Page 47 of The Manny

“No. I know. But I want to be sure you’re comfortable with being alone with Mia before I throw you into that situation.”

Guilt ate at me because he was being so thoughtful about my feelings. “Of course you can have the day off, Thomas.”

“Thanks.” He smiled tentatively. “Would you want me to make a list of things to do with Mia that day? Things she enjoys that would keep her busy?”

I frowned.

He held out a hand. “I’m not trying to be bossy. I just thought maybe that would put you more at ease.”

I cleared my throat. “Actually, that would be great.” I had no idea how to entertain Mia. I’d rarely been alone in the same room with her since her arrival. Thomas was always there as a comforting buffer. “I could use some ideas on how to keep her amused.”

“Yeah?” He looked pleased. “I’ll do that then.”

I forced myself to say, “Thank you. That’s very thoughtful of you.”

“My pleasure.” He turned to go, but then faced me again.

“Was there something else?”

He gave an uneasy laugh. “We’ve been getting along better lately, don’t you think?”

I chuffed. “We’ve hardly seen each other.”

“Sure, but it’s working. We’re not butting heads so much.”

I shrugged. “True.”

He shifted restlessly. “Uh… I was wondering if you’ve made a decision about whether or not you’ll fire me.”

The good and bad thing about Thomas was his bluntness. It often annoyed me, but it also made it possible to address just about anything with him. And, to be fair, he had a right to know if he was staying or going.

“I haven’t called the agency,” I said softly.

“Does that mean you aren’t looking to replace me?” He sounded breathless.

I met his gaze. “I do worry this truce we have won’t hold.”

He slumped, but then moved closer. “I think our biggest issue is we communicate differently. We both want what’s best for Mia, but we have different ideas about what that means.”

“I can agree with that.”

“We should sit down and get to know each other better. Maybe then we’d see that we’re both good people.”

I narrowed my eyes. “I don’t want to have a heart to heart.”

He held up his hands. “Okay. That’s fine. I just thought maybe if we understood each other better, it might help. But if that makes you uncomfortable, never mind.”

I sighed. “I already know you’re a good person, Thomas. That’s never been the problem.”

“All right.” He frowned.

“I’m private.” I grimaced. “Very private. That seems to be a challenge to you. I get the feeling you think I should change that about myself.”

He seemed to consider my words. “Only because I believe it would be best for Mia if you could open up more.”

“You’re probably right about that. In fact, I know you are.” I laughed gruffly. “But if I don’t want to change, it won’t happen. You can’tmakeme change.”

“Yes. I… I agree.”

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