Page 71 of The Single Dad Project

“Meh. We’re together over ten hours a day for months on end. Shit happens. And yes, I’ve noticed the chemistry between the two of you, but neither you nor Adam have been anything less than professional. Now, if you want me to tell you about that time we were renovating a farmhouse and myformerassistant got into a screaming match with the homeowner because he’d caught her with the—Ah well, never mind.” She waved a hand again as if trying to shoo away the memory. She jabbed a finger at Flo. “Nowthatwas unprofessional. And traumatizing.”

“Wow.” Flo stared at her. “So now I really want to know who he caught her with and what else went down.”

Mira winced. “No, you really don’t. I had to write a report for exactly why I was firing him and ended up with waaay more details than I ever wanted. Some things you can’t unhear. Or unimagine.” She grimaced again. “But yeah, this is nothing likethat. So what’s your other objection?”

“Well, the obvious one of him and Justine only staying in Rose Bend for as long as it takes this project to wrap up. He’s leaving for Chicago, and I live here,” Flo said.

“Yeah, that’s a bit more of a hurdle,” Mira conceded with a nod. “But not insurmountable. While this might not be the best place for me, who’s to say it isn’t for a single father raising a young daughter? Have you asked him about that possibility? Have you even had the conversation?”

Flo shook her head, admittedly a little forcefully. But panic flared in her chest, bright and scalding.

“No.” This time she held up her hands, warding Mira off. “We are not even close to havingthattalk. Hell, I don’t even know what we are...”

Coworkers? Single dad and nanny? Onetime fuck buddies?

They were a complicated, tangled mess of all three and none of it was neat or clear. None of it simple. And nowhere near ready for a “where are we going with this?” conversation.

“Got it.” Taking another sip from her cup, Mira tilted her head, studying Flo with a scrutiny that had Flo itching to shield her face. Or just run. “Okay, so what’s the less obvious objection?”

“Sorry?” Flo frowned, confused.

Mira shook the cup, ice cubes clinking. Then she took another long sip of the dregs of the lemonade. “Damn, that’s good,” she muttered, and squinted at Flo. “You said the obvious objection was his imminent departure from Rose Bend. What’s the less obvious one?”

Flo heaved a sigh, smoothing a hand over her locs that were twisted into a bun on top of her head. Though being vulnerable was the thing for certain members of her family, it’d never been easy for her.

Except with Adam.

She mentally mean-mugged that know-it-all voice in her head. But she couldn’t deny the veracity of the taunt. Even though she’d known Adam for a handful of weeks, she’d shared more with him than she had anyone else—including her family. Maybe it was his calm, stalwart demeanor or the quiet strength he exuded... Maybe it was the fact that he’d already seen her at her most exposed and hadn’t judged her...

She couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason. Hell, it could be all of them.

He was just...Adam.

And that in itself seemed like enough.

Not that he was entirely safe. Hadn’t he said just that to her several nights ago? Hadn’t he warned her he wasn’t a safe bet? She’d contradicted him, but should she have?

Nothing about how he’d left her reeling on that porch had feltsafe. Not after his big, calloused hands on her. Not after that mind-melting orgasm.

Not after that call from his ex and his pushing her away.

Even now the hurt from his sudden coldness, his rejection, shimmered through her. It was enough to capsize the desire that flickered to life at just the memory of how passionately he’d kissed her, touched her. The two emotions rivaled each other for dominance.

“All teasing aside, you don’t have to talk to me about it if you’re not comfortable,” Mira said, breaking into Flo’s unsettling thoughts.

“No, no. It’s okay,” Flo reassured the woman she considered a friend. “He has...baggage.”

“You mean his daughter?”

“God, no.” Flo shook her head, hard. “Jussy is an amazing little girl. I mean emotional baggage—and I do, too, for that matter. Between that and the age difference, which is more of an issue for him than me, I don’t think it’s a smart move to get too fully invested in anything but the here and now.”

“Huh.”

“I’m almost afraid to ask what that means.” Flo paused, scowled at Mira. “Okay, what doeshuhmean?”

“Nothing, except...” She smiled, and to Flo, it held a rueful, perhaps even wistful, tint. “You know the thing about baggage, right?” Mira asked, and before Flo could replay, she said, “You can choose to check that shit anytime you decide to.”

“I don’t—”

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