Page 78 of One Touch

“We’re not.”

“So, what’s the issue?”

I sighed. “Fine. I’ll ask her. She won’t want to, though.”

Cole clapped me on the back, his grin wide and infectious. “That’s my boy. Now, let’s get out of these monkey suits and grab a beer. I think we’ve earned it.”

***

We had a beer at The Lighthouse and somehow we managed to avoid talking about Lily. Maybe it was because I got prickly whenever he brought up anything that might lead us toward her.Still, it was good to just spend some time with Cole. We rarely got to hang out like this anymore, and I had missed it.

When I got home, I found Lily and Ava huddled on the couch, surrounded by a sea of colorful index cards and hand-drawn pictures. They were so engrossed in their project that they didn’t even notice me come in.

“Hey, you two,” I said, dropping my keys on the counter. “What’s all this?”

Ava’s head popped up, her blue eyes shining with excitement. “Daddy, look! We’re writing a book!”

I raised an eyebrow, glancing at Lily with an amused smile. “Is that so?”

Lily held up a card with the words “Firefighter Daddy” scrawled across it in Ava’s messy handwriting. “It’s about a brave firefighter who rescues animals from burning buildings,” she explained, her eyes full of mirth. “And he just so happens to be a single dad with an amazing daughter. And a truly awesome nanny.”

“The best nanny in the world ever,” Ava added.

“We were going to call itSuper Nannybut decided to focus more on the firefighter character.”

“Super Nannysounds so good, though,” I said, staring into her eyes.

One . . . two . . . three. . . .

“True,” Lily agreed, looking away. “But we’re targeting a very specific demographic with this title.”

“What’s a demographic?” Ava asked.

“A group of people.”

“Who are we targeting?”

“Women who find the idea of a single dad firefighter to be exciting and romantic.”

Ava rolled her eyes. “Then nobody’s going to buy the book!”

Lily’s cheeks colored. “I would.”

“Daddy, can I bring my novel to Uncle Cole’s dinner tomorrow?” Ava asked, her blue eyes wide and pleading. “I want to show everyone. Lexi and Rhea will flip out. I’m, like, a real author now.”

“Sure. Why not?” I said. I was about to ask Lily whether she wanted to come, but Ava did it for me.

“You should be there,” she said to Lily. “You’re kinda like my co-author. I need you to help me explain the story.”

Lily looked at me. “I . . . don’t know. I was going to head to the store. Refresh some of the displays.”

“Yep,” I said quickly. “I was going to ask you, but I figured you might be busy.”

“You were going to ask me?” Her expression was hard to read.

“Well, you’re Ava’s nanny.”

“Right,” Lily said. “Well, the store displays can wait. I could come to dinner in that capacity. As Ava’s nanny.”

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