Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
TATUM
I don’t know where I got the guts to send Drew the shot of me in my bra, but I don’t regret it. My logical brain knows that Drew is my boss and seemingly on the way to being a good friend—that’s it.
But my mischievous sex brain doesn’t care that we’ve decided flirting is off the table, let alone anything more. No, the Mischievous Sex Brain TM is trouble, and it’s flat-out delighted when he comes in the door at six with heat in his eyes that’s all for me.
“Daddy!” Sarah Beth cries out as she rushes to meet him.
He sweeps her up for a hug, but over her shoulder his eyes are locked on mine as he says, “Hey there, cutie. I missed you today.”
And I missed you, cutie, I say silently, while my rational side rolls its eyes and throws up its hands, giving up on making the rest of me behave. At least for tonight.
Tonight, we’re having our second date, after all—Sarah Beth staunchly refused tacos and will be heading to her aunt’s for dinner—and I intend to enjoy every off-the-clock minute with this incredible man.
“Just let me change and we’ll head out,” Drew says, loosening his tie. “I’m starving.”
“Me, too,” Sarah Beth says. “And not for gross tacos.” She sticks her tongue out with a gagging sound. “I just hope you two don’t get sick after. It’s a fact that tacos make people very sick.”
I grin. “You have a lot of facts in your back pocket today, Miss S. She also told me it’s a fact that it’s against the law to make four-year-olds take naps if they don’t want to.”
She grins. “That’s true. I heard it somewheres.”
Drew laughs and ruffles her hair. “Well, I think this four-year-old should keep her nap for a little longer. She’s in a much better mood at night when she’s had her nap. And she gets to stay up until nine at her aunt’s house as a special treat.”
“I do?” Sarah Beth jumps into the air at Drew’s nod. “Yippee! I’ll get to play three games of Candy Land with Cousin Chase and Jenga and basement bowling. I’m going to get Ajax. He loves basement bowling.”
She dashes for the stairs, and I start for the door, but Drew stops me with a gentle hand on my elbow on my way by. “You’re leaving? I thought maybe we could drive over together and drop Sarah on the way.”
“I’d love to,” I say, my skin burning simply from the feel of his fingers warm on my inner arm. “But I’m still wearing the same clothes from yesterday. I’d like to refresh myself. Put on something worthy of a big night out at The Dirty Taco.”
He grins and my heart flips. “I can’t wait to see what that outfit looks like. The others are getting there around six-thirty and I told them you’d be joining us. Just look for the table full of people in glasses. I may be a few minutes late if my sister and her husband want to chat.”
“No worries,” I say, grabbing my coat from the closet. “I may be a little later, too. I’m going to grab a quick shower. Sarah Beth and I played pretty hard in the park today. I pulled her around on the sled while pretending to be Sharona the snow dog.”
He laughs, but there’s still a spark in his gaze as he says, “I would have paid money to see that. Why Sharona?”
“We heard My Sharona by The Knack in the car. She loved it. I downloaded it so we could blast it while we made lunch.”
“Sounds like a great day,” he says.
“It was,” I agree. “I loved working at the daycare but there’s something really nice about getting to spend time with one special little person. Especially when the little person is Sarah Beth.” As much as I want to get home and shower, I have to take a beat to gush. “She’s really amazing, Drew. So smart and funny and creative and kind. You won the kiddo lottery with that one.”
“Agreed,” he says. “I think I won the nanny lottery, too. She’s so much happier with you here. I am, too.”
Feeling like I’ve swallowed the sun—and also a little sad because my greedy heart wants even more than this friendly, mutual appreciation society we’ve got going on—I smile. “Thanks, Drew. That’s amazing to hear. I’m so glad it’s working out for everyone. See you soon!”
He smiles, making his dimple pop beneath his neatly trimmed beard. “Yeah. I’m excited for you to meet the people I work with. They’re all really friendly. And they’ll be able to give you advice about things like breakfast restaurants and things people do without kids. Things that aren’t in my wheelhouse.”
I arch a brow. “And finally tell me the story of Bad Dog? You never did get around to sharing that the other night, you know.”
“No,” he murmurs, holding my gaze with an intensity that makes my blood fizzy. “I didn’t. You’ll have to get Ashley to tell it. She’s a better storyteller than I am. She’s my boss’s assistant and knows everything there is to know about Bad Dog, the history of the region, and real estate law.”
“Cool, I can’t wait to meet her. And Marjorie.” I wink and he laughs.
“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Marjorie cancelled. Apparently, she has a Hot Dish to make for Trevor who works on the window cleaning crew.”
“Woof,” I say, furrowing my brow in false sympathy. “You poor thing. Were you broken up that she’s moved on so fast?”
“Not even a little bit. I wish her and Trevor a long and happy Hot Dish union, and I’ll be making my address private in the work database first thing tomorrow morning.”
I laugh. “Sounds smart. See you soon!”
I head out the door full of energy and eager to start my night, something that rarely happened when I was back home working at the daycare. I leave it all on the field with Sarah Beth, too, but it’s different somehow. Maybe it’s because she has calmer periods in her day, when we’re reading or watching one of the educational cartoons Drew approved. Or maybe it’s just that I feel such a connection with her that work doesn’t feel as much like work . It feels like spending time with a very small, very sweet little friend.
It’s probably what being a mom will feel like .
The thought makes me put on the brakes a little too hard at the last stop sign in Drew’s subdivision. I shouldn’t be thinking that way about Sarah Beth, shouldn’t be feeling that way. It’s way too soon for me to be getting so attached, but I can’t seem to help it.
Still, the realization bothers me enough that when I’m done with my shower and finished drying my hair, I put my phone on speaker as I’m doing my makeup, and call Wren. “Hey, do you have a few minutes to chat?” I ask as I blend my foundation with a sponge, covering up the freckles on my nose.
“Yeah, sure, I was just trying to talk myself into going to the gym,” she says. “But it’s so loud in there and the cardio pump teacher always yells at me when I do the push-ups on my knees.”
“I think you should be praised for doing push-ups of any kind.”
“Right?” She laughs. “You should be a workout class instructor. Lots of praise and cookies after.”
“I’ll keep that in my back pocket if I decide I’m not cut out to be a nanny.”
Wren makes a sympathetic sound. “Oh, no. I thought things were going well.”
“They are. Too well. I’m already so smitten with Sarah Beth. I caught myself thinking this must be what it’s like to be a mom today. Is that weird? Crazy?”
She seems to ponder that for a moment. “No, I don’t think that’s something to worry or feel bad about. It’s natural to have warm feelings for a sweet kid you take care of every day. And Sarah Beth is ridiculously cute.” Wren hums beneath her breath. “And now that I think about it, she sort of looks like she could be your biological child. With the red hair and everything.”
“Someone at Drew’s work thought I was her mom,” I say, briefly retelling the story of Drew’s real estate law stalker. “So, I sent him a flirty text from a different number to help scare her away.”
“Well, well,” Wren says, a knowing note in her tone. “I think he owes you a drink.”
“He’s buying me one tonight,” I say, barely stifling my grin as I sweep on eye shadow. Wren makes a whooping sound of celebration that I silence with a shush. “It’s not like that. A bunch of his work friends were meeting at the restaurant underneath my apartment for half-priced tacos anyway. He just asked me to join. It’s not a big deal.”
“He’s introducing you to everyone he works with, Tatum,” she says. “That’s a huge deal. The only person Barrett has ever introduced to the nursing staff was Lane, his ex-wife.”
“It’s different. I’m also someone he works with, in a way,” I say. “And I’m new in town. He just wants to introduce me to more people who can help me find my way around.”
“Right. Keep telling yourself that and I’ll head home to rest up for all the ‘I told you so-ing’ I’ll be doing in the future.”
I chuckle. “If that’s the excuse you need to avoid getting yelled at by the mean push-up instructor, I support you.”
She exhales a relieved-sounding sigh. “Thank you. I just can’t today. I need peace, quiet, and turkey chili in front of the fire.”
“Speaking of turkeys,” I say, turning my head to see if my eyeliner is straight. “Have you formulated a plan for getting out of the toxic relationship with Kyle?”
“Barrett’s going to leave work early on Friday and stake out my place while the rest of us catch up on paperwork. We don’t do office visits on Friday afternoons, so it’s the first time he can get away. But he’s promised to capture and humanely remove Sir Pecks-a-Lot so…fingers crossed.”
Now it’s my turn to put on the knowing tone, “And this is all because he’s such a great boss. Not because he secretly has as much of a thing for you as you have for him.”
“Exactly,” she huffs. “You just don’t understand. You’ll see when you meet Barrett. He’s not like Drew. He doesn’t have feelings. Especially not for me.”
“We’ll see,” I say, slicking on a final coat of lip gloss. “But I think I’m going to be the one doing the ‘I told you so-ing.’ In the meantime, I won’t worry about getting attached to Sarah Beth. I’ll consider it normal until someone tells me otherwise.”
“Which no one will,” she assures me. “You became a childcare provider because you love kids, right?”
“Right,” I agree.
“So loving Sarah Beth is just proof you’re in the right field and great at your job. Don’t stress and have a great night. And have a grilled octopus taco for me. They’re my favorite.”
We hang up and I step back from the mirror, tugging down my brown sweater with the gold sparkly fox on the front over my jeans. With my hair freshly dried and hanging in waves around my face and a little more makeup than I usually wear, I decide I look good, but still casual enough for taco night. I head downstairs, thinking how nice it is that I don’t have to drive home tonight. I still don’t intend to overdo it—I have work tomorrow, after all—but being able to have two margaritas instead of one isn’t something I’m going to complain about.
I push through the door leading from the downstairs hallway into The Dirty Taco’s bathroom area, entering through the side of the restaurant to avoid having to go outside into the snow. The restaurant is already hopping, and people are crowded onto the benches at the front, waiting for a table.
But I spot Drew’s crew right away, already seated at big circular table in the back.
He said they would be the people with glasses, and he wasn’t kidding. Every single one of the men and women chatting over a shared pitcher of margaritas has glasses save one, a man slightly older than Drew with a little silver at his temples. It’s that man who spots me and lifts an arm, waving me over.
I smile and start toward the table, weaving through the other boisterous diners. I’m a little nervous—meeting new people is fun but can be a little scary too. But by the time Rick, the glasses-free guy, introduces me to the rest of the table and clears a spot for me between him and a younger guy named Peter, I’m starting to feel more at ease.
The lawyers and their assistants are all so nice and welcoming. Rick tells me about his little sister, Kelly, who moved to town last year, and how happy she would be to take me out with her kayaking club once the weather is warmer. Two of the older women promise me Midwesterners are way nicer, and more welcoming than most people think and Peter, the youngest lawyer on staff, assures me the local singles’ scene is pretty great.
I notice he says this with a certain shine in his eyes but decide to ignore it.
Yes, I want to find a guy to get my mind off Drew…eventually. But that can wait for Friday night and a guy that doesn’t work at Drew’s practice.
I give a polite smile and settle in to hear Ashley’s tale of a particularly tricky case she and Rick are working on for the county. It’s pretty fascinating actually, full of intrigue and property claim lies and an unexpected time capsule found inside an old grain silo. I’m so swept up in the story, I don’t realize Drew’s late until the waitress stops by to take our taco order.
I order two fish and two grilled octopus tacos, in Wren’s honor, and shift back in my chair to glance at the door. There are fewer people waiting at the front now, but still no sign of the man I came here hoping to see.
“Drew’s always late to things like this,” Ashley says as she ties her long brown hair up in a knot on her head. It’s getting weirdly warm in here, considering it’s freezing cold outside. “It always takes longer to drop his daughter at his sister’s than he thinks it will.”
“That’s because Melissa can talk the leg off a dog,” Rick adds, good naturedly. “She’s a lot of fun, though. Especially at the annual company pontoon party on the lake.”
Ashley’s blue eyes get big. “Remember that game she made up? Pool noodle pong? I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard.”
Rick chuckles. “My wife still talks about it. She’s already collecting noodles for this year. Asked for a few for Christmas.” He glances my way. “Have you met Melissa?”
I shake my head. “No, not yet. I haven’t met anyone in the family except Sarah Beth, but she’s pretty special, so I have no doubt the rest of the McGuires are a blast.”
“They’re a great family. And I’m not just saying that because I’ve had three margaritas on an empty stomach.” Ashley grins as she scoots back her chair. “On that note, I’ll adjourn to the ladies room.”
I scoot my chair back. “I’ll come along. Only one margarita, but very small bladder.”
Rick nods. “My wife’s the same way. I’ll watch your drinks.”
We thank Rick and head across the room. “You’ll have to tell me the story of Bad Dog when we get back,” I tell Ashley as we go. “Drew said you’re the one to ask about it because you know how to spin a yarn.”
Ashley laughs. “I appreciate his work as a hype man. I’ll do my best, but it’s really not that exciting. It involves a fisherman, a preacher, and a dog.” She lifts her hand to one side of her mouth as she adds in a stage whisper, “Spoiler alert: the dog was bad.”
I laugh. “Sounds like the set up for a joke. I’m all ears.”
“As soon as we get back to our drinks,” Ashley promises, dashing into the women’s restroom.
I follow her, but finish before she does. After washing my hands, I step out into the hallway and pull out my phone from my purse, wanting to check and see if Drew’s sent a message updating his arrival time. Instead, I find two messages from my mom asking how I’m settling in that I decide to return later and an ad for shaping underwear.
I’m considering using the underwear ad’s discount code—what can I say, I’m a sucker for a push-up bra—when a man’s hand settles on my lower back.
I turn, expecting to see Drew, but it’s Peter, the single guy with the interested eyes. His eyes are even more interested now, and a tad red. He looks like he’s had a few too many already and it’s not quite seven-fifteen.
“Hey, I hope I didn’t scare you off,” he says, slurring his words a little. “Jumping right into talking about the singles’ scene. I just thought, from looking at you, that you’d want to know.”
I shift discreetly away from his hand, which he thankfully removes without being weird about it. “Oh yeah? Do I have that desperate single woman look about me?” I tease.
He shakes his head a little too loosely. “No, not at all. You’re just a knockout and I didn’t see a ring, so…” He lifts his hands at his sides. “But if you’ve got a boyfriend waiting for you somewhere, my apologies.”
“You should apologize,” a deep, menacing voice says from the entrance to the bathroom hallway. The voice is so ominous sounding that it takes me a beat to realize it’s coming from Drew.
I’ve never heard him sound threatening before, but he’s certainly giving out some “fuck around and find out” vibes as he steps forward, positioning himself between Peter and me. “We talked about this Peter. It’s not okay to get drunk at work functions, even if they’re off the clock. It makes you look unprofessional and hitting on my nanny before she’s had a chance to sit down isn’t cool. She’s new in town and deserves some time and space to find her footing without men breathing down her neck in bathroom hallways.”
“She’s been sitting down for half an hour,” Peter says. “It’s not my fault you’re always late.”
Drew draws his shoulders back, until he’s towering over the shorter man, and I’m worried I’ll have to step in to prevent a scene, but Peter quickly adds, “But yeah, you’re right. I should have eaten something first. I know I can’t hold my tequila. I’ll get a taxi home and call it a night. Just let me get a box for my tacos. Can’t leave without tacos.”
“No, never leave without tacos,” Drew says, his voice gentling. “And be sure to drink a couple glasses of water before bed so you’re not hungover.”
“Good idea, thanks, boss,” Peter says, lifting a hand to me in a sheepish wave. “And apologies, Tatum. I didn’t mean to overstep.”
“No worries at all, and nice to meet you, Peter,” I say, waiting until he’s out of earshot to turn to Drew and say, “He didn’t overstep. You overstepped. I’m not a child, Drew. I don’t need you to protect me from cute single guys or anyone else.”
His jaw drops in surprise, but before he can speak, I step around him and make my way back to the table with my head held high.
It’s fine that Drew doesn’t want to be more than friends, but he doesn’t get to have it both ways. He can’t put me in the friend zone and get all territorial and possessive at the same time.
That’s not the way dating—or I —work.