Page 46 of Recklessly Yours

Fat fucking chance. “If you’d hire a sitter who wasn’t eighty, you’d have much more reliable childcare.”

“She’s not that old.” He huffed. “And the storm was pretty bad.”

Maybe she wasn’t that old, but there was no way she was under seventy. And unless it was sunny, there was no way she’d drive anywhere.

“I wasn’t even supposed to be on shift tonight, but there’s a big fire down at Keller’s farm. Chief asked if I could assist.”

Dread tugged at my stomach. “Don’t tell me arson again.”

He shook his head. “I don’t think so. Sounds like it was a lightning strike.”

“That’s good. Too many fires lately, and we don’t need any more suspected arsons.” I raised an eyebrow at him, circling back to the reason he was standing on my porch to begin with. “But you do need a young, reliable babysitter.”

“I’ve already told you—I refuse to be a cliché.”

His reasoning for continuing to hire the old ladies was ridiculous. The last one had failing health and only showed up half the time she was supposed to. Clearly, this one wasn’t any better.

“What’s a cliché?” one of his five-year-old twins asked.

I still had trouble telling them apart. But based on the pink headband in her hair, I guessed it was Alice. Nikki hated pink.

“It’s when someone does something predictable,” Logan said, focus still fixed on me.

“What’s predictable?” Nikki asked this time.

Logan sighed. “Girls, why don’t you go put a show on while I talk to Dylan?”

Shrugging, Alice skipped past me. Nikki followed her with a huff. She would be a fun teenager, I was sure of it.

“I haven’t said yes yet.” I smirked at my friend.

“It’s only for an hour or so. Maggie should be finished up at the hospital soon.”

I chuckled. “Bet that conversation went well.”

Grimacing, he ducked his head. “She threatened to find and hire my next babysitter.”

Their relationship was strange, but they worked hard to co-parent successfully for the girls’ sake.

“You should take Jay’s suggestion and hire Izzy.”

Logan’s eyes narrowed at me, and he opened his mouth to respond, but he shut it just as quickly.

“Mr. Dylan, there’s a strange woman in here.” Alice stood in the open archway that led into the living room and peered at me over her shoulder.

“Maybe she’s his girlfriend,” Nikki mock-whispered.

I pinched my eyes closed. Leave it to kids to find the most inopportune times to make comments.

Now Logan was the one smirking at me. “Are we interrupting?”

“No.” I shook my head, irritation bubbling up inside me.

Logan chuckled. “Really? ’Cause you don’t look so sure.”

It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him there was nothing going on between Hattie and me. Only I couldn’t seem to force the words past my lips.

Chapter Twenty

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