Chapter Fourteen
IZZY
Why did I think going out for drinks last night was a good idea? Especially knowing I had to work at the hospital today. Maybe I should have skipped the shots.
My head throbbed and I popped two over-the-counter pain relievers in my mouth, swallowing them with a sip of my coffee.
After stashing my bag under my desk, I pulled up my email and began sorting through the messages, making sure I didn't miss anything important since I hadn't been here since Tuesday.
The morning went by quickly as I submitted claims and prepared invoices to go out.
My phone vibrated in my pocket as I made my way down to the cafeteria.
I'd been good about packing lunches, but today I was barely functional after getting out of bed, so it looked like it was a soup and salad type of day.
Once I was seated with my food, I pulled my phone out and clicked on the notification from Nicole.
Nicole: Any update?
Me: ...
Nicole: With the sexy single dad? I totally caught him looking at you at the bar on Tuesday.
I rolled my eyes. Was he not allowed to look at me? Now I had Nicole reading into things that weren’t there.
Me: You’re ridiculous. He’s been totally normal. Totally friendly and shit.
Mostly. I wasn't going to tell her that there was a weird moment after I came out of the bathroom at the bar. When I swore his gaze drifted down to stare at my breasts.
Nicole: If you say so.
“Hey, Izzy.”
I looked up at the sound of Maggie's voice. “Hi.”
She waved to the open seat across from me. “Mind if I join you?”
“Sure.”
She pulled out the chair and sat down. “Did you have any questions about the schedule my PA sent you?”
I shook my head. “Nope. It's pretty straightforward.” I appreciated the organization, having the whole month, plus next month, laid out.
“Perfect.” She paused, taking a bite of her salad. After a moment, she asked, “And the hours won't interfere with here, will they?”
“Nah. I worked it out with Nicole.” Luckily, we had the option to work out the hours among ourselves, and it helped that we were both flexible.
“Okay. Great.” She smiled brightly. “Alice and Nikki have talked nonstop about you. Wish we could have made this happen months ago.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, but nobody wants to fire an old lady.”
“Um, I did. Multiple times.” She scoffed. “Even Logan was ready to give her the boot back in March.”
Huh. I tilted my head. “So why didn't you?”
She shrugged. “We had trouble finding someone else we both agreed on.”
Now I was officially confused. Because that wasn't lining up with what my brother had said. “Jay said he mentioned me as an option once or twice over the last few months.”
She paused, her fork halfway to her mouth, and stared at me, blinking. Shit. Maybe Logan was the issue, and for whatever reason, he didn't want to hire me. That idea didn't dawn on me until now as Maggie's surprised expression morphed to annoyance.
“That man, I swear.” She shook her head.
I raised a brow and she waved me off. “Water under the bridge now. Whatever his issue, he must have gotten over it. He admitted you're great with the twins and seems happy with the decision.”
I wasn't sure I was completely following the conversation. But my takeaway: He never mentioned Jay's suggestion. So maybe he did have some issue with me. Maggie was right, though—whatever it was, he apparently let it go. Last night he was perfectly fine. I didn't even get a growl.
Not sure why I felt disappointed about that.
“And you're good with the occasional overnights, too?” She glanced up at me as she took another bite of her food and swallowed. “I know we talked about this briefly already, just making sure.”
I nodded. “Yeah, no problem at all.”
I didn't want to sound desperate, but man, I needed the type of hours and money these people were offering me.
Her lips lifted into a wide smile. “You're a godsend. I wasn't sure we'd ever find someone that was both great with kids and could handle our schedules.”
“And they do summer camp?” We’d talked about a few options the other day, but not since.
“Right now we have them enrolled in the every day program. But like I said earlier in the week, we could take it down to three days a week if you wanted two full days. Just keep in mind, we'd still need the late nights, occasional overnights, and weekends.”
I let that information sink in. “When should I let you know by?”
“Probably in the next week or so.”
“Okay.”
We chatted about the summer camp until an alarm sounded on her phone.
“Gotta get back upstairs.” She gathered her almost empty salad container and smiled at me. “I'll see you Monday morning.”
I nodded, and my phone vibrated on the table in front of me as Maggie walked away. A mix of surprise and excitement coursed through me as a text from Logan appeared in the notifications.
Logan: Had to pick Nikki up from school. She's sick. We can't find Benny. Any ideas?
The small white stuffed rabbit was a must at bedtime. I’d learned that pretty quickly after that first night when Logan came home late. She definitely had it with her last night, didn't she? God. I hope we didn’t leave it at Maggie’s.
Me: Pretty sure she had it last night. Check behind the bed? Or maybe tangled in the blankets at the foot of her bed. That's where I found it the other night.
I waited a moment, and after no response, I finished my food and cleaned up before heading back to my desk to finish what I needed to get done today.
After what felt like the longest three hours ever, I finally walked to my car.
I still hadn't gotten a response from Logan, so once I got in the driver’s seat, I shot off a text.
Me: Did you find it?
Logan: Oh. Yes. Sorry.
Me: I can swing by the school and grab Alice so you don't have to take Nikki out if you want.
I didn't want to overstep, but I would offer to help anyone else I knew. It was who I was.
Logan: Really? You wouldn't mind? She's finally resting. If I don't have to put her back in the car that would be great.
Me: I don't mind at all. Anything you need? Soup, medicine, popsicles?
I didn’t know what she was sick with, but based on my own experiences growing up, I assumed those were the must-haves.
Logan: I think I'm set. Thank you for offering.
Me: No problem. Leaving the hospital now and heading to the school. See you soon.
Luckily, I kept the booster seats Maggie gave me on that first day in my car. I didn’t want to be out somewhere and need them. It didn't take long to pick up Alice and get to the house.
It was quiet when we walked in the front door. I dropped Alice's book bag in the foyer, and we made our way past the stairs before turning into the great room. Logan lay on the couch with his forearm over his eyes. Hopefully he wasn't getting sick, too.
“Da—” Alice started, but stopped when I put a finger over my mouth.
I leaned down toward her when Logan didn't stir, and whispered, “Let’s let him rest. Want to help me make chicken noodle soup?”
She nodded, her head bobbing with excitement. We quietly made our way into the kitchen, and I gave her a list of ingredients to get out.
“I'm going to peek in on your sister. I'll be right back.”
After checking on Nikki and confirming she was sleeping and only felt slightly warm, I went back down to the kitchen.
Alice got the vegetables out, I cut them while the chicken cooked, and then we added everything to the pot with chicken broth, some seasonings, and noodles.
I put the soup on simmer and asked Alice about her day.
As I listened intently to Alice talk, I caught movement at the entry of the kitchen.
Nikki rubbed her eyes sleepily. “Izzy?” She glanced around. “Where's Dad?”
I pointed toward the great room. “He's resting on the couch.” I stepped toward her and placed the back of my hand on her forehead. Still slightly warm, but not hot. “How are you feeling?”
“My head hurts and my throat feels weird.”
She flinched as she swallowed. Hopefully it wasn't strep. I got that crap a lot growing up.
“Want to try a little bit of chicken noodle soup when it's done?”
She nodded. “Yeah.”
Rustling from the couch made our heads swivel that way. Logan sat up and glanced over at us before running a hand over his face. He stood and headed toward us. “What time is it?”
“A little after five.”
“Shit.”
“Dad,” Alice scolded.
“Sorry. Shoot.” His gaze found mine. “Why didn't you wake me?”
“Figured you were tired and needed to rest.” I shrugged. “Alice and I made chicken noodle soup.”
He looked from the pot on the stove back to me, before his gaze ran over Alice and finally landed on Nikki. He repeated the motion I did a few minutes before, checking to see if she felt warm.
“Throat still hurting?”
“A little,” she replied.
“I hope it's not strep again.” He glanced up at me. “She's had it twice already this year.”
I flinched. That sucked.
“Thank you.” His sincere gaze trained on me made me squirm.
I couldn't explain it. Maybe it was because he was so much more serious than guys I'd been around, but when he looked at me with so much intensity and appreciation, I had no clue what to say.
“No problem.” I smiled, still feeling a bit awkward as he stared at me. “Well, I'd better get going. Soup is probably done.”
“Wait.” Alice's big blue eyes zeroed in on me. “You have to try some soup with us. You helped make it.”
I chuckled. But before I could respond, Logan's deep voice reverberated around the kitchen. “You should stay.”
I whipped my head up, my skin warming from his gaze. Jesus. What was wrong with me?
“Unless you have plans again.” His voice sounded gruff now. Like he was forcing the words out. His lips started to form a scowl.
“No. No plans.” I shook my head. I didn't understand my need to please him. To want him to look at me with appreciation. No one ever needed me, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't enjoying the way his gaze was begging me to say yes. “I can stay for a bit.”
My breath caught, and my knees literally felt weak as a smile lifted his lips. Maybe staying wasn't the best idea. The last thing I needed was to be crushing on my boss. I wanted him to like me, and not look at me with annoyance anymore, but vying for his attention had bad idea written all over it.
I turned away from him, needing a moment to shake him off, and started to pull bowls down from the cabinet. But I froze mid-reach when I felt him step up behind me. With a deep breath in, I lowered my hands and spun slowly to face him.
“Here, let me help,” he said, taking the bowls from my hands.
Our fingers brushed, sending tiny pricks of sensation coursing through me.
Damn my body for reacting to this man. A man I could never have.
He set the bowls down on the counter next to him and grabbed the top one, holding it out for me to scoop soup into.
I grabbed a ladle out of the drawer and filled the first bowl.
He handed each girl a bowl and then carried the last two over to the table.
I took the seat across the table from Logan, next to Alice, and Nikki sat next to her dad.
She slowly started looking and sounding much better while we ate.
The girls talked nonstop, and I couldn't help but smile at the way they finished each other's sentences.
I tried to ignore the times I felt Logan's eyes on me.
It did neither of us any good to read into his actions.
I was his nanny. His teammate's little sister. There was nothing more to it. If I repeated it enough, maybe my body would take the hint.