Page 61 of Wishing for Love

“No. Elsie will go to bed at her normal time. Maybe we can have a date after?”

“I’d like that,” she said.

“Good,” he said. “That wasn’t what I was coming up here to talk about.”

“I figured as much,” she said. “I don’t want what we’ve got to feel awkward.”

He inhaled and let it out. “And it’s feeling that way, right?”

“Just a little,” she said, holding up her thumb and finger. “I’m not sure if it’s on my end or your end.”

“I think it might be both. I’m afraid Elsie is going to catch us.”

“Me too,” she said, laughing. “But I also worried that maybe you only were thinking of things as some action in the sheets.”

He frowned. “No. I thought I told you that.”

“You did. So I don’t think it as much anymore.”

“Maybe I’m having doubts that you could be thinking that too.”

Her jaw dropped. “What? You think I only want you for this?”

Her hand dropped down between his legs and he reacted immediately.

Just like the last few times, she was making the first move.

“It might have crossed my mind a time or two.”

“As much as I like it and how well you know what to do with it, it’s not all I want from you. Nor the job either. I know we’ve got to talk and figure this out. Now might be the best chance. Why don’t you go first and tell me what is on your mind?”

“I’m not sure what is on my mind. I might not make sense talking.”

“Then just talk,” she said.

“Elsie has to come first.”

“Agreed. Nor do I want her to know. There is no reason for it. She’s young and would just be confused.”

“Good,” he said. “I don’t want you to feel as if this is only about sex. It seems you don’t want me to feel that way either.”

“Sounds that way,” she said, grinning.

“I feel bad because this isn’t like a normal relationship. It’s not as if we can go out on a date. Or I don’t feel that way and I shouldn’t feel that way because you deserve more. So the next thing I was thinking of was, do you know anyone that babysits like you used to do? Someone you trust to watch Elsie so that we can go on a date?”

She pursed her lips and got this tender look in her eyes. “I do. I mean people I knew on the site. You want to take me out?”

“Yes,” he said, pulling her under his arm. “Elsie has to understand that you are a nanny and entitled to time off too. So we should have a babysitter. If I had to go somewhere for work and you couldn’t watch her, I’d get a sitter. I mean, if you were in a relationship.”

“I’d like to think I am in one with you,” she said.

“Me too. And that means I can’t take advantage of you being here all the time. If we want to see how this goes with us, we have to do things as if you weren’tmynanny.”

“I feel so much better hearing you say this.”

“Because you didn’t want to be the one to bring it up?” he asked.

“I wasn’t thinking it right yet. I might have though. It’s nice I don’t have to worry.”

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