Page 14 of Boss Me Not

“Wyatt?” Steven’s voice broke through the moment.

“Yeah?” Wyatt groaned and glanced over at where the young guy stood, holding the door open.

Relief flooded me. I refused to get attached to the idea that Wyatt was attracted to me.

“We have a problem.” Steven looked back and forth between Wyatt and me. “Might need both of you.”

We followed him inside to the lobby. A young girl, not much older than four or five, sat curled up on a chair with a stuffed bear.

“She showed up in the lobby about five minutes ago.” Steven glanced our way. “I’ve been trying to get her to tell me where she came from, but she won’t talk.”

Wyatt moved toward her before I could even utter a word. He sat on the corner of the long accent table in front of the chair, and immediately, the little girl held up her bear, showing it to him.

“Well, I’ll be…” Steven shook his head. “She acted scared of me. Surprisingly likes you, though.”

Wyatt smiled back at us. “What do you mean surprisingly? I’m good with kids.”

I shook my head, mirroring Steven’s surprise. The man who didn’t like dealing with people was good with kids.

“I’m going to start calling guests that had children on their reservation.” I eyed Wyatt as he interacted with the young child. “Can you see if you can get her to talk?”

“I’ll do my best.” He shrugged, directing his next words to Steven. “Can you get coloring paper and a set of crayons from the restaurant?”

“Yep.”

I headed toward the front desk as Steven made his way to the restaurant. As I stood there, calling guests, my gaze kept seeking out Wyatt as he sat on the floor coloring with the young girl. He had her smiling after the first few calls I made and was more comfortable with the small girl than even I would have been. It seemed so out of character. But then again, I barely knew him. He really could be good with kids.

I’d half expected him to tell Steven and me to deal with it. I shook my head. This guy was a walking contradiction, that was for sure.

Before I could call the next guest, a young woman in one of our housekeeping uniforms appeared, frantically looking around the lobby before her gaze zeroed in on Wyatt and the girl.

“Oh, thank God.” She beelined straight for her and scooped her up. “Chelsea, I told you not to wander off.”

I stepped out and walked over.

The woman bowed her head, refusing to meet either one of our eyes. “I’m so sorry. My babysitter canceled and I didn’t have a choice but to bring her.”

Wyatt stood, eyeing the young woman. “Sadie, why didn’t you say something? We would have understood if you needed to take off.”

The woman’s head popped up and her eyes widened. “No, sir. I couldn’t.”

“What do you mean?”

I was pretty sure I understood, and it wasn’t something I thought Wyatt would, though.

“I can’t afford to take any time off.” She averted her gaze again. “And with Chelsea being so sick this winter, I’ve burned through all my paid leave.”

Jesus, that sucked. It was only March. I made a mental note to look into it. Was she new or had she been here for a while? I wanted to get familiar with all the staff and their situations, but that would come with time. It surprised me that Wyatt knew this woman by name. Was he familiar with all the staff?

Wyatt looked from the little girl and back to her mother. “How much longer do you have on your shift?”

“An hour or so.”

Wyatt nodded. “Okay. We can sit with Chelsea while you finish up.”

“That’s not necessary?—”

“It’ll be easier for you, and I don’t mind. And if you want to leave a little early, that’s fine too.”

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