Page 43 of The Third Girl

My intuitive sister eyes me curiously right before she catches me completely by surprise. “Matt Morello, do you have a thing for the limber ninja of a kindergarten teacher nanny that you’ve hired to care for my niece?”

Shit.

She cocks her head to the side, her eyes widening when I don’t answer right away. “Oh, wow. You do.”

The muscles in my jaw twitch as I stare at my sister’s delighted expression. “I’m attracted to her, sure.” That’s the honest truth without sharing too much information.

A bubbly laugh erupts from Lucy. “Oh, man. Okay, well…”

“Advice?” I cross my arms over my chest. I’ve learned that Lucy is good at this sort of stuff, but I also don’t know if I’m ready for her to poke around asking all sorts of questions.

Lucy wets her lips, considering. “She’s a great girl. And I might have called it when the two of you were up close and personal on the gym mats. I was kind, though, and said nothing out loud. I don’t know if I have any great advice, except to remind you that getting hot and heavy with the nanny could potentially cause some issues.” She sighs, relenting. “But hell, having a fling or whatever could be exactly what you need.”

I take another sip of coffee, then rest my elbow on the table and prop up my head with my hand. I heave out a disturbed breath. “But Terri—”

My usually unflappable sister tears up and quietly finishes my sentence. “Is not coming back, Matt. She’s gone. And she’d want you to be happy.” She buries her lips on top of Sailor’s head, kissing her and hugging her tightly enough that she squirms. Finally, she shakes her head, lips pressed together. “Man, I’m torn on this one. I want you to feel like it’s okay to get back out there, and I do like Skylar a lot. That’s not the problem. But…” She makes ayikesface.

“Spit it out.”

“Fine. It might be a little like shitting where you eat.”

I suck in a breath. I had an idea she’d say something like that. “Okay, help me work through this, then, because that’s not even the only problem I see. Let’s say the nanny thing was a nonissue. Should I feel like a dirty old man?”

“You mean the twelve-year age difference, right?” She grins deviously at the surprised look on my face. “Oh, I totally did the math the minute Trav said something. I mean, if Skylar was sixteen and you were twenty-eight, it would definitely be fucked up.”

I cringe. “Yeah, I was almost in high school when she was born.”

“Well, not quite, but what I’m getting at is the older you get, the less of a big deal it is. Does thirty-six and forty-eight seem that weird?”

I heave out a breath. “I guess not.” I run my hands through my hair, then lace my fingers over top of my head.

“Matt, I get it. This is a big deal. I believe you might be ready. But I’d tell you to use caution with Skylar—not because of her age but because it might put a strain on the two of you while she’s working for you. Not to mention, if you broke up, it would be disastrous in terms of childcare. You’d be back to the drawing board. And it could be potentially awkward for Laney as well. I mean, the rest of us, too, because we like Skylar. But don’t forget Skylar’s day job requires her to work with Laney.” She shrugs. “Again, just something to think about.”

If only my sister knew how hard I’ve been thinking about every angle of this, her brain would likely explode. And now I’ve gone and… not lied, but I’ve not been completely honest.

It makes me feel like a shitty brother. But I didn’t want to look Lucy in the eye and tell her I’ve already fucked it all up.

---