Page 20 of Falling for the Single Daddy

“Do not lie to me, Callie-kin,” she says, using the nickname she invented the day she learned that the word kin meant family. She hasn’t stopped using it since. “If you’re bored, you text. There’s something else.”

I swallow, then almost deny it, but she’s right. I wouldn’t have called her if boredom was the only reason. I wanted her to guess something was up.

“I’ve got a crush on my boss,” I murmur.

She sighs, then tuts. “This is not good.”

“I know.”

“How bad is this crush?”

“Well, seeing as I’ve never really crushed on anybody, I’d say it’s pretty bad. And the thing is, I think he sort of likes me too. At least, I did, until earlier.”

Another sigh. “Explain.”

I tell Katerina everything, from the looks Gray and I have shared, to the tension, then finally the gym. “But you see how this is allon the edge, right? I mean, the gym—that’s obvious. To me, at least. It was sexual. But we had a reasonable excuse. And now, it’s as if he’s angry at me for making him lose his head. It’s like he blames me.”

“Do you want to sleep with this man?” she asks bluntly.

“Kat…”

“It’s a fair question, no?” she says.

“You know I’m not exactly experienced when it comes to that.”

“I’m not talking about experience,” she counters. “I’m talking aboutwant.”

“I don’t know,” I murmur, biting my thumbnail. “I guess, on some level, yeah, I do. But I also know it’d be the biggest mistakeI could make. And I don’t like feeling this way. It’s like he’s in my head. LikeI’m not in control.”

“And you need to be in control,” she says, needing no further explanation.

“After everything, yeah, I do,” I tell her. “I can’t let him get into my head. I can’t let myself care too much especially after he went all cold today. What if he makes me care, then suddenly turns cold, and I turn into Mom, hanging off Josh’s every word, letting him treat her like crap? I can’t risk this job, either. It pays well. I can support Dad. I don’t have to pay rent. Emery is a dream. It’s the perfect job.”

“Then you have your answer, Callie,” she says. “Tell your feelings to go bye-bye and be a big girl. If you want company, buy a vibrator.”

A laugh explodes from me, releasing so many good-happy chemicals I have a warm glow. “Kat, that’s too much!”

“They’re simpler than men, easier to maintain. You don’t have to worry about falling in love with it. It’s a win-win.”

“Life was easier before I feltanything,” I murmur. “I honestly thought the place had broken me. And then that stuff with Jorge… I thought I was put off men for life. But with Gray, it’s weird. We share these moments where neither of us acknowledges it, but I’m sure they’re special to him, too.”

“These are the kinds of ideas you need to get out of your head,” she says.

I sigh. “Yeah, you’re right… But that’s easier said than done.”

“It won’t be easy,” she agrees. “Still, you have to do it. Or you lose this job because you make things messy. You can’t pay yourdad’s rent. He goes back to that place. Maybe you have to beg that pig Jorge to take you back or refer you to one of his rich friends. There are far more negatives than positives.”

I sit up, clench my jaw, nod, and then nod again. It’s like I’m trying to convince my mind by making all the correct movements with my body, like how, if you smile, apparently, it forces your brain to be happy. “You’re right. Thanks, Kat. From now on, I’m going to be professional. No more weird gym stuff.”

“That’s more like it!”

***

Later that night, there’s a knock on the door to the guesthouse. My heart melts when I see Gray holding a half-awake Emery in his arms. She’s got her arms wrapped around him, but she’s turned toward me. Her eyes are closing, but she’s struggling like heck not to collapse.

“Thisone seems to think she has a story in her,” Gray says, smiling lovingly down at his daughter.

“I—have…” Emery yawns. “C-A-L-L…”

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