Page 23 of The Manny

He stood too. “You really have to go?”

“I think I should check on her.” Even I was surprised by my impulse to hurry home to Mia. Was it merely because she reminded me so much of Jules?

I typed out a text to Thomas.Advil in master bathroom. Be home in a few minutes.

“Wow, the kid just got here and she’s already cock-blocking you.” Scott studied me. “I hope you’re not going soft on me, Jack.”

I laughed. “The kid is sick. What kind of an asshole uncle would I be if I didn’t care about that?”

“The kind I thought you were; the self-centered kind.”

I rolled my eyes and headed toward the front door. “I’m sorry to cut things short. I’ll make it up to you by getting your car to purr like a kitten.”

He followed me, looking grumpy. “I’d rather you made me purr like a kitten.”

I snorted a laugh. “You never stop trying, do you?”

He grinned. “Nope. Relentless seduction is part of my charm.”

“I’ll call you tomorrow and let you know what’s going on with the Pontiac. I’m sure I can fix her up.”

“Okay.” He put his hand on the small of my back, and he opened the door for me. “Thanks for the ride home.”

“No problem.”

He surprised me when he leaned in and kissed me. His mouth was warm and insistent, and he pulled me against him. I smiled against his lips, enjoying the kiss. It was pleasant, like always, but I had no desire to push for more.

When the kiss ended, I said, “Talk to you tomorrow.”

“Yep.” He slapped my ass as I stepped out onto the porch. “I’ll be thinking of you later tonight when I jerk off.”

“You’re a class act, Scott.” I shook my head and strode to my car.

He simply laughed and closed the front door.

I started my car and drove home, feeling slightly anxious. I hadn’t expected anything to happen so soon with Mia. Kids got sick, I knew that. But she’d just arrived and I didn’t feel prepared to deal with a sick child. Did I need to take her to the doctor, or was this the kind of thing I’d handle at home? Hopefully, Thomas would have all the answers for me. He was the professional.

When I entered my house, it was dark and quiet. There was a light on in Mia’s room, and I headed there. I found Thomas sitting on the edge of Mia’s bed and the child sitting up. Her cheeks were pink and she looked sleepy. When she saw me, she gave a little gasp. I had no idea why.

“You’re back.” Thomas looked pleased to see me. “It’s just a little fever. I’m sure the medicine will knock it way down.”

“Oh, good.” I pushed my hands in my pockets, studying the two of them. “I felt like I should be here.”

He grimaced. “Sorry I had to disturb you at work. I just felt you should know, and I didn’t want to dig through your things if you didn’t have any children’s Advil around.”

“I bought it when I knew Mia was coming.”

“I see. Well, either way, sorry for bugging you at work.”

I cleared my throat. “I actually wasn’t at work. I was at a… customer’s house.”

He frowned. “Really? I thought you were going to your shop.”

“I did, to meet a customer. He’s the one who called earlier. He dropped his car off at my shop, but then he needed a ride home.”

“Oh.” He gave a gruff laugh. “I’m sure he appreciated the… er… white glove treatment.” There was definitely a touch of sarcasm in his voice.

What’s with the attitude?

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