Page 65 of Nanny for the Doctor

“Yes! Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go!”

Before I can answer, Henry dashes upstairs, and I run to catch up. He’s throwing clothes over his shoulder when I arrive at his bedroom door, and I quickly snag one out of the air before it hits me in the face.

“Dude! Slow down. Do you even know where your suit is?”

“It’s in here somewhere!”

I can barely hear him because Henry’s practically inside his drawer, and I grin. Piling up the discarded clothes, I look over his kneeling form to where I’ve seen his swim trunks folded on the top shelf of his closet.

I pull them down and then clear my throat so Henry will stop what he’s doing and look. He spins, taking in the shark-printed trunks, and smiles.

“Whoops. But yay! Let’s go!”

Henry snatches the swimwear out of my hands, running out of the room. I lean my head out his door and call after him.

“Put these clothes back, young man! And we need your towel!”

Sprinting back in, Henry helps me put the clothes away, and I finally have a moment to ask him what else he usually brings.

“Do you use goggles or anything?”

“There a bag under the stairs where Dad keeps all that stuff.”

I shake my head. “This would have been useful information before you took off running.”

“Sorry.” Henry frowns with a fake look of embarrassment, and I can’t help but love him just a little more.

If I do ever have kids, I hope they’re just as cool as this one.

Ruffling his hair, I snag a towel from the linen closet as we head back downstairs. I grab the swim bag, and Henry follows me to my car.

“Alright, let’s go get my stuff, and then we’ll come back here to surprise your dad.”

It doesn’t take long to reach my house, thankfully. Traffic can move at a snail's pace if you hit the road too close to rush hour, and Henry and I sprint up the walk toward my building, laughing boisterously.

“Alright, I don’t want to hear anything about water bottles when I open this door.” I stick the key in the deadbolt and turn. “I’m aware it isn’t the biggest place, but it’s mine, you know?”

Henry laughs. “Okay, okay. Let’s just get your swimsuit so we can go get Dad.”

“After you, buddy.”

I swing the door open, escorting Henry inside where he can wait at my tiny excuse for a kitchen table. I’m pretty sure it’s supposed to be patio furniture.

Jogging to my closet, I snag my bikini and a towel, lifting up my pant leg to see if I need to touch up my shaving.

It’s good enough, and I decide to slip the suit on under my clothes so I don’t have to worry about changing at the YMCA.

As far as bikinis go, it’s nothing impressive. In fact, I’ve had it since I volunteered as a lifeguard a few years ago. The reddish-orange fabric is cut much more like a sports bra than some sexy suit that’s all strings and cutouts.

Sliding up the bottoms, I notice I’m a little bloated, and I sigh.

“Must be that time of the month soon.”

I still look okay and just have to remember to suck it in a little if Reed is looking.

“You done in there?”

“Yup! Coming!”

---