Page 9 of Knot Just Their Nanny
I’m so engrossed in my thoughts that I don’t hear him approach until Benjamin clears his throat from the kitchen doorway. I jump, nearly slicing my thumb.
“Shit!” I exclaim, putting down the knife and checking for signs of blood. I’m not great with that. Passing out occurs and all that, so I’m glad that I didn’t cut myself.
“Careful,” he says, an edge of actual concern in his voice that has me blinking at him in surprise.
“What are you? A ninja?”
He snorts. “Hardly.”
“Did you need something?”
He hesitates, shifting on his feet, and then gestures vaguely at the fridge. “Water.”
“Sit down. I’ll get it.”
Benjamin reluctantly perches on one of the stools at the island, watching as I get him a bottle of water. The silence is awkward but not unbearable.
“Thanks,” he murmurs as I hand it to him.
I nod and return to my task, resisting the urge to fill the silence with pointless chatter that won’t get me anywhere. The sound of crunching vegetables under my knife is soothing in its monotony.
We stay like that for a few minutes—me chopping and him sipping water—before he speaks up again.
“You’re good with her,” he says abruptly. “She seems to like you.”
I look over my shoulder, surprised by the compliment. “Thanks. She’s easy to love.”
He nods, absently running a hand through his hair, and for the first time, I see something other than a soul-deep scowl on his face.
“I wasn’t sure about having you here to help,” he admits quietly. “I should be able to handle it all on my own.”
I set the knife down and lean back against the counter. “It’s okay not to have all the answers or do everything solo, Benjamin. Everyone needs help sometimes.”
He looks at me, and I see the tiredness in his eyes. “Yeah, well,” he starts but doesn’t finish.
Silence falls between us again, but it’s a little less tense now. A shared understanding is beginning to weave its way through the air. He takes another sip of water.
Benjamin watches me as I resume chopping. I can feel his gaze on me. It’s not as uncomfortable as I would have expected having someone watch my every move, not when it’s him anyway. Pretty sure if some rando appeared in the bushes, stalking me, I’d take umbrage, but with Benjamin, it’s… dare I say it? Nice.
“I’ll get back to work,” he mumbles and leaves me alone again to finish up the lunch prep. My phone buzzes on the counter next to me, and I frown at it as I keep chopping.
No Caller ID.
“Well, if you don’t want to be identified, I don’t want to answer you, fucker,” I say, but my blood runs a bit cooler. Could it be Eddie? I blocked his number, but he still has mine. He could quite easily ring me from another number.
Cursing myself that while I thought I had everything planned, I clearly missed the memo that screams if you’re running from a toxic ex tochangeyour number, not just block his.
“Dumb, dumb, dumb,” I mutter. “I wonder where the nearest shop is.” I didn’t see one on my drive in yesterday, but I’m going to have to find out.
Steeling myself as I replace the knife on the counter and march into the lounge to confront Benjamin, I ask, “Where is the shop?”
He turns his head, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly as if trying to figure out the urgency behind my question. “There’s a corner shop in the village. It’s about a twenty-minute walk,” he replies, then pauses. “Why? Do you need something?”
I nod, trying to appear nonchalant. “I need to grab some essentials.”
Benjamin studies me for a moment longer and then nods. “We’ll get Mia in the pram, and we’ll all go.”
“Uhm,” I murmur, surprised. “It’s okay; I can go by myself. Just point me in the right direction.”
