Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 81150 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81150 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
The memory isn’t pleasant, and it takes Stella saying my name three times to remember she asked a question.
“Yeah, we’ll be there. Lucy has been looking forward to it all month.”
When I ruffle Lucy’s hair, she nudges her head to Henley and asks, “Can Henley come too? Please, Daddy. I asked Grandma Stell. She said it would be okay.”
“She did, and I’m fine with you bringing a plus one. The more the merrier.”
“Um—”
My reply is cut off by a man who hasn’t been to an Ashburn barbecue in years. “Who the fuck is your plus one? If you say Mrs. Palmer and her five daughters, I’m out. Our friendship is over. You’ll never come back from that.”
“Uncle Thane!” Lucy squeals when she stops gulping her milk down so fast she hears him over her gluttonous swallows. After snatching my phone out of my hand, she activates the speaker function. I’m not sure why. She never gives Thane the chance to speak. “I have a new nanny! She is the most prettiest, nicest nanny I’ve ever had. We do crafts, she’s helping me make a dress, and she doesn’t get mad when I blow my nose on a towel instead of a tissue.”
Thane’s deep, rumbling laugh cuts her off. “Wow… She sounds like a hoot! But I think you made a mistake, Lulu. No one is prettier than you.”
“Henley is,” she instantly denies. “She is the prettiest person I’ve ever seen.”
“Henley?” Thane checks, his tone raised with suspicion.
Lucy’s chubby cheeks bounce when she nods. “Uh-huh.”
Mistrust echoes down the line with Thane’s grumbling voice when he confirms, “The nanny who arrived Friday afternoon after you went with your dad to his work?”
“Uh-huh,” Lucy repeats, louder this time.
“The smoking-hot blonde with a fantastic pair of—”
“Swans!” I interrupt before throwing an apologetic stare at Henley.
There’s no way I can cover this up with the innocence of an almost six-year-old, so I leave it to Lucy.
She digs my hole deeper.
“Daddy was talking about Henley? I thought the swans were in the sky.” Her mouth gapes open as her eyes bug. Hope is all over her face. “Where do you think they are now?”
When she hops off the stool to search for the pets she’s convinced Henley is hiding, I hear Thane ask, “Maybe they’re in the nanny’s bedroom and that’s why Henley has to sleep in your daddy’s bed?”
It dawns that we’re doing well at hiding the tension when Lucy replies with a giggle, “Henley hasn’t been sleeping in Daddy’s room, silly. She has her own room!” Her chuckled words are gobbled up by the swinging kitchen door and her dash up the stairs.
I take a moment to contemplate how to pull myself from the trench in one piece before spinning to face Henley. Her eyes are sparked with amusement, but it won’t stop me from attempting an apology. “I was out of line, and when my commentary got out of hand, Thane tried to save me.”
Her brows furrow. “Out of line for looking?”
“Yes.” That didn’t come out as strong as hoped. Not even after we married did Caroline see looking as disrespectful. She was a firm believer in admiring what deserved to be admired. I loathed when she reminded me of her logic while we vacationed in Sweden, but the playfulness that came with my jealousy made our sex life out-of-this-world good.
I’m torn between my past and the present when Henley says, “If looking is out of line, how bad were the charges after I…”—her teeth get friendly with her lower lip—“you know… flicked the bean in front of you. I wasn’t just looking. I took a ton of mental snapshots for future use. They came in handy both last night and this morning.”
Needing to shut down our conversation before I pin her to the kitchen cabinets and clean out her filthy mouth with my tongue, I nudge my head to the stairs. “You should probably head up and get ready. Stella is a stickler for her guests being on time.”
Henley’s face is so ageless, even when she’s confused it is without a single wrinkle. “Are we going somewhere?”
I nod. “Fourth of July barbecue.” I gather my laptop, then angle my head so it hides the frustrated groove down the middle of my forehead. “If you have plans, I can tell Lucy you need to sit this one out. Her previous nannies joined us for most functions, but I’m sure she will understand.”
“No, I’m happy to come. It’s just…” She licks her lips before ripping off the Band-Aid as effectively as her presence shreds my smarts. “I accepted this placement because they said you rarely leave your home. Considering we’ve been inside the past three days, I assumed the rumors were true.”
Her reply shocks me, but I keep my expression neutral. “That isn’t exactly a lie, but functions like today are important for Lucy. She needs Caroline’s family in her life.” That was harder to admit than I care to share. I hate that I hurt Caroline’s family, but they weren’t the only ones who suffered from her loss.