Page 73 of Nanny for the Doctor

“Why exactly should I think Mae is different from any of the other flings you’ve had? I won’t let you treat her like she’s disposable.”

He can’t possibly think that poorly of me?

“Disposable seems a bit harsh, don’t you think? I lost my wife, Johnny. You don’t know what that’s like.”

But Johnny’s glare doesn’t break.

“I know you’ve stuck your dick in anything that moves with zero regard for their feelings ever since. Sometimes, I wonder if you work at a hospital or a sex club.”

I clench my jaw so hard I worry I might crack a tooth, then exhale forcefully.

“I don’t have to justify anything to you. What I do in my free time is none of your business.”

“If what you’redoingis Mae, it is my fucking business!”

Stevie can barely keep the two of us apart at this point, her hands pressing into our chests to keep us back.

I point toward the door, narrowing my eyes at him. “Get out.”

Without another word, Johnny leaves. Stevie looks back at me mournfully and then follows after him.

Hearing their muffled voices outside the door for a moment, I glance up at the ceiling, running a hand through my hair.

A car door slams, and Johnny peels out of the driveway.Thanks for keeping it down, asshole.

I sigh, plopping down in a chair at the island. My phone is lying there, and I pick it up to call Mae.

It rings several times before going to voicemail, and it’s the same thing after two more tries. I’m ready to chunk the stupid thing against the wall when a text comes through.

I need some space right now. I’ll message when I’m ready to talk with you.

Tossing my phone back to the counter, I close my eyes and take a deep breath.

I just need to give her the space. As much as I want to explain everything to Mae, she’s not going to listen right now, so there’s no use in bothering her until she’s ready.

“I’m sure she’ll be fine by Monday. I’ll just give her the weekend.”

After a few minutes of staring off into nothing, Henry comes down from playing video games, saying he’s thirsty.

He reaches into the fridge, coming out with a Gatorade, and looks around. “Where’s Mae?”

“I’m sorry, buddy. She had to go take care of some stuff. But you’ve got me for the whole day.” I try to sound enthusiastic.

“Will she be back tomorrow?”

My gut tightens. Henry doesn’t seem too thrilled about spending the day with me. “No, probably not. But how about we do something fun?”

He sits across from me at the island, staring at me like he’s waiting for a fucking miracle.

“Like what?”

I chuckle to break the tension, rubbing the back of my neck. “Whatever you want, bud. We could go see a movie or go to the park—”

“Ooh, can we go to the arcade?”

I furrow my brow. Henry’s never mentionedthatbefore. “Arcade?”

“Yeah. Devon, my friend at school, was talking about this cool arcade called Time Out that has loads of cool games and stuff. Can we go there?”

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