Page 79 of A Little Twist

I’m the nanny, after all. My job is childcare, regardless of what’s been happening after hours.

Jessica walks with Alex, following us to his car. I pause at the back door, helping Pinky into her booster as they talk quietly on the opposite side of the car.

“Where are you staying?” he asks, and I analyze his tone for any indication of interest.

“I thought I’d get a place in town, but it looks like—”

“Yeah, there’s nothing here.” I don’t sense affection. “All the hotels and resorts are in Hilton Head or Kiawah.”

She hesitates, and I linger a bit longer over Pinky’s seat, holding my breath until finally he says, “I have plenty of room. You can stay at my place.”

“I hate to intrude. I realize now I should’ve planned better.”

“It’s not a problem. You’re here to see her, right?” He nods in our direction, and I straighten.

A warm smile lifts Jessica’s cheeks, and she nods. “Thank you, Alex.”

“I’ll wait so you can follow us to the house.” He opens his door.

“That’s me.” She gestures to the white Camry with out-of-state plates. “I see you got a Tesla. Funny, I never took you for the religious type.”

“What?” His brow furrows, and she points to his bumper. “God is my copilot?”

For a split second he hesitates. Then his eyes flash to mine, and I quickly step into the vehicle. He walks around to the back of the car, and I see him shake his head in the mirror before slowly returning to the driver’s side.

“Inside joke.”

She laughs. “I’ll be right behind you and God.”

He gets in, closing the door and not smiling, and the pressure is seriously getting to me now.

The door closes with a solid thump, and he doesn’t look up as he presses the start button. “That is seriously messed up.”

My voice is quiet, and I study my hands clasped in my lap. “I figured it would be less offensive.”

Is our game no longer funny?

Is everything we’ve done simply over now?

“It’s probably more offensive.” He puts the car in reverse, pulling out slowly as Jessica backs out of her space. “Shouldn’t God be the pilot?”

When I look up, he gives me a ghost of a smile, and I can’t decide if it makes me want to laugh or cry.

We say nothing more the rest of the drive. The muscle in his jaw moves back and forth as if he’s thinking, and his expression is the same as the first night we got too close.

He’s weighing every angle, and I know Pinky is his top priority. He’s a father. He can never forget it’s not only about what he wants.

* * *

Pinky’s fingerstrace the small bubbles as I drag the sponge down her back. Alex asked me to put her to bed tonight while he and Jessica talked, and I’m kind of dying to know what they’re saying and where it leaves me.

We skip washing hair, and when I help her out of the tub, I notice her little expression is troubled. My throat tightens, and I wonder if she’s going to hit me with another hard question—this time about Jessica.

“Everything okay, Miss P?”

Her small brow furrows, and serious blue eyes meet mine. “Owen said Miss Piggy is a bad role model. He said you can’t karate chop your way through life.”

Exhaling a quiet sigh of relief, I scrub the towel all over her little body as I contemplate my answer. “He has a point,” I start, and I see her frown deepen. “Not about the role model part, but he’s right about not karate chopping everything. It’s good to stand up for yourself, but hitting is never how you handle problems. That’s just to be funny.”

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