Page 14 of Bad Nanny

The air between us was charged, and I tightened one hand on my beer and the other gripped the arm of my chair. I wanted to grab the back of her neck and bring her lips to mine. It was dangerous territory, and yet, I couldn’t bring myself to get the fuck away from her.

Like a splash of cold water, the door opened, and Delaney poked her head out, reminding me of lines that shouldn’t be crossed. “Josie!”

I cleared my throat and stood up abruptly. “I should check on the food.”

Josie’s eyes followed me as I moved to the grill, the heat from her gaze feeling as if the flames were behind me. This was going to be a long dinner.

I didn’t burn the food, but I’d burnedsomething. That something hung in the air as Delaney ran upstairs to change into her pajamas while Josie and I did the dishes.

After Delaney had come outside, all the focus had been on her. I’d been an odd mixture of displeased and grateful for the interruption. I didn’t need to be flirting with Josie, but it had been almost a relief to find that side of me was still alive and strong; I was just out of practice.

Josie put the last plate in the dishwasher as I finished wiping down the counter. “I should get going. I’m sure you and Laney have a Sunday night routine you like to follow.”

“Stay and watch a movie with us,” I blurted before I could think better of it. I dried my hands and turned toward her. “If you want to.”

As she scrunched her brow, I was fully prepared for her to shoot me down. “Okay. Do you mind if I change into something more comfortable?”

“Not at all.” I shouldn’t have been excited to see her in pajamas, but I was. “I think I’ll do the same.”

I followed her out of the kitchen, and we parted ways in the foyer, where she went down the hall to her studio and I went upstairs. Delaney had her door shut, but I heard musicplaying. She used to listen to music all the time when she stayed with me. When was the last time I’d heard it coming from her room?

I knocked softly on her door before cracking it open far enough so she could hear me. “Sweetie, are you coming down to watch a movie?”

“Yes!” Her voice was clear and cheerful.

I felt a flutter in my chest and my eyes burned. Now was not the time to have a breakdown.

As I walked to my room, I pulled my phone out of my back pocket. In the past, I wouldn’t have shared anything overly personal with my brothers, but I’d found myself leaning on them more and more lately, even outside of the office.

Me: We have a problem.

Lex: I’m problem free.

Noah: I have ninety-nine problems, but what’s up?

Me: I flirted with the nanny.

Noah: The horror! Hold on, let me call the police.

Lex: How much do you think someone would pay for this information? The coldhearted bachelor, Gabriel Badden, flirts with the nanny.

Me: It gets worse. I invited her to watch a movie with me and Laney.

I threw my phone on the bed while I swapped my jeansfor a pair of basketball shorts. The temptation to put on gray sweatpants was strong, but I didn’t want to make the situation worse. I might have lived under a rock over the past few years when it came to women, but I knew all about gray sweatpants, thanks to my brothers’ constant joking that we should have a marketing campaign, showcasing their appeal.

Lex: This isn’t a bad thing, dude.

Noah: Question... if you hadn’t hired her as your nanny, would you make a move?

Me: I don’t know. I rarely think about these things anymore. She’s too young for me.

Noah: Hardly. She’s a college graduate. You act like you’re forty, instead of thirty. If it’s a performance issue, there are pills for that. Want me to make a doctor’s appointment for you?

Me: I do NOT have performance issues.

Lex: Then, what’s the problem? You’ll probably hire a new nanny in a few weeks, anyway. Why not have some fun? Get your toes wet again. *smirking face emoji*

Noah: He’ll be getting something wet . . . *eggplant emoji* *sweat droplets emoji*

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