Page 5 of Night of the Living Manny
Liam approved. Seriously. By now he’d just be screaming.
“What can you cook?” Susanna was giving Brenden the stank eye, but she was curious. She loved to try bizarre foods.
“All kinds of stuff! I went to culinary school before I got my childhood ed degree.” Now Brenden was smiling again.
“Really?” Oh, that was interest from his girl.
“Yeah. I really like Asian fusion. Hey, Brittany, would you like to help me feed Moose? That way he won’t beg when the pizza comes.”
Right. Pizza. Time to order.
“Please. Yes. I can help. Daddy? Do you see me? I want to help!”
“I see, baby girl. I’m going to order pizza.”
“Cheese?” Brittany looked at him expectantly.
“Yes, ma’am. Cheese for you and Peter. Deluxe for me, Brenden, and my adventurous eater.”
Brittany flashed him a grin, but she was hand in hand with Brenden, presumably going out to the aforementioned Land Rover to get the dog supplies.
As soon as they were out of the room, Susanna rounded on him. “A nanny?”
“You set the living room couch on fire, Susanna.”
“It was an accident!” She flung her hands out dramatically.
“Not really,” Peter muttered, putting his very life on the line.
“Iwillkill you,” she snarled.
Peter shrugged. “If he can cook, bring it on. Dad never has time anymore, and Miss Lisa never could.”
“It’s not forever. Just until this project is over.” A few months. Maybe a year. Tops. He felt as if he was on borrowed time with this virus, and the big brass were pushing.
“He seems nice, at least.” Susanna bit her lower lip, clearly wavering.
“He does. Please, honey. Let him help out around here?”Let me have a break?
“Okay. If he can drive me to practice….” Susanna played hockey, of all things. Practice was cold. Always. He hated freezing his ass off, and Susanna had flunked her driving test. Twice.
“I bet that can be arranged. Let me call for supper, okay?”
“Okay.” She dropped her arms to her sides. “I’ll get plates and cups.”
“And a Coke for Brenden, please.”
Brenden and Britt came back in, and she was just chattering away at him. Bless her heart, she had a new audience.
Pizza. Focus. Pizza, and then maybe he could sit in his recliner and take a ten-minute nap.
Chapter Two
BRENDENwoke up at six the next morning, hoping he would have time to get in a jog with Moose. The older kids had been quiet after supper, scattering to den and bedroom respectively. Brittany had played with Moose until bedtime, and Moose, the big lug, had wallowed in the attention.
He opened his bedroom door to the smell of coffee.
Yum.
