Nanny for the Grumpy Single Dad

“You have all the answers, don’t you Dad?”

“No. Not all of them, but I think you should talk to Lucy and tell her how you feel. Women like to hear the words, they need to hear them. Men, well let’s just say we have a tendency to send mixed signals.”

Like making Lucy believe I didn’t want her but still fucking her every chance I got. “Dammit.” Dad was right, I needed to fix things with Lucy, and that meant being honest. “Thanks Dad. For everything.”

“Anytime, son.” Dad clapped me on the back and walked out of the kitchen with a soft laugh. “Good luck, Dante.”

“Thanks, Dad.” I laughed myself, because I had a feeling I would need more than luck to smooth things over with the feisty nanny.

Chapter 31

Lucy

The quiet at Toni’s place didn’t feel oppressive, it felt like freedom as I walked around in nothing but a t-shirt and cotton panties, a pair of wool socks covered my feet as I skated across the hard wood floors. There really was a difference between being alone and lonely. After a long week of keeping my distance and putting on a good show for Dante’s parents, alone time was just what I needed.

I spent Friday evening not out painting the town red and drinking too much, instead I did laundry, stocked the fridge and made a big pot of stew and a loaf of sourdough bread. It was a relaxing evening and I only thought about Dante, oh about five times every hour. It was progress though, and today I was determined to beat that record.

My phone rang and I picked it up without looking at the screen since I’d already dodged calls from my parents and my sister. “Hey Toni.”

She laughed in response. “Are you bored out of your mind yet?”

“Absolutely not! I have clean clothes, a clean living space and a big pot of stew and a fresh loaf of bread to eat. What are you up to?”

“Oh, nothing much, just hiding from a nerdy gamer who I’m pretty sure hates my guts.”

I frowned. “What? How is that even possible?” Toni was tough and she was also a smart ass, but she was great.

“Bad taste?” She laughed and I closed my eyes, leaning back on the sofa. I could almost see her laughing. “Are you okay Luce? You don’t sound like yourself.”

“I’m fine,” I assured her. “Or I will be. My heart isn’t broken or anything, but I’m just sick of not being enough, you know? It’s not like I was expecting Dante to propose or fall in love with me or anything, but I also wasn’t expecting whatever the hell this was.”

“I know, and it does suck, but Lucy you have to know that it’s his loss.”

“Maybe.” A knock sounded on the door and I frowned. “Did you send me something?”

“I would have if I’d thought about it. Open the door, and if it’s a stripper text me sixty-nine. If it’s an axe murderer, scream and I’ll send the police.”

I laughed and reluctantly got off the sofa. “You have quite the imagination Toni.”

“You should see what I come up with during naked times,” she laughed.

A quick look through the peephole and I gasped. “It’s Dante.”

Toni sucked in a breath. “What? Why? What does he want?”

“I don’t know,” I whispered. “I haven’t opened the door.”

“Well open the door!” she shouted over the phone.

I gave myself ten seconds of deep breathing before I pulled open the door. “Dante, is Lena all right?”

He smiled and my knees wobbled. “She’s fine. These are for you.” He shoved a bouquet of flowers at me with the smoothness of old sandpaper.

“What did he bring you?” Toni’s tinny voice echoed and I rolled my eyes and raised the phone to my ear.

“I’ll call you back Toni.”

She laughed again, loudly. “Alright, I want all the details.”

---