Page 74 of A Whole New Play

I immediately regret my words.

I’m an idiot.

Of course, Carter doesn’t want things between us to be too serious.

He’s my boss, for goodness sake. It’s the reason I insisted on this arrangement in the first place. And he’s a dad. He’s in the middle of a custody battle with his ex. He doesn’t have time for a real relationship. And neither do I. I was dumb to suggest it.

Stupid, stupid, Valerie!

“Forget it—” I say.

“Absolutely—” Carter speaks at the same time.

I pinch my lips together as hope bubbles in my chest. I search his brown eyes. They swirl with happiness and… relief?

“Really?” I ask.

“Yes,” he states without hesitation. “I only agreed to be casual to make you feel comfortable, but I never had any intention of holding back how I feel about you. I’m not sure I could even if I tried.”

My heart is racing. “The way you feel about me?”

His gaze softens. “You’re a catch, Valerie. That’s not easy to ignore. Or to not pursue.”

“But…” I lick my dry lips. “My life is kind of a mess right now.”

“So is mine.”

“It’s not the same.” I shake my head. “I don’t want to do anything that will make things harder for either of us. I don’t know where my career is heading, and you’ve got two other people’s well-being to consider.”

I love the twins. They’re great kids. But I’m only twenty-four. I’m not looking to become a motherly figure to anyone. I’m far from qualified. And even if I wanted to, it’s not like I even have a good role model to emulate.

Some of the light dims in Carter’s eyes, but his voice is even when he replies, “I get it. But just because we decide things aren’t casual doesn’t mean we can’t take things slow. Right?”

“Right,” I latch on to the potential solution to the question of whether or not it’s a good idea to continue to pursue the gorgeous man in front of me.

His shoulders fall as if a huge weight has been lifted. “Good. Then we agree. This thing between us,” he waves a hand from his chest to mine, “is not casual, but we’ll take it one day at a time.”

“And we can’t tell the twins,” I blurt without meaning to, but the moment the words pass my lips, I acknowledge the stipulation is wise.

Not telling the twins about the romance between me and their dad will ensure we keep our behavior professional when I’m working as their nanny.

At least, I think it will.

I hope it will.

With the way Carter Jones smirks at me with that devil-may-care attitude, I fear hiding the way we feel about each other will be far easier said than done.

“Okay, we won’t tell the twins.” He leans forward and takes my hand, lifting it to his lips for a kiss that sends a shiver down my spine. “For now.”

23

CARTER

“So… how long have you been sleeping with your nanny?”

The root beer float spews from my lips. That’s what I get for cashing in on my “dad tax” after climbing the long flight of stairs to buy Andy the sugary drink at the Minnesota Loons stadium.

I apologize to the teenage boys in front of me who caught the worst of the soda spray. They look pissed, but when they recognize me, they are quick to tell me it’s all good.

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