Page 6 of Chase Our Forever

Liv sighs, making me wonder what was said between them when I wasn’t paying close attention.

Pippa steps away from the conversation between Lexi and Liv and stops next to me. She smiles, reaching out to give my arm a reassuring pat. “Go to your meetings, Dean. I promise either Lexi or me will have eyes on Clara the entire time.”

My cheeks puff out as I let out a rush of air. “Are my nerves that obvious?”

Her smile gets wider. “Your history of firing one nanny after the next shows how little you like the idea of Clara spending the afternoon in the company of a stranger.”

I frown. The only reason I’ve gone through so many nannies is because none of them were suitable for Clara. Either Clara would complain about not liking them, or I’d find out that they weren’t a good fit for our family. Clara is stuck with just having me as a parent, and while my family helps out as much as they can, she has to spend a lot of time with a nanny. I need to find the perfect one for her and won’t settle for anything less.

My gaze focuses on Clara, who has already sweet-talked her way into sitting right next to Liv in the booth instead of across from her. Liv intently listens to something Clara is telling her, but before I can tune in to their conversation, Pippa starts talking again.

“Let us help you. You’re the reason I still own Wake and Bake, so let me return the favor.”

I meet her eyes. A year ago, Pippa almost lost the cafe to someone from New York who wanted to buy out the entire block. I only helped by pulling some strings and planting the seed that the business block should go up for auction instead. My family and I were ready to bid high to keep the ownership local, but Pippa’s fiancé, Camden Hunter, came in and outbid everyone else.

I tighten my jaw. “I only helped a little.”

Pippa rolls her eyes before swatting her apron at me. “You helped alot. Now, let me help you. Let Clara hang out here and be a kid. She doesn’t need to be in meetings all afternoon with you.”

I nod, tucking my hands in my pockets. I look back at my daughter to find her giggling with both Liv and Lexi. Pippa’s right. Clara’s little. She doesn’t deserve to be locked up in an office with me for hours when she could be having fun. “Okay. But please call me if anything comes up and you need me to come back. If you get busy or?—”

Pippa lifts her hands to cut me off. “We aren’t going to get too busy, and it’s going to befine. I’m not a paid nanny. You can’t fire me.”

“Want to be a nanny?” I tease, even though my tone is serious.

She shakes her head. “Camden already tells me I’ve been working too much.”

I shrug. “It was worth a shot.” There are only a few people I trust Clara with, and Pippa is one of them.

I know there’s no way she would ever accept a nanny position or that I would let her, even if I desperately need one. This cafe is her baby, and she’s spent the last year renovating the space and expanding. I walk over to the booth and attempt to tighten one of Clara’s pigtails. I’m awful at doing her hair, even though I try my best every morning to get it right. I thought with years ofpractice I’d be getting better, but I’m not. If anything, the more hair she gets, the worse I am at doing it.

“I’m going to go work for a little while. I’ll be back in a bit,” I tell her, trying not to let the worry show in my tone.

Clara waves, clearly not upset with me leaving at all. “Bye, Daddy.”

I pause for a moment, watching her laugh at something Liv whispers in her ear. When I look away, I find Pippa watching me with a knowing smile.

“Go,” she says under her breath. “We’ve got it here.”

I’m bad at trusting others. Even worse at asking for help. But still, I go, knowing Clara is in good hands.

4

LIV

“So you really have noidea where you’re going next?” Pippa asks, her eyes focused on me. Clara squirms in her lap, too busy coloring all over a paper menu to pay attention to our conversation.

“I really have no idea,” I respond, folding my arms over my chest. “I do love the mountains here, though. So maybe somewhere like this with mountains.” I’ve been talking on and off with Pippa and Lexi for almost two hours now. We’ve done different activities to keep Clara entertained, and I can’t help but think this is the best afternoon I’ve had in a long time.

Pippa nods. I really like her. There’s no judgment in her features as she mulls over my words. I know it’d be easy for her to tell me it’s crazy for me to leave without knowing where I’m going. Or she could easily ask me a million questions about why I’d travel without any destination in mind, but she doesn’t do either.

Clara slips off Pippa’s lap and comes to my side. She climbs into the booth and right into my lap, making herself at home, even though we only just met. I haven’t been around a lot of kids in my life. Mostly because before this trip, all I ever did was work. I waited tables, cleaned hotel rooms, and did anythingpossible to earn money for myself—and avoid being home. There wasn’t time to be around kids, not that I knew anyone with them anyway.

“Like my butterfly?” Clara asks, pointing to a couple of obscure lines that look nothing like a butterfly.

“Iloveyour butterfly,” I tell her, turning my head to see if maybe looking at it from a different angle will help me see it better. It doesn’t.

Pippa lets out a dramatic sigh. “Hopefully you don’t find this creepy, because I don’t mean it that way at all, but I kind of wish you were staying in Sutten longer, Liv. I like you.” The way she hurriedly gets out the last sentence makes me wonder if most of the time shedoesn’tlike people.

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