Be Mine Page 9

  "I think it's a girl, Uncle Nick."

  "Nuh-uh." He shakes his head. "It's handsome, so it has to be a boy."

  "Girls are the brown ducks." Cassidy frowns. "Don't you know this?"

  "Are you sure?" he asks.

  "Of course." Cassidy places her hands on her hips, indignant that she's being questioned. "Mommy said, and she's never wrong."

  Nick casts me an amused look over his shoulder. I melt inside. "Never?" he muses.

  "Never,” Cassidy replies emphatically. "Throw your bread over there. That one needs some food.”

  “She does look scrawny," Nick admits, getting the gender right this time. Cassidy claps her hands in approval.

  In short order, they have all the ducks in the pond at their feet but no more bread. Without the food, Cassidy loses interest in the ducks.

  "Can I play on the slide?" she yells as she runs toward the kiddie gym.

  "Sure." I don't think she hears me.

  “You didn’t bring enough bread,” Nick complains as he lowers himself to the ground.

  “I brought a whole loaf.” To my left, I hear a couple of people whisper about Nick. The words "Super Bowl" and "Mustang" and "quarterback" are loud enough that even the subject of their conversation can hear them, but Nick pretends he doesn't.

  He plucks the grass crown out of my hands and sets it on top of his cap. “Next time we’ll need at least three loaves. There are a lot of ducks here.”

  I try not to be charmed by the green circlet resting on top of his navy hat, but it’s damn hard. “If you feed them too much, they’ll try to follow you home.”

  “There are worse problems to have.” He plucks a long strand of grass and sticks it in the corner of his mouth.

  “Like having everyone stare at you when you go out?” I ask quietly.

  “Nah. Like having cancer. Like losing someone you love. Like not having a family.”

  An ache in my chest develops as the thought of Nick and his own child at a park like this fills my head. Someday, he's going to have his own family, and despite the pain that notion brings, I want that for him. Because Cassidy's the best thing that ever happened to me, Chip notwithstanding. Nick would be a tremendous dad. I can't really figure out why he's not settled down yet, particularly since he doesn't seem too interested in sleeping with every jersey chaser that shoves her number under his hotel room door.

  "There'll be some post tomorrow online about you and me and Cass." Two years ago, that would’ve struck terror in my chest because I’d have feared what Chip thought, but he’s gone. I haven’t heard from him since I left Dallas. He must have forgotten about us, and while it sucks that Cassidy doesn’t have a dad that loves her, we’re better off for it.

  "It won’t be the first time someone's photographed us together. Charlie tells anyone who asks that you’re a family friend." He peers at me from under the brim of his cap, his eyes shaded but his lips looking lush and kissable.

  I tear my eyes away from temptation and tuck my hands under my thighs. We’re friends and friends don’t attack each other in the park or any other place.

  “At least I haven’t made it on to any gossip blogs or message boards.”

  “Would that bother you?” he asks. His tone is serious and quiet as if my answer is important.

  I watch Cass’ legs pump her higher into the air. When I was a child, I thought I could reach the sky if I tried hard enough but there was a point at which I’d be too high and my stomach would fly into my throat. I’d drag my feet against the dirt to bring myself down to earth where I belonged. I do that now. “I’d hate it,” I answer honestly because it wouldn’t be nice comments on those internet spaces. “Mostly because I wouldn’t want Cass to see stuff like that about her mom.”

  “Right. That would be bad.” He sighs and changes the subject. “If I told you something about Charlie, would you keep it to yourself?”

  I swing a suspicious glance in his direction. “No.”

  He grimaces. “I thought so.”

  “But you’re going to tell me anyway.”

  Nick adjusts his cap, sweeps his hair out of his eyes, plucks a few strands of grass, smooths out the picnic blanket, and a half dozen other tiny things until I snap my fingers. “Nick!”

  He heaves another sigh. “Nate is coming to Texas to see Charlie.”

  My mouth falls open. The elusive SEAL has surfaced? “What? Charlie hasn’t said anything.”

  “She doesn’t know. He doesn’t want her to know. He thinks if she knows, she’ll run.”

  “I hope she does.” I cross my arms indignantly.

  “She loves him,” Nick reminds me. “And Nate loves her. Maybe this is finally their chance. Would you really want to stand in the way of that?”

  “Yes.”

  Nick gives me an exasperated look.

  “Fine,” I reply. “I don’t want to stand in the way of them getting together if that’s what Charlie wants, but I’m not going to let her be ambushed by him. That’s not fair.”

  “If you tell her, though, it’s as good as standing in the way of true love.”

  “If a Navy SEAL can’t hunt her down, then maybe she deserves to stay hidden because he’s obviously not trying hard enough.”

  A Nerf ball bounces close to us. Nick grabs it and whips it back to the boys at the playground. They don't realize a Super Bowl winning quarterback has just tossed them a ball, but others do. I see more gasping and pointing. We'll have to leave soon or be mobbed.

  “We better get going,” I say, getting to my feet.

  “I guess so.” He sounds bummed, but joins me. “At least think about the Charlie thing okay?”

  “I’ll think about it.” Not very hard. I grab the blanket and shake it out.

  Nick takes one end and helps me fold it. “Isn’t her business taking off? Shouldn’t she be concentrating on that?”

  “Yes, but if her ex appears out of nowhere, that won’t help her to stay focused.”

  Nick takes the blanket and tucks it under his left arm. A small crowd of people are starting to move toward us. He turns slightly and wraps a hand around my waist to steer me toward Cass. My entire side begins to tingle. That’s what he does to me. One little touch and I’m a mess.

  “Won’t it?” Nick prompts.

  I jerk in surprise. It's hard to concentrate when he stands so close to me. It's also hard to remember that we're just friends, or some approximation of that sort of non-sexual relationship, when his hand is resting right above my ass.

  “She does have more work than she can handle. I'm thinking of getting a nanny for Cassidy for a few hours of the day."

  “A nanny?” He stares at Cassidy climbing up a small rope ladder. “You better let me sit in on those interviews. There’s a lot of weirdos in this city. And no men.”

  “Why not? Mannies are popular.”

  A scowl spreads across his gorgeous face. “No. I should be the most important man in Cassidy’s life. If she has a manny, she’s going to like him more.”

  “Doesn’t the same logic apply to me? I shouldn’t get a female nanny because I want to be the most important woman in Cass’s life.”

  “You’re her mom. You’re the most important person by default. I gotta work for my place in my girl’s life.”

  Why do I feel like he’s not talking about Cassidy?

  "Do you have to flirt with so many of the candidates?" I ask irritably.

  "I'm being nice," he protests from the kitchen. The last meeting apparently made him very thirsty. He escaped to get a glass of water before it was even over, leaving me to smile awkwardly at the eager young thing who kept casting longing glances toward the kitchen door.

  Nick and I've spent the last few days interviewing nanny applicants. They've come in all sizes, shapes, and ages. The only consistent thing about them is that they all blush and stammer around Nick.

  He's not helping, either. He’s effortlessly charming. To the grandmother who was shaped like a pear and had a cloud of gra
y hair floating around her head, he exclaimed that in his whole life, he'd never seen a woman with a more beautiful smile. To the middle-aged nurse who looked like she sucked on lemons, he'd declared that her hands revealed she was a woman of class and distinction. To the young ladies, of whom there were many, all he had to do was smile, and they dissolved into a puddle of noncoherent goo.

  He returns from the kitchen with a glass of water for me. "Who's next?"

  "Danielle Tipton."

  "Sounds like a fluff ball." He grabs the résumé from me. "This chick is nineteen. She can't watch Cassidy. When I was nineteen, I barely made it to my two classes each day. Nineteen is in no way responsible enough to care for a kid."

  "I was seventeen when I had Cass," I remind him.

  "That's different," he proclaims. He shakes the paper in front of my face. "Her only experience is the church, Dairy Queen, and a summer babysitting position.”

  “I like Dairy Queen,” Cass offers from the coffee table where she’s busy coloring duck pictures I printed off the internet.

  “Liking ice cream isn’t a qualification for taking care of you,” Nick retorts.

  My daughter shrugs her small shoulders. “Mommy and you like ice cream, too.”

  “She says no lies,” I quip.

  Nick glares. “We shouldn't even interview her."

  A knock on the door interrupts further criticism.

  "Too late," I tell him, getting up from the chair and strolling over to the door.

  Swinging it open, I feel immediate regret because Danielle Tipton is the most gorgeous girl I've ever had the misfortune to lay my eyes on.

  “I’m Danielle Tipton, but everyone calls me Dani!” The lithe beauty beams at me. “I’m here for the nanny position.” Her smile is so bright I blink a few times. I must’ve been blinded longer than is socially acceptable because the smile dims one tiny wattage point and she says, “This is the right place, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah, it is.” Reluctantly, I open the door wider. “I’m Elaina Valdez and this is—”

  “Oh my God!” Danielle claps her hands in front of her mouth. “You’re Nick Jackson. The Nick Jackson. I’m such a huge fan!” She recovers from her initial surprise and skitters across the floor, scraping her high heels against my hardwood floors. “Huge fan,” she repeats, holding out her hand.

  Nick strides over, a huge grin plastered across his face—the one I wish wasn’t so damn attractive. “Thanks. We Mustangs need all the fans we can get.”

  Danielle laughs and lightly taps Nick across the arm with her free hand because he’s still holding the other one. “I can’t imagine that you need any more fans. The entire city is in love with you.”

  “I don’t know about the entire city,” Nick demurs.

  How long will these two hold hands?

  “I love you, Uncle Nick!” Cassidy declares. She had followed Nick over to check out Miss Danielle.

  The applicant immediately drops down to Cassidy’s level. “Aren’t you a little doll. What’s your name?”

  “I’m not a doll. I’m a person,” my daughter declares and then ducks behind Nick’s legs.

  “Oh, gosh, what an adorable girl you have. Are you taking care of your brother’s daughter while he’s off on missions?” Danielle asks, batting her eyelashes up at Nick, who absently pats Cassidy on the head while he continues to stare at Danielle.

  My jaw drops slightly. I’m slightly unnerved both by Danielle’s assumptions that the girl isn’t mine or Nick’s and that she knows so much about Nick’s personal life including that his brother is a SEAL.

  “No, she’s mine,” I state firmly.

  “Oh, um, okay,” Danielle says. Her eyes are full of questions such as why is Nick Jackson with some random woman and her child, but I don’t feel like answering them. Instead, I’d like to continue the charade that Nick and I are somehow connected in a more intimate way than friends who have shared the sheets. Although, why he’s here with me, I’m still not sure. The impulse to invite him was overwhelming, and until Danielle showed up, it felt right. Now I’m having second, third, and fourth thoughts.

  “Have a seat,” I gesture toward the upholstered chair. “Would you like something to drink?”

  “Water would be lovely,” she says, almost dismissively, as if I’m the help in my own home. She sits down in one of the chairs positioned by the sofa, clasps her hands, and tucks her legs demurely to the side. “So, Nick, I can call you Nick, right?” Because I’m getting my potential nanny a glass of water, I can’t tell if he nods his head, but he must because she asks yet another question. “What’re you doing with yourself this off-season?”

  “Feeding the ducks with my girl. I think we’re having a tea party later, right, Cassidy?”

  “Mm-hmm.”

  “That’s adorable,” Danielle simpers. Doesn’t she know any other adjective?

  It takes effort not to stomp around the kitchen and slam cupboard doors. It’s not Danielle’s fault she’s pretty or that Nick’s reacting in a predictable manner. Hell, if I swung in that direction, I’d be tongue-tied and flirty with Danielle myself. Advising myself to calm the hell down, I reappear in the living room with the glass of water. “Here you are.”

  “Thank you, ma’am.”

  Feeling old at the age of twenty-two, I take a seat on the other side of Nick. “Cassidy, honey, we’re going to talk to this nice lady for a bit. Can you go finish your movie in Mommy’s bedroom?”

  “Okay.” Cassidy gives me a sweet hug and wet kiss and then crawls over my lap to give Nick a kiss too.

  “Bye, sweetheart,” Danielle chirps.

  Cassidy gives the girl a little wave before running down the hall to watch Cars for the umpteenth bazillionth time.

  Nick shoots me a questioning look when I don’t immediately ask any questions. “Am I doing this interview?”

  “Sure, why not?” I pick up Danielle’s résumé and pretend to be engrossed in her early childhood experience, which is surprisingly not as bad as Nick made it out to be. She’s babysat every summer for the same family for three years. Currently, she’s working at a daycare.

  “Okay. So tell us about yourself?”

  Danielle scoots her butt to the edge of the seat so her knees are nearly touching Nick’s. “I’m nineteen which I know is young but I love kids. I’m going to school at nights to learn more about early childhood education but not so that I can teach but rather to be a better care provider for children. I’m looking for something more personal than daycare and,” she adds in a husky tone, “more intimate.”

  “You have any kids of your own?”

  “Not yet. I hope to someday.”

  “I don’t doubt that you have a dozen guys lined up to put a ring on that finger,” Nick says.

  She blushes and reaches out to bat the back of Nick’s hand. “Not that many.”

  Kill me now, I write in the margin of the résumé.

  “But you go out, right? You’re not just focused on your work,” Nick presses.

  No. I think I’ll kill Nick. I jot that on the other margin.

  “Of course! I mean, I like to think of myself as well rounded. I love football and kids,” Danielle declares.

  If she moves any farther off the edge of her seat, her ass is going to be on the floor.

  “What kinds of clubs do you like?” Nick asks.

  “I love, love, love The Cave. Have you been? I’ve never seen you there.”

  “Naah, I don’t think I have.” He turns to me. “You been to The Cave, Lainey?”

  Oh, he remembers that I’m here. “Actually, yes, Charlie and I went there with Reese last week.” Reese decided it was criminal we were all single and dragged us there. I was bored. Charlie looked like she wanted to poke her eyeballs out with toothpicks, and Reese declared we were the worst wing-women in the history of the dating game.

  “Huh. And you didn’t take me?”

  “You were at a team meeting.”

  “Next time, I want to go
.”

  “Noted. Can we get back to the interview?”

  “Oh right. Actually, I think we know everything we need to know.” He gets to his feet and holds out his hand. Danielle places her elegant one in his and allows him to help her up. The action places them chest to breast, thigh to thigh. Their bodies are so close I swear her knit-covered tits are going to brush against his pecs if either of them take a breath.

  “Thanks for coming, Danielle,” he says, gracing her with a wide, panty-melting smile.

  “Anytime,” she says dreamily. He maneuvers her star-struck frame to the door and has her outside the apartment before either of us realize what he’s doing. “When will you be making a decision?” she asks, her voice a little uncertain as she registers where she is standing.

  “I’ve got your number,” Nick says.

  “Yes, you do.” Danielle smiles broadly. They stare at each other for an uncomfortable moment before Danielle finally turns and walks away toward the elevator bank. But Nick watches her until the doors of the elevator car slide open and Danielle disappears inside. He waits for a second and then closes the door.

  He leans against it. “I don’t think you should hire her.”

  I do a double take. “What? Why? I thought you liked her.”

  “All she wanted to do was get in my pants. What if she took Cassidy to the park? If she saw someone there she liked, her attention wouldn’t be on Cassidy at all.”

  Surprised, I can only blink at him in silence. That’s exactly what I thought, but Nick had been flirting hard with her.

  “Are you saying this just so you can date her?”

  A line appears on his forehead. “No. Why would you say that?”

  “Because you flirted with her the entire time she was here,” I exclaim.

  “I was trying to figure her out,” he protests.

  “By telling her there must be a million guys in this city who want to marry her? And that you have her number? You were giving off signals like crazy.” It’s obvious he doesn’t want me to hire her because he’s not to the type to mix business with pleasure. If I hire her, he’ll place Dani in the off-limits category. He’s so going to ask her out. Well, we’ll see about that. “Actually, I liked Dani a lot, and I think Cassidy did, too. Charlie wants to meet out tonight, and I think Dani’s the perfect person to babysit her. It’ll be a test run.”