8. Lexi #2
"Not at all, my girl. They were never a match. When I first met her, I remember thinking that she wasn't a bad person, but she and Tate… I couldn't see it working. Imagine my surprise when they got married. She was seduced by the family name, I think.”
"Some things aren't obvious from the start."
"That's true. But with some things, you know . You don't need to see them. You don't need someone to tell you it's there. You feel it.” Narrowing her eyes, she added, “Tell me a bit about you.”
"About me?" I asked blankly.
“Tate said you're helping your parents pay off some medical bills."
"Yes. They had a hard time, so I'm hoping what I contribute will help a bit."
"Do you have other siblings?" she asked.
“No, it’s just me. I’m an only child.” When I was younger, I always wanted a sister, and Mom and Dad wanted more children, but things didn’t turn out the way they’d hoped.
And I’d planned to have at least three kids, but, at thirty-one, I wasn’t sure I had enough time for three.
But I’d be happy even with one little bundle of joy.
Beatrice was looking at me intently. “I think it’s wonderful that you’re helping your parents.”
"Thank you," I said.
“My parents were also sickly in their old age, but I have two sisters, and we helped them together.”
“Did your husband also have siblings?”
“Yes, three. And everyone had many kids. I always dreamed about having at least four kids, but I only had two. Tate’s dad and his brother.”
“Where is his brother?”
“He moved to London after we sold the bookstore business. My two boys gave me a lot of grandchildren, though. Loved looking after them when they grew up.”
“Six is quite a bunch.”
“Eight, including my granddaughters, Kimberly and Reese. They were at our house so often that they were practically all siblings. And now Tate thinks I can’t look after Paisley."
I pressed my lips together, sensing that was for the best.
"Tate wanted a lot of children too, but things didn't work out. I can’t believe he thinks I can’t watch my great-granddaughter. I’m still fit enough to run a bookstore, am I not?”
“Are you there every day?” I asked in surprise.
“Well, not a lot. I go there a couple times a week, and the manager I hired handles the daily tasks.” With a wistful smile, she added, “It was the first building my late husband bought, and we opened the bookstore when my sons were young. I feel closer to him when I’m there.”
Oh, Beatrice . She was such a lovely, warm person.
“My grandkids also spent a lot of time there growing up. I liked having them in the bookstore. Everyone knew Declan was going to be a lawyer even before he knew it. He was the most outspoken, always getting the rest out of trouble or at least trying to. Once, the school caught all of them smoking under the bleachers.” She chuckled at the memory.
“Declan tried to convince them it was a science experiment.”
I burst out laughing. “He didn’t.”
“No one believed him. The most I could get out of them was that they did it on a dare, but they wouldn’t tell me who dared them.
My hunch is it was probably Luke. He always liked his dares, and the fun in it was riling up everyone to join him.
Tyler was also into dares, but his were more along the lines of physical activity.
He walked around bossing them into workout sessions after reading that it prolonged your lifespan.
Sam was his most arduous listener. Then he went on and became a doctor. ”
“And Travis?” He was the brother I knew the least about.
“Oh, my Travis took after his grandfather in a lot of ways. Always fearless. A bit terrifying for everyone else. Had a mind of his own. Whenever he didn’t like someone, he’d put frogs or insects in the pockets of their coats. Scared them off for good.”
“Very efficient.”
“But don't let me keep you with my tales. Fill your plate again. They just made the grilled corn, and it's fabulous for everyone who still has their real teeth. Take advantage of it," she said.
Laughing, I stood up. "It was nice talking to you, Beatrice."
She winked at me. "You're good for Paisley.” After a brief pause, she added, "And for Tate."
I felt my cheeks heat up to my ears. I walked away quickly, heading to the grill.
Tyler was operating it this time. I held out my plate and asked, "May I have an ear of corn?"
"Yes, ma'am," he said, putting one on my plate. He looked up at me with a twinkle in his eyes. "I'm putting it out there that you can always ask me stuff about my brother. I promise 100 percent honesty.”
"Does he know you're going around offering information about him?"
"I bet he does.” He smirked. “In my defense, I don't do it often, just for the people I like. And I like you, Lexi."
I grinned, liking the ease between us. I didn’t feel like I was working but rather like I was part of the gang. It felt like they were embracing me as one of their own.
I looked around for Reese but couldn’t see her anywhere.
“Where is Reese?” I asked Tyler.
“She just left.”
“Oh, okay. I’m going to check on Paisley, then.”
She was at the other end of the yard, sitting next to her father. "What are you two chatting about?" I asked as I approached.
"I was telling Daddy I want to watch The Jungle Book today."
Tate gave me a meaningful look.
The corners of my mouth lifted. So, this is where he draws the line.
“Well, I think your dad might be a bit tired after barbequing for so many people, but why don’t we watch it on Monday?”
Paisley lit up. “Okay. I’m gonna tell Great-Gran. Maybe she wants to watch it too.” Sliding down from Tate’s lap, she immediately headed to Beatrice.
“Thank you,” he said with a sigh. “How could you tell that I couldn’t find a good excuse?”
“You seemed a bit stuck and in need of my help.”
“Thank you for coming to my rescue,” he said with a twinkle in his eyes. “I’ve watched The Jungle Book so many times with her that I want to bust the screen when the theme song comes up.”
We laughed for a moment, and then he asked, “Are you having fun?”
“Yes. I love your grandma.”
“She’s amazing,” he said with admiration in his voice.
“Your whole family is lovely. It makes me miss my parents. They often have gatherings like these too. They love to invite neighbors and friends over for cookouts on the weekend. Well, they used to, before Mom had the surgery. But as soon as she’s better, things will return to normal.
” I looked around with a smile, regretting that I had to leave.
“It was a great day. I’m happy I stayed. ”
His smile faded. “You’re leaving?”
“I’m meeting my friend, remember?”
“Okay. I’ll walk you out.”
“There’s no need to. I can find my way,” I said.
“I know you can. I want a few moments alone with you, without my brothers watching me.”
My heart skipped a beat. I glanced around us as discreetly as possible, and yeah, everyone was looking at us, even Beatrice. “Why are they staring at us?” I asked.
“My brothers have… ideas.”
That was clear as mud. And he was flashing me a mysterious smile. I opened my mouth before closing it again. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what he meant.
He walked me through the house, and the second we closed the door to the backyard, I felt a shift between us, like the air itself was different—hotter and full of tension.
As we reached the front door, he put a hand on my arm. My skin sizzled. He turned me around, holding my gaze. “We didn’t talk about last night.”
I bit my lower lip. I didn’t want to talk about any of it, if I was honest. What good would it do? I knew all the reasons why this wasn’t going to move forward.
Come Monday, we had to find a way for things to go back to employee and employer. But right now, my mind was pulling in one direction and my heart in the complete opposite.
“I don’t know what to say,” I said.
He came closer, bringing a hand to my face, touching my cheek with the backs of his fingers. “Thinking about you wearing my shirt all night had a very positive effect on me.”
“Did it now?” I whispered.
“I barely kept myself from coming upstairs and knocking on your door. I thought about you all night.”
A tremor went through my body. “I did the same.”
He groaned, bringing his mouth close to my ear. I pressed my thighs together as heat pooled between my legs.
He groaned again, touching his lips to the side of my neck, moving them up and down. “What am I going to do with you, Lexi?”
“What are the options?” I asked in a lighthearted tone.
“Kissing you against this door or taking you upstairs.”
I laughed nervously. “I don’t think either is a good option. Your family is in the backyard, remember?” I had a visual of the whole family pressing their noses against a window, trying to see what we were up to.
He groaned again, pulling back. “Right. How could I forget? If we stay here any longer, I bet someone will burst through that door.”
“Tate,” I whispered, my voice soft. “We shouldn’t.”
“I know.” His gaze instantly turned from playful to serious. But he kept touching my cheek with his fingers. The skin-on-skin contact was almost too much. He frowned, looking at my mouth. “You’re dangerous for me, Lexi.”
My eyes widened. “Why?”
“You make me feel.” He pressed his thumb on my lower lip. “You make me want.”
I swallowed hard, breathing in deeply.
He stepped back, letting go of me. “But you’re right. We shouldn’t. I’m not sure I have it in me to do the right thing. Not when it comes to you.” He opened the front door, looking at me intently.
My body buzzed with adrenaline and a bone-deep yearning to close the distance between us. Oh, sweet heavens. In that moment, I knew I didn’t have it in me to do the right thing either. How could I when he was looking at me with so much heat?
And that sexy smile? It made my underwear combust.
Panties? On fire.
Bra? Up in smoke.
And the most dangerous part? It also melted all my defenses, and I knew I had to do something about it.
I was going to think really hard about everything over the weekend, but I didn’t think it was a good idea to stay on as Paisley’s nanny.