Page 4 of Chase Our Forever

I miss whatever the little girl—apparently Clara—says to Lexi next because I’m distracted by the flustered, incredibly attractive man who runs through the door after her.

“Clara!” he gets out, his tone concerned. “You can’t just run ahead of me, honey. I was worried.”

The little girl looks between Lexi and the man with an apologetic smile. Her brown eyes focus on the man. “Sorry, Daddy. I wanted to see Lexi.”

Lexi keeps ahold of the little girl but turns to face the man—who I’ve gathered is Clara’s dad. “Good morning, Dean.”

The man’s chiseled cheeks hollow out for a moment before he lets out a rush of air. “Is it really still morning? Clara’s been at work with me, and I could’ve sworn it was afternoon by now.”

I shift awkwardly in the booth, wondering if I’m supposed to be eavesdropping on the conversation. They stand so close to the table it’s kind of hard not to hear everything they’re saying, but I also don’t want to come off as creepy.

“You’re right. It’s afternoon,” Lexi responds to Dean. “Have you been at work with your dad all morning?” Lexi wonders, looking at the little girl. She playfully tickles underneath her neck, earning the cutest giggle I’ve ever heard from the toddler. “Howboringthat must’ve been for you, Clara. Time to have fun with Lexi.”

Lexi props her on her hip and looks back to Dean. “No Sally today?”

He frowns before running a hand over his mouth. “It didn’t work out withCallie,” he emphasizes the name to correct her. “She hasn’t been Clara’s nanny since last week.”

I watch them carefully, wondering where Clara’s mother might be. Lexi doesn’t ask about her, but a brief glimpse at Dean’s ring finger tells me he doesn’t wear one.

“Did you find someone new?” Lexi asks, setting the girl down and watching her run to the display case of food.

Dean shakes his head. “I’m trying to. Mom’s getting older now; I don’t want to ask her to watch Clara every single day. But you know how it is, Lexi. It’s hard to find someone I trust with my daughter.”

Lexi nods as she sadly looks from Clara to Dean. “Well, Pippa and I can help out today if you have any important meetings to get to.”

Dean lets out a breath of relief. I watch the interaction closely, feeling kind of sorry for him. He clearly seems stressed. He runs his hand through the longer hair at the top of his head. His eyes don’t leave his daughter as she points to every sweet treat.

“I don’t want to impose. She can come with me the rest of the day—I was coming in to get a few items to use to bribe her for the afternoon. You know Pippa’s muffins and cupcakes are the key to her heart.”

Lexi laughs. “Leave her with us.” She looks at me as if she just remembered I was here. “It was slow anyway, so I was just getting to know…” She pauses, her bottom lip jutting out in a small pout as she thinks something over. “Oh my god, I’m terrible. I never got your name.”

My eyes go wide as the little girl runs back over and pulls on her dad’s pant leg until he picks her up. She mutters something to him, but I can’t understand it.

“Oh, me?” I ask awkwardly, with both Lexi and Dean’s eyes trained on me. I swallow, knowing Lexi wouldn’t be asking anyone else. “My name’s Liv.”

“Just Liv?” Lexi asks.

I nod. “Just Liv.”

“Well, Dean, this is Liv. Liv, this is Dean.” Lexi focuses on Dean once again. “Liv and I were just talking about her road trip adventure. I have some time on my hands. Pippa’s here, too. We’ll watch Clara, and you can go to your meetings. Okay?”

Lexi’s tone is matter-of-fact. She seems young, like she couldn’t have graduated high school too long ago, but the confident tone she uses makes her seem far older. Dean swallows, his pronounced Adam’s apple moving up and down his throat. “I can’t ask you to help again.”

His answer makes me wonder if this is a normal occurrence. It sounds like he often needs help with childcare. I also ask myself if he and Lexi are friends? Maybe family? I want answers to questions I have no right to know, but I can’t help it. I’m naturally curious.

Lexi swats at the air, moving over to the counter. “It’s already been decided,” she says, turning her attention to the little girl in Dean’s arms. “What kind of cupcake do you want today, Clara?”

3

DEAN

My phone vibratesin the pocket of my jacket, but I ignore it, my attention moving between Clara and Lexi instead. Before I can protest, Pippa comes out from the kitchen. A wide smile breaks out over her face when she notices Clara in my arms.

“Clara!” she calls excitedly. Clara wriggles from my grasp and runs across the cafe to jump into Pippa’s arms.

“We were just stopping by to grab some treats before I head to some meetings,” I explain, keeping my voice firm to make it clear to Lexi that I’m not going to ask them to watch Clara for me. They’ve already stepped in far more in the last year than I’m comfortable with. I just have to find a reliable nanny, which has been far harder than I ever expected it to be.

Lexi lifts an eyebrow. “Actually,wrong. Dean was going to give us the honor of watching Clara for a little bit while he gets some work done. He’s got some meetings to go to that poor Clara would besobored at.”

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