Chapter 4
Avalon
To my surprise, Liam doesn’t join me in the kitchen right away. Instead, he puts my duffel onto the couch, and then holds up a finger.
“I’ll just be a sec,” he says. “I was in the middle of a call when you knocked, so let me wrap that up.”
Then, he vanishes into a room to the left and shuts the door tightly, leaving me alone in the kitchen.
I look around curiously, wondering how the single dad lives.
The cabin isn’t too big, actually. There’s the living room which has a big, comfortable, if somewhat raggedy looking couch in it, as well a majestic stag head mounted on the wall.
Adjoining it is the kitchen, which has a fridge, stove, and small counter, where I’m seated now.
Then, there are three doors leading off from the living room, one of which is the bathroom.
The other one is likely Liam’s bedroom because I can hear the deep tones of his voice, while the other is likely his daughter’s bedroom, although I have no idea where the little girl is.
It’s odd because I don’t hear anything, and I thought kids always caused a racket no matter what they’re up to.
But maybe she’s quietly watching a show on her iPad using headphones, or maybe she’s napping.
Whatever it is, it’s not my place to barge into her room and interrupt because Mr. Carrington’s still scoping me out.
I guess it makes sense. The whole babysitter thing is a surprise to him, and so he wants to make sure I’m up for the job.
At that moment, the door to the bedroom reopens and the alpha male reappears, his dark hair tousled adorably with a gleam in his eye. Hmm, was that really a work call he was on? It seems he was discussing something interesting because he turns to me with an immediate smile.
“Sorry about the interruption,” he says in a deep voice before seating himself on a chair at the table. “Won’t happen again.”
“Oh no, it’s fine,” I say. “I’m here at your beck and call.”
Mr. Carrington’s eyebrows immediately go up because I realize I just made myself sound like a harem girl, but what can you do?
The words are already out of my mouth and I smile lamely while flushing.
Damn, this man makes me lose myself and I’ve only been in his presence for a few minutes.
But then Liam clears his throat and grins.
“So tell me a little about yourself, Avalon. How did you get into babysitting? How long have you been babysitting?”
Oh shit. I didn’t do much preparation for my fake role as a nanny, and smile insipidly.
“Um, oh well, I’ve been babysitting for a long time. Since I was ten actually,” I say.
“Ten!” the alpha male replies, looking genuinely surprised. “That’s very young. Were you babysitting a younger sibling, do you mean?”
Oh shit, I’ve already said the wrong thing. I smile weakly, shaking my head.
“No, I mean, maybe around ten. Maybe it was eleven or twelve, and I did it through my Girl Scout troop,” I fib. “We did a module on babysitting, and that’s where I picked up arts and crafts projects for kids, as well as how to soothe them to sleep.”
Liam nods thoughtfully.
“What kind of arts and crafts do you do with the children?”
At least I have an answer for this.
“Oh, crochet and lanyards. Maybe even some cookie baking.”
Liam nods.
“Do you do that with the little boys as well?”
I nod quickly.
“Oh yes! Little boys can be very interested in cooking and baking, and of course, eating cookies. They’re into that for sure, although some of the older ones are more into sports. We also play sports together,” I babble.
“I see,” Liam hums, his expression a bit amused. “What kind of sports?”
“All kinds!” I say. “Pick up basketball, soccer, softball, almost anything. But not contact football,” I say with a mock frown. “That’s way too dangerous.”
Liam nods, the corner of his mouth quirking up as if he’s trying to repress a smile.
“How about tantrums?” he asks in a smooth tone.
“What do you do when a child throws a tantrum? It’s unfortunate to admit, but my daughter Ellie still does it with some regularity at age five, and my older daughter, Madison, occasionally throws a fit too.
It’s regrettable because Maddie’s already nine, but there you go.
Both of my daughters can sometimes fly off the handle.
I’ve been working with them on it, but the five year old is almost impossible to talk sense into.
The nine year old is better, but she still loses control sometimes. ”
I pause, my mind whirling, because no one said anything about this man having two kids!
I was told he had a little girl with him at the cabin, and I assumed it was the child of five.
But are there actually two little girls sharing the second bedroom?
I glance quickly at the closed door, but there’s still no sound.
Oh shit, how do I approach this? I try to think on the fly, and smile confidently.
“Well, of course the approach depends on the child and their individual personality,” I say.
“With the five year old, I might offer her some ice cream or sweets to calm down. With the nine, well, maybe some extra screen time, or maybe I’ll offer to buy her a special lip gloss or nail polish as a treat. ”
Liam frowns.
“Maddie doesn’t wear make-up,” he growls. “She’s too young for that.”
“Oh, I can get her something else then,” I improvise quickly. “Maybe I’ll braid her hair as a treat.”
“Maddie has short hair,” he adds, looking skeptical. “You might be able to do a ponytail, but a braid is probably a no go.”
Damn, I’m really failing this interview.
“I’ll figure out something,” I say. “There must be something she likes.”
“She’s into Kpop Demon Hunters,” her dad says in a wry tone. “Maybe you could take her to see that.”
“Bingo!” I say with false cheer. “See? There’s always something that kids want, and it’s a matter of figuring out what it is.”
That twitch in Liam’s cheek is back, and I just know he’s trying not to laugh. But then he becomes totally serious.
“And what would you do if there was a medical emergency?” he asks in a deep voice, brows drawn in a frown. “Hypothetically, let’s say that my five-year-old suddenly begins to choke on her lunch. What would you do?”
“The Heimlich, of course!” I say promptly. “First start with a few hearty slaps on the back, and if she doesn’t spit out the food, then I’d come around her for the Heimlich maneuver.”
Liam nods, blue eyes darkening.
“But she’s only five. How do you do the Heimlich on children?”
Oh shit. I’m not sure, but I smile gamely and improvise on the fly.
“The same as on an adult,” I reply with as much confidence as I can manage.
“Come around behind the child, and lower yourself to his or her height. You may need to kneel to get down there, but then it’s the same as an adult.
Wrap your arms around their torso, and make a fist before thrusting forcefully inward and upward.
Hopefully, that dislodges the uneaten morsel. ”
Liam nods.
“And intersperse that with back blows,” he says. “Rotate between the two maneuvers. Heimlich for five thrusts, and then five solid thumps to the back.”
“Exactly,” I say, relieved. Oh my god, I actually got something right during this unexpected babysitting interview. Maybe we can get on with it now! But Liam still has questions, and he pins me with a look.
“But let’s take this scenario one step further. Say Ellie’s choking and you’re doing the Heimlich and back blows, but it doesn’t work and she loses consciousness. What do you do then?”
“Call 9-1-1,” I say promptly. “It’s a dangerous situation, and professionals are needed.”
“Right, but it’s going to take a while for 9-1-1 to get to the house. So how do you help Ellie before they arrive?”
I think for a moment.
“CPR,” I say in a firm tone. “That’s what I’d do.”
“Right,” Liam agrees. “But how does child CPR differ from adult CPR? You can’t do everything the same on a five-year-old.”
Oh shit. He’s right, and the fact is that I have no idea how to perform CPR on a kid. At this point, I give in and shoot him a wan smile.
“To be honest, I need to brush up on this a bit. I remember adult CPR is thirty chest compressions and then two breaths, and then back to the chest compressions. But I can’t remember what it is for children.”
Liam nods.
“Why don’t we do a quick review then?” he asks in a smooth tone. “I’d feel much better if Ellie was in knowledgeable hands, even though the chance of my daughter choking is very small.”
Is this a trick question? I decide to proceed with caution.
“Okay,” I agree in a slow tone. “What’s the procedure for a kid then?”
Liam smiles, and is it my imagination, or is his expression a bit wolfish? His teeth gleam white, those chiseled features sharp, and my heart-rate accelerates. OMG, something is brewing. I can feel it in my bones.
Sure enough, Liam nods and asks in a casual tone, “Why don’t we do a demonstration? I always feel that hands-on demonstrations are far more effective than talking it through. Especially when it comes to something like CPR because it’s really the practice that counts.”
I stare at him.
“Sure, but do you have a CPR dummy? Or a doll? That’s what we used when I took first aid in high school.”
The handsome man shakes his head, his expression smooth.
“No, because I thought I might be able to be the dummy in this case. Come on, Avalon. It’ll just take a sec.”
Then, without waiting for my assent, the huge man gets up and strides into the living room before lying down on the heavy red shag rug.
Oh my god, is he serious? But there’s the alpha male stretched out with his head almost touching the TV stand, with his long legs seeming to take up the entire length of the living room.
He can’t be serious but those blue eyes gleam as he beckons to me.
“Come on, Miss Leigh. I’m going to show you the ins and outs of CPR, and this is the perfect time to get it done. Don’t be afraid. I don’t bite.”
I stare at him, eyes wide, because biting is exactly what I want.
I want to drape myself over that huge form, pressing my big breasts against his hard chest. I want us to engage in deep kisses before I squirm out of my panties and then notch his shaft at my wet opening before descending down that pole of heaven.
Is he big? Massive, even? My insides go hot and wet because somehow, I know Liam Carrington has the goods … and I want the mountain man to deliver.