Page 69 of Worst Nanny Ever
I climb in, brushing against his arm as I get into the seat. Then, to my bafflement, he reaches in and secures my belt.
“I can do that too,” I tell him.
“Ifigured. But I wasn’t confident you would.”
He gets around and climbs into the driver’s side before taking off. Of course, Travis being Travis, he goes the speed limit. But I don’t miss the way his eyes keep flitting to the mirrors, as if checking to see whether Alice is following us in some VW minibus full ofShips Ahoyfans.
He relaxes after a few minutes, so I say, “You can drop me off at my car, and I’ll meet you at your house to help hide all of this stuff for Ollie. That way you can be there for the big reveal later.”
“There’s no need for that,” he says gruffly. “I’ll leave it all out on the dining room table, and you can have fun checking it out with him this afternoon. I’d rather not make a huge deal out of it.”
I consider what he’s told me about his dad. “Your father liked showboating?”
He laughs. “He liked every kind of boating. It was his defining characteristic.
“Then he would have really liked Big Catch.”
He gives me a sidelong look. “Please don’t tell me you took that job at Big Catch because you loveShips Ahoy.”
I grin at him. “I won’t tell you, but that doesn’t mean it’s not true.”
He groans theatrically. “I can’t believe there are still fan groups. I mean, those movies came out so long ago.”
“But the bad lines have enduring staying power.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“I’m just glad you can joke about it. That tells me you’re doing better than you were twenty minutes ago.”
“It’s because of you,” he says softly.
A rush of warmth fills my chest.
“Oh,” I say, which is probably the least I’ve ever had to say about anything.
Travis smiles out the windshield, probably having that same thought. Then he says, “I shouldn’t have lost it on her. I just don’t like getting that kind of attention. You know, when people think they know you because they’ve seen your face online.”
“That happens to me with online dating sometimes.”
He darts a quick look at me, his expression serious again. “Are you dating anyone?”
“Not really an HR-friendly question, Mister Sir Thomas.”
He swears under his breath. “You’re right. It’s none of my business. I was just…curious. I should have asked before…you know…”
Before he kissed me against a wall.
“No, I shut down my profiles months ago. Too much trouble. Too many dick pics. Why haven’tyoubeen dating anyone? I’m sure Alice would love to break your dry spell.”
“No offense to Alice, but I’m not interested in her, or anyone else who may have thought about getting aShips Ahoytattoo.”
“That counts me out.”
His shoulders shake a little with repressed laughter. “No, it doesn’t. I knew way more lines than you did when we watched the movie the other day.”
“Because I have a shit memory.” I steal a look at him. “Does it bother you when people are superfans of the band?”
“Sometimes,” he says, his eyes facing front.
