Page 6 of Tell Me Lies

“What happened to the mom? Why can’t they switch their schedules around to make it work?”

She grows antsy, moving around slightly before she clears her throat. “Um, well, she’s just never been involved in Amy’s life. Logan has full custody.”

Leaning my elbows on the counter, I allow my head to hang and close my eyes for a moment. Pulling in a breath, I let it out slowly before looking at her again.

“Fine.I’ll meet the kid. But even if I say yes once I’ve met her—which I might not—I am only agreeing to this for six weeks. Okay? Six weeks will allow him to find a true replacement, and it’ll give me time to clear my head and get me ready to begin writing again. To really, really start writing.”

“Okay, six weeks!” She shoots from the stool and heads toward the door. “Get your shoes on!”

“Wait, what?” I frown just as I’m reaching for a Reese’s of my own.

She bites her bottom lip, sliding her feet into her sandals. “Welp … so that’s the thing. Logan wants you to come by tonight. So, Walker’s waiting outside to take us there. Like … now.”

“How did you guys know I’d say yes?” I groan before I tip my head forward and shoot her a deadly glare. “You, Poppy James, are on my shit list.”

“Eh, join the club. I’m on a lot of people’s shit lists.” She shrugs, patting Clyde on the top of his head. “Bye, buddy.” She looks at me. “Meet you in the truck!”

She quickly exits, closing the door behind her, and I drag my hand over my face. Because what the hell am I getting myself into?

And worst of all, I don’t even think I like kids. Not to mention, I don’t know shit about them.

From the kitchen, I watch this Maci chick interact with Amelia as Poppy and Walker sit on the couch opposite from them. Her hair is brown. Not a dark brown, not even a light brown. Just a mousy, no-nonsense, plain ol’ brown that sits just past her shoulders in loose, shiny waves. Some pieces frame her face, as her sunglasses are pushed onto the top of her head.

She’s naturally pretty with minimal, if any, makeup. And dressed in a white T-shirt, a pair of green cargo shorts, and bulky sandals that women seem to obsess over. Her outfit certainly doesn’t scream for attention, but it is something I imagine a mom would wear, though Poppy didn’t mention that she had any kids of her own.

When she came in, she quickly introduced herself, not seeming to want to look me in the eye for long. She was polite but a little standoffish. Within a few minutes, Amelia asked her and Poppy if they wanted to look at her new excavator book with her.

Seeing me looking their way, Poppy gets up from the couch and heads toward me. “I can see your wheels turning. You’retrying to get a read on her,” she utters, taking a seat on the stool across from where I stand. “But at least consider it, okay? For now, it’ll get you out of the predicament you’re in.”

“I don’t know her,” I mumble. “And Maddie knows the right questions to ask. You know, about CPR and all that shit. She couldn’t make it to ask her all of that.”

Maddie was supposed to be here, but something came up, leaving me to decide whether Maci gets the job or not.

“But she’s your baby, Logan. And you know I adore Amelia. Walker and I both do. We would never suggest someone we weren’t sure was a good fit.” She gives me a soft look. “Hey, if you really don’t want to say yes, I’ll help you out as much as I can with Amy. But between performing in some of the local shows and teaching a few classes a week, I’m not always around. Maci is.”

“Yeah. And what’s up with that anyway? Why isn’t she working right now? Where is she from, and how old is she? Has she ever been a nanny or even babysat a kid for long periods of time?” I grip the counter, pressing my body back. “I mean, does she even want to do this job? Because my kid is fucking amazing, and I only want people around her who know it too.”

Poppy bobs her head back and forth dramatically at my slew of questions. “Okay, that was, like … ashit tonof questions at once. Calm your pickle down.” She rolls her eyes and stands. “Let’s go talk outside.”

“It’s more of like an eggplant. Or at the very least, a giant zucchini,” I say, following behind her.

Spinning around, she grimaces. “Ew, Sterns. TMI, dude. I don’t want to hear about … anything to do with that situation. Now, come on. Let’s go talk outside and figure this crap out.”

“Fine,” I grumble, continuing to follow her.

On my way by Amelia, I stop, putting my hand on her hair. “Be right back, my little muffin. I need to go talk to Poppy about some grown-up things.”

“Okay, Daddy. Don’t say any bad words, okay?” she says, pointing her finger at me. “And I mean it.”

I laugh. “I’ll try my best. But it’s Poppy you should say that to. Not me.” I glance at Walker. “Your wife swears like a pirate.”

“Trust me, I’m aware,” he utters.

Amelia ignores me as she continues to flip through the excavator book, showing it off to Maci. And when my eyes look at Maci, she simply watches Amelia and points to the pages.

“Wow, this one is really big!” she whispers, clearly trying to sound more impressed than she probably is. “Show me which one is your favorite.”

I watch them for a second longer before I follow Poppy as she slides the door open and walks out onto the patio.

---