Page 6 of Single Dad's Hot Nanny

“I know you mean well, but I want to live my life the way I want to. Going to college is… It isn’t for everybody…” Plus, choosing one thing to do for the next fifty years felt so restricting. Honestly, I wasn’t even sure what I wanted to do with my life, but I had time.

“You’re right,” he said. “You should live life on your terms, but…”

I rolled my eyes. There was always abut.

“If it’s about money. I can help you out with tuition.”

My teeth sank into my lower lip so hard, I almost drew blood. Oh, I had money issues alright. If I didn’t get my hands on a shit ton soon, I’d be screwed all the way to hell. Jonathan had no idea about the mess I was in. He could never know. No one could. I’d die before I proved everyone right about me being a screw-up.

“Mia, are you alright?”

“I’m fine. It isn’t about money. Look, don’t worry about me,” I said. “I’ll get a job soon, and my life will turn around. You’ll see. Mom and Dad will see… I won’t be the family screw-up forever.”

“Mia, you’re not a screw-up.”

I folded my arms across my middle. He’d change his tune if he found out how much trouble I was in. My cell beeped, and I immediately snatched it from my bag. It wasn’t an email from one of the many jobs I had applied for, but excitement still zipped through me. It was a message from Michael.

Michael:Hi, Jane. I’m sorry for just getting back to you.

A sliver of guilt passed through me as it usually did when he called me Jane. I’d given a fake name because while I was a hopeless romantic, I wasn’t naïve. I was skeptical about giving anyone I met online my real information. There were some psychos out there.

It’s okay,I texted back.

Michael:I’m sorry you had a bad day. I hope this will brighten it a bit… Let’s meet.

My heart skipped a beat, and I squealed. I was excited and scared about meeting the man I’d been having intimate conversations with for weeks.

Jonathan glanced at me. “Is that good news about a job?”

“No…” I pressed my phone to my chest, so he wouldn’t see the text.

Jonathan seemed disappointed, but he didn’t verbalize it.

When his gaze was fixed back ahead, I jumped back into conversation with Michael.

Me:I’d love to finally meet you. You seem to be a busy guy. I’ll let you choose the date and time.

Michael:You’re always so thoughtful. I like that about you. I’ll let you know the details by tomorrow.

Jane:Sounds great. I anticipate putting a face to the name.

Michael:Me too.

And that was that. I was going to meet Michael No-last-name. Hopefully, I wasn’t walking into a crazy situation with a stranger, but with my luck who knew what would happen?

4

MICHAEL

The moment I stepped through the restaurant’s door, I was hit with a pang of uncertainty. The whole idea of meeting a faceless stranger I chatted with on an app felt ridiculous. This wasn’t me, and I hated the thought of coming off as desperate.

I almost turned around and walked out the door, but then I remembered the messages from Jane. I thought about all the smiles and laughs she’d gotten out of me. She seemed sweet. If she didn’t turn out to be a whack job, maybe we’d have an alright time together.

With a heavy sigh I walked into the restaurant. The maitre d' greeted me with a polite smile. I’d chosen a place I frequented because I thought the familiar atmosphere would put me at ease. I was a tad nervous, not just because Jane Roberts might not be who she said she was, but because the last time I went on a date was about seven years ago. That was a hell of a long time to be out of the dating scene. I had no idea how to navigate or what to expect.

“Reservation for Michael,” I told the host. I hadn’t given a last name when I made the reservation in fear that Jane would figure out who I was before we met.

The man nodded and checked his tablet. He then smiled and said, “The other party is here. Right this way.”

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