Page 13 of Love is Cupid

“I’m a good listener.” I shrug, and Milo nods.

“Yeah.” He frowns and seems to realize he’s talking to his son's nanny, and standing way too close. Milo clears his throat and steps away from me.

“Let's get upstairs,” I say, pulling my hand away, and ignoring the warmth his touch left behind.

I think he might finally be ready for a real date.

7

True

It’s been one week since I went with the guys to Bellamy’s club. I can see a difference in all of them. Clay seems happier on his own, rather than needing validation from strange women. Bellamy hasn’t attempted any one-night stands but has been flirting with women at his club. Milo struck up a conversation at the coffee shop yesterday, and when I hit them with some flirty magic, they both responded positively! Progress! I think they’re ready for my next step.

Everyone is at work and Coop got on the bus to school a couple of hours ago, so I decided it’s the perfect time to get some cleaning done. Technically, it’s not part of my job description, but the guys have all been working hard and I know they’ll appreciate coming home to a clean house. And I also really hate dirty dishes, so I’m doing this for myself. One thing I’ve realized is that while the guys are pretty good about cleaning up after themselves, they’re still kind of messy.

I connect my phone via Bluetooth to the speakers in the living room and blast music as I go to work. Starting with Coop’s room, I get all the toys gathered and put away before vacuuming and dusting. He’s a good boy who keeps up with his room pretty well, though, so it takes me no time to finish. I don’t mess with the guys' rooms, but I do sort through all the laundry and throw more loads in, separated by what belongs to whom. Their styles are all pretty different, so it’s easy enough to figure out.

Milo prefers button-downs in soft colors and slacks in blues, greens, and khaki. Bellamy is all about the black, so pretty much all black clothes go right into his pile. And Clay is the only one who wears jeans and simple shirts. I think Coop’s clothes are pretty self-explanatory, considering they fit no one else in the house.

When I come across one of Bellamy’s shirts that reeks of perfume, a small spark of jealousy rears its ugly head. I shove it down hard into the washer and pile more clothes on top of it, but the smell lingers.

Stop it, True. I’m here to help them find love. This is a good thing! This is literally what I want, and the entire reason I’m here. It could be a good thing that it smells like perfume. He hasn’t taken any girls home or spent the night with anyone that I know of, so maybe he was actually spending close time with someone.

I rush the rest of the laundry and move to tackle the kitchen, wiping counters and doing dishes, singing and dancing along whenever the music hits just right. It’s just what I need to distract myself from emotions I shouldn’t be having.

By the time I reach the living room, I’ve got a whole dance routine figured out as I run the vacuum across the carpet. The bundled-up cord in my hand becomes my makeshift microphone and I’m just letting go, feeling the music down to my soul.

I’ve just finished wiping off the coffee table when a small pair of arms wraps around my legs, startling me out of my zone. I look down and see the sweetest little freckled face smiling up at me. His bus must’ve dropped him off without me noticing, so I reach down and grab his hands.

“Dance with me!” I tell Coop, swinging our arms wildly as the next song plays. I have a thing for older songs, so whenWhip Itby Devo comes on, I’m ready to teach this kid some moves.

He catches on quickly as we both shake our hips, fling our hands through the air, and jump to the beat. It’s an absolute blast, and seeing the glorious grin on his face as he laughs is probably one of my most favorite moments I’ve ever had. Someday, when Coop’s all grown up, I’ll look back on this moment with so much love. Maybe taking on this nanny gig isn’t so bad.

As I’m spinning, I notice that Bellamy is standing by the front door, leaning against the wall and just smiling as he watches us.

“You just going to watch or are you going to join?” I ask him.

“Yeah, come dance, Uncle Bell!” Coop prods, waving him over to our little dance party.

“Hard to say no to that face,” Bellamy says, then without warning, runs and jumps in the middle of us and begins dancing as ridiculously as he possibly can. I think I even witnessed The Robot, unfortunately.

At one point, he grabs my hand and spins me around, dipping me low and leaving me a little breathless. He winks and then kisses my forehead quickly, before bringing me back upright and doing a silly cha-cha with me. I try not to let that quick peck go to my head as the song comes to an end, but it’s a little hard not to go back to my previous emotions of jealousy for the woman he ends up with.

Completely worn out, I turn down the music and focus back on Coop.

“So, how was school today?” I ask him.

“Awesome! My friend Mikey wants me to have a sleepover with him tomorrow! Think dad will let me go?”

I’m absolutely thrilled when I hear this news. I’ve been here for weeks and never once has he mentioned a friend or slept over anywhere except his grandma’s.

I place my hands on my knees and lean down. “I think we can convince him. Wanna help me make dinner to bribe him?”

“I can do that!” He doesn’t even waste a second and rushes to the kitchen.

“You’re really good with him,” Bellamy states, coming to stand next to me as we both watch from afar as Coop begins taking out all kinds of bowls and measuring cups from the cabinets. Kid doesn’t even know what we’re making, and he’s already prepping for anything.

“He’s hard not to love. I can’t imagine how Tiffany ever could have let him go. It’s just insanity,” I reply, not able to help the irritation at her flooding into my tone.

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