Page 23 of Mine to Keep

“Crap. Sorry,” Jamison said as he bent over to pick up her phone that had landed at her feet.

She couldn’t help it, she giggled. She really shouldn’t find a man getting so flustered by putting his hands on her butt funny, but she did. Maybe because it wasn’t just any man, it was Jamison. However, she cleared her throat and opted to pretend that it hadn’t happened and move on, going about the business at hand. “All of my tools and finished products are in the smaller suitcase and duffle bag. I was thinking that alcove in my bedroom would be a good place to set up a table, but I don’t have one yet.”

“Actually, you do.”

She tossed the dirty mess her daughter had created into the diaper pail and sent a nasty look Jamison’s direction.

He lifted his hands in the air as if she were holding a loaded shotgun to his chest. “Chip had an old desk in the attic, which we cleaned out while you were in the hospital. I thought maybe you might want that and a chair. It cost nothing but my time to wipe off the eight inches of dust, and the chair is my old one because I wanted a new one.”

“I’m going to get tired of saying ‘thank you.’” She finished dressing Zadie, who was now screaming her precious little lungs out. “Is the chair in my room?”

“It is. And it’s quite comfortable. I just wanted something a little bigger.”

“All right. I’m going to sit in it and feed this little monster while I tell you where to put my tools.”

“That sounds dirty.”

Heat filled her cheeks. She didn’t dare look over her shoulder as she made her way into her bedroom. It suddenly dawned on her that she’d be breastfeeding while he unpacked her things. She’d done that before, but he’d walked in on them in the middle of the feeding session. She hadn’t started it in front of him.

She swallowed. “That doesn’t look like an old chair.”

“I’ve had it for about ten years. Swear to God.” He rolled it to the edge of the bed before snagging the smaller suitcase and unzipping it. He glanced between the contents and the desk. He took a step back and planted his hands on his hips. “I think you need built-in cabinets over the desk for all this stuff. And maybe a bookshelf to house some of it.” He waved his hands over her jewelry-making supplies. “The couple of drawers here aren’t going to cut it.”

“That sounds expensive and way out of my budget.” She took one of the small blankets and tossed it over her shoulder. So far, Zadie had been latching on quickly, but every once in a while, it was a challenge to get her to take Bryn’s nipple. That was something she hoped didn’t happen right now. She didn’t want to be rude and tell him to get the hell out. Because she wanted to buy him lunch, which had been ordered and paid for, and the idea of being alone in this house all of a sudden made her want to cry. “Maybe once I get my business going or find part-time work, I can swing it, but not right now.”

He stood there with his back to her and scratched his head. “You’re looking for a job?”

“I don’t know about a job so much as I’m looking to find ways to make a little side money from home.” She adjusted Zadie’s head and cringed as her baby girl grabbed hold and started feeding.

“Would you be interested in working for me?” He turned. “I can’t afford to pay you very much. As a matter of fact, it would have to be lead-based.”

“What do you mean by that?” She leaned back in the leather office chair and patted Zadie’s behind. Being a mother didn’t feel natural, but it didn’t feel foreign, either. All the doctors and nurses had told her to trust her instincts and never hesitate to call the office.

So far, she liked the pediatrician she’d met at the hospital, but what did she know?

“One of the reasons I want to build a website is to have a place for people to input their contact and project information, especially when I’m working at the station and can’t return phone calls right away. But if I had someone who could do that for me and do quotes, I could manage my part-time work much better.”

“I know nothing about being a handyperson,” she said.

“You don’t need to. You just need to know my schedule and cell number. I can answer short texts pretty easily at work. And some phone calls. But when I hang up on a potential new customer because I’ve got a four-alarm fire to deal with, they just go find someone else.”

“I see what you mean. So, what exactly are you looking to have me do?”

“Answer emails and phone calls that come through the website. I can pay you per job I get.”

“Are you serious? Because if you are, I’ll take it, as long as we can set office hours.”

“Absolutely. I wouldn’t expect you to field calls after six or on Sundays, but if you could do Saturdays, that would be great.”

“I don’t even mind Sundays. Just not late at night.” Trying not to expose herself, she lifted Zadie over her shoulder and patted her back in hopes of getting a good burp. Thankfully, Jamison kept his focus on her gaze and nowhere else.

So far, he’d proven himself to be a gentleman through and through, and she wanted to believe that he was one of the good guys. However, she would never get involved with him outside of working for him and being friends.

And not close ones.

That was all she could handle, and it might be all she’d ever be interested in since she didn’t trust her ability to read men.

That and the fact that she couldn’t afford for anyone to get too close for fear they might find out who she really was. That could be disastrous. If Timothy’s parents ever found out that she and their unborn grandchild had survived the car crash, they would come for her, and they would do whatever they could—including lying—to take Zadie from her.

---