Page 15 of Night of the Living Manny
“Some are.” He’d had one family the service just hadn’t matched well. It had ended badly, with lots of accusations no one could back up and a bonus and an apology from the agency.
“I’m sorry. That sucks. I understand. I had a thing with a guy at work. It was bad.”
“Yeah.” Okay, that was…. Wow. Bi. Holy moly, a man should never have that kind of surge of hope. This was a client. There was no way he should be making eyes at the man. “How long were you married?”Did she know you were into men too?
“We got married right out of high school. She was pregnant with Susanna.”
“High school sweethearts.” He smiled, the romantic in him touched.
“Yes. We were together all through high school. She was amazing, fierce. A little wild.”
“Susanna looks just like her.”
“She does. At first it was hard to look at her, but now it makes me smile.” Oh, that was the sweetest grin.
“I’m glad.” This time he did touch Liam’s hand. “Did you get enough snack?”
“I did. You want another beer?”
“I think I’ll switch to Coke, but they’re in the fridge if you’re willing.” He needed to be able to wake up and help the kids if they needed him.
“I’ll grab it. I’m going to have one more, I think.” Liam stood up, and Brenden let himself admire the tiny, tight little ass as Liam was on the way out.
His boss was bi. His boss had been in a thing with a man. At work. Holy God, Brenden was going to have to hold back, because he liked Liam. A lot. Already.
And he’d only been on the job twenty-four hours.
Liam came back with a beer, a Coke, and a bag of M&M’s. “I lied. I need a little sweet.”
“A man after my own heart.” Someone had a secret stash.
“I love my bites of chocolate. I’ll share.”
“Cool.” Now Brenden knew what to get Liam at the store. Pimento cheese fixings and M&M’s. He loved being able to do for the whole family. “So tell me about the kids.”
“What do you want to know? Susanna is a teenager, through and through. Peter is a geek and a gamer, and he’s smarter than he wants to be. Britt is still in that little girl one day, forty-year-old the next phase.”
“What’s your favorite things about them?” Twenty questions, he figured.
“I love how Susanna cares about Peter and Britt, even when she pretends not to. I love how brilliant Peter is, how he makes connections. Britt? She’s just excited to be alive. She loves with all her heart.”
“She’s the one I know best already.” Brenden grinned. “The younger ones are always easiest, but I can game with the best of them, so Peter is next.”
Liam laughed for him, and they settled in a little deeper into the couch. “Susanna, you’ll just have to keep from lighting shit on fire.”
“She a firebug?” He raised his eyebrows, surprised.
“I don’t think so. That’s what she got in trouble for, so that’s what I tease her about.” Liam rolled his eyes. “She was trying to make some craft with candle wax and paper, and she set the couch on fire.”
“Oops. That’s better than trying to call the watchtowers and flooding the entire pool house.”
“That happened to you? Seriously?” Liam’s eyes widened.
“Yep. Three teenage girls and a very drunk auntie from somewhere up East.”
“Oh man. No, she was just careless.”
“I can see it. Did she work off the couch somehow?” He figured that was the best way to see how lenient Liam was.
