Chapter Twelve
TALLY
W hen the morning light streamed through my bedroom window on Saturday, I sat up and looked out the partially ice-coated panes of glass. The bright sunshine made it appear warm, but the drafts in the old guest house said otherwise. I kept my blankets wrapped tightly around me as I admired the tree branches glazed in ice. The sun glinting off them made our surroundings look magical, but the lawn was another story. The ground was littered with branches, twigs, and several limbs, which didn’t surprise me. Loud cracking and crashing sounds had kept me awake long into the night as the weight of the heavy freezing rain broke the trees. What a mess.
The evidence of the ice storm turned my thoughts to the night before. If the lights hadn’t come back on, I was pretty sure Jake would’ve kissed me. And I didn’t know how I was supposed to feel about that. I enjoyed hanging out with him and beating him at Boggle, but he was my boss. My heart and mind warred with each other over the whole thing because I was definitely attracted to him when I knew I shouldn’t be.
If I made a pros and cons list, there would be only one thing on the pros list.
1. Jake wanted to kiss me. (Maybe.)
The cons list would be much longer.
1. He’s my boss.
2. He’s way older than me.
3. He’s experienced.
4. He has three kids.
5. One of them hates me.
6. He’s my boss.
Although nothing had actually happened, I was embarrassed and uneasy about the whole thing. In the moment, it seemed as if he was leaning in like the guys in all those rom-com movies Ellie made us watch. But maybe I’d misunderstood or misread the situation. I kept replaying the scene in my mind, trying to imagine what might’ve happened if we had kissed and how I would have felt after. All I could picture was me crying from sheer mortification.
What if I’d given off some kind of “kiss me” vibe without realizing it? I shouldn’t have been sitting so close to him, let alone by firelight. That was, like, one of the most romantic things you could do with a guy .
The more I thought about it, the more ashamed I was over the entire situation, which was why I hadn’t texted the girls about it. Penny and Ellie would’ve been happy and told me to go for it with the hot dad or some other silly comment. But I didn’t need romantic fantasies. I needed to stay grounded in reality. And the reality was a relationship with Jake would never work. Because of all the cons and probably more.
If the lights had stayed off, it might have been my first kiss, which was kind of humiliating. Ellie always teased that I was like Josie from the movie Never Been Kissed . And most days, that’s how I felt, wondering if I’d ever have that perfect first kiss moment where everything else just faded away.
The father of the kids I nanny definitely wasn’t the guy I should be having my first kiss with.
I pushed all thoughts of kisses and love out of my mind and made myself get out of bed. Getting stuff done would hopefully occupy my mind with something else.
Most of the morning, I puttered around the house, enjoying my free day.
In the early afternoon, I happened to glance out the window and notice Jake picking up sticks. As much as I wanted to hide out from him, I made myself put on my coat, gloves, and boots. I’d have to face him at some point anyway. Might as well get it out of the way.
He looked up as I closed the door of the guest house behind me.
“Hey.” There was a softness to his voice that felt more familiar than before. Or maybe I was imagining things.
“Hey.” I bent down and picked up some branches and twigs from the sidewalk .
“You don’t have to do that,” he said.
“I know, but I live here too, and I want to help.”
We grabbed handfuls of the casualties of the storm and put them into a wheelbarrow.
“Did you sleep okay last night?” he asked.
“Not really. You?”
He let out a huff. “Not at all. I thought a war was happening outside.”
“I know, right? The cracking was so loud.”
“At least we don’t have as many trees as people in the country.”
“That’s true. I should call my parents. Their house is surrounded by woods.”
He gaped at the larger trees around the yard. “I’m glad we didn’t lose any big limbs. Marjie said a large branch fell right next to their house and just missed the car.”
“Wow. Were the girls freaked out?”
“Ava and Piper were a little scared. They kept asking to come home, so they’re bringing the girls back later today instead. The sledding hill’s iced over today anyway.”
“I wondered about that.”
“Nora had no fear, though. She loves storms. She borrowed Marjie’s phone and sent me some videos of the branch and the sound of the trees cracking in the night.”
I pointed at a long, thin branch on the guest house roof. “That branch fell on my roof last night, and I thought for sure it was half a tree. I was surprised it didn’t come through the ceiling, but now I see why.”
Jake chuckled. “I’ll have to take a closer look and make sure the roof’s not damaged. ”
I nodded, and we went back to picking up for a while.
“Hey, I was thinking about what you told me last night …” He tossed some sticks in the wheelbarrow. “About being too shy to date.”
I grimaced, unsure why he brought that up.
“I think I can help you with that.”
“What do you mean?” My heart leapt in my chest.
“I’m a guy. Obviously.” He grinned, which only heightened my sudden case of nerves. “You have no trouble talking to me. So, maybe I can help you communicate better with other men.”
I stared at him blank-faced, unsure of what he was proposing.
“I’d like to help you meet someone.”
I dropped the sticks I’d been holding and scrambled to pick them up again.
“We could work on getting you more comfortable meeting new people and then—”
“Oh my gosh,” I cut him off. “You’re actually serious?”
“I am serious. And I have a plan.”
I was dumbfounded. “You have a plan?”
He nodded. “I do. And it’s a good one.”
Laughter bubbled out of me uncontrolled.
“Why are you laughing?”
“I’m sorry, but that’s crazy.”
“What’s so crazy about it?”
“You wanting to be my matchmaker.”
“Not a matchmaker … more like a dating coach.”
I shook my head. “No way.”
“Come on. I’ll be your wingman.”
I screwed up my face. “Don’t say that again. Ever. ”
“Come on, Natalia. I want to help.”
I paused. Why did the sound of my full name coming out of his mouth have to be so sexy?
“I don’t need your help,” I told him.
“If you’ve never been on a date before, you clearly need help.”
“Well … not from you.”
“If not me, then who?”
“Anyone but you.”
“Why?”
“Look, Jake, this is not necessary. I can manage my own dating life.”
“Or lack thereof,” he mumbled.
“Hey!”
“I mean, I’m not wrong. You admitted as much.”
“That won’t convince me to let you help me.”
He tossed another armful of branches into the wheelbarrow and moved it further along the sidewalk. “Do you want to see my resumé?”
I raised an eyebrow at him. “Your dating coach resumé?”
He snorted. “My work resumé. I’ve coached plenty of people to learn new skills, and I can teach you too.”
“Were those people socially awkward introverts with anxiety attacks?”
“Well, no, but—”
“Like I said, I’ll manage.” The whole thing sounded extremely bizarre and highly embarrassing, and I really hoped he’d drop it.
Relief swept over me as the sound of car tires crunching along the driveway out front abruptly ended our conversation .
“The girls are home!” Jake’s face lit up. The amount of love that man had for his girls did something to me. I only hoped one day, when I had children of my own, their daddy’s face would shine as bright at their mention too.
I continued picking up sticks for a while. I could hear voices and laughter inside, and part of me wanted to go in and hear all the girls’ stories about their night. But I wasn’t family. I was their nanny. An outsider. And that’s how it was supposed to be.
“Tally!”
I turned around at the sound of Ava’s voice. She was standing in the kitchen doorway, practically bouncing up and down. “Did you hear a hubungous branch fell at Grandma and Grandpa’s house?” She spread her arms as wide as they would go. “This big.”
“Humungous.” Nora’s voice came from inside the house.
I chuckled. “I did hear about that.”
“It almost landed on their car. It missed it by this much.” She held her thumb and forefinger less than an inch apart.
“Wow! That was close. I’m glad you’re all okay.”
“Ava, shut the door! You’re letting cold air in!” Nora cried.
Jake was suddenly at Ava’s back. “Really, Natalia, you don’t have to do that. The weekends are yours to relax and do whatever you want to do.”
“What if I want to pick up sticks?”
He tilted his head in clear disapproval.
“We’re putting up our Christmas tree today,” Ava announced.
“How fun,” I replied .
“You can come help us.”
“Okay, Ava.” Jake took hold of her little shoulders and directed her into the house then turned back to me. “She obviously likes you.”
“I like her too. Tell her thank you for me. That was very sweet.”
“You wouldn’t want to …” He shook his head. “Never mind. Enjoy your weekend.”
“Thanks. You too.”
He had the door half closed when he stopped and looked back at me. “And think about my offer.”
I twisted my lips to the side. “Risk manager by day, dating coach by night?”
“The two obviously go hand in hand.”
He grinned as he closed the door, and I tossed a few more sticks in the wheelbarrow on my way to the guest house. Jake might know a thing or two about helping people learn new skills, but there was no way I was letting him coach me on how to talk to guys. Awkward.
I texted our Solo Sisters group chat to see how everyone was after the storm. Penny said Lucas’s place had some large tree branches down but nothing that caused damage to the house. Jessa and her family were fine. Lots of smaller twigs and sticks all around, which seemed to be the case everywhere. Ellie said Ethan had filled her in about the ice storm and all the tree damage. Sadly, a large branch had fallen on the treehouse in their back yard and busted it in half .
I told them all that had happened here with the power going out, lighting the fireplace wrong, and filling the house with smoke. I left out my conversation with Jake and our Boggle game and the maybe kiss moment, but I did share what he’d said about being my dating coach.
Jessa: He did not!
Me: He did.
Jessa: How unprofessional.
Ellie: This is exactly what happened in a rom-com book I read.
Jessa: Of course it is. (Rolling-eyes emoji)
Ellie: Only it was the girl who was a matchmaker, and she fell in love with a guy she was trying to match up with someone.
Jessa: That’s not at all the same.
Ellie: It could be. (Winking emoji)
Penny: I think you should let him help you.
Me: Too weird.
Penny: But you get along with him and you trust him, right?
Me: I guess so. Yeah.
Penny: So what’s the harm in trying something new?
Me: My boss having a front-row seat to my attempts at dating, for one thing.
Jessa: Why are you all ignoring the fact that this is totally unprofessional?
Penny: (Tongue-sticking-out emoji)
Ellie: You said you told him about how nervous and anxious you get, Tal. He’s aware of the things you’ll have to overcome. It might be a little unusual, but I think it’s kind of him to offer.
Me: A little unusual?
Penny: You won’t find someone unless you step out of your comfort zone and meet new people. And I know how hard that is for you, Tal. I do. But I want you to find your person like Ellie and I have, and maybe this will help. You deserve to have the life you dream of.
Me: I don’t know.
Ellie: I can already picture you with three perfect little daughters with brown ringlet curls and a tall, dark, and handsome husband … with grey in his hair. (Winking emoji)
Me: Stop that! He’s my boss.
Ellie: LOL!
Jessa: (Frowning emoji)
Penny: Don’t be afraid to try, Tally.
Me: Easier said than done.
Not long after ending our conversation, as I was trying to decide what book to read so I’d stop obsessing over what my friends had said, there was a light knock on the door. Jake stood outside, and I took a deep breath to calm my increased heart rate. I opened the door, and Ava and Piper stood at his feet, smiling up at me.
“Hello, girls.” I couldn’t help but chuckle at their giant, happy grins.
“Will you please come help us decorate our tree?” Ava looked up at her father, clearly seeking his approval.
“Good job,” he whispered to her before addressing me. “They wouldn’t stop asking about you.”
I smiled.
“They didn’t think it was right that you were out here all alone with no Christmas tree of your own.”
I chuckled again at how big they were grinning.
“I have an extra artificial tree in the attic we can bring out here for you when we’re done with ours.”
“That’s very sweet.”
“So, will you come help?” he asked.
“You have to see the ornament I made at school,” Ava said.
“I have a baby kangamoo onament,” Piper proclaimed proudly.
“Oh, wow! That sounds awesome,” I told her. “Is it Joe’s brother or sister?”
Piper bobbed her head up and down.
“You’ll love my Hello Kitty ornament.” Ava took my hand and tugged me across the threshold.
“Well, let’s go see.” I gave Jake a shrug as I closed the door behind me and followed his daughters to the house.
Once inside, Jake headed toward the stairs. “I just have to get the boxes out of the attic.”
“Let me help.” I followed him upstairs then through a door in the hallway that led up a steep flight of stairs to a small attic area filled with boxes and tubs. A set of spiral stairs continued up into the cupola atop the house. “The cupola is really cool.”
“I’ve barely been up there since we bought this place. You can check it out if you want.” He disappeared between two piles of boxes.
“Daddy!” Ava’s little voice called up to him. “Can we come up?”
“Stay downstairs, please!” he cried.
I decided to wait until another time to see the cupola and joined him among the boxes.
Jake pulled the lid off a tub and grumbled. “Where are those ornaments?”
I moved around the pile, searching for any labels that might reveal the contents, but not many were marked. As I walked around behind another pile, I saw a long box with a faded Christmas tree label.
“I think I found one of the trees. It looks like the small one you mentioned.”
“Great.” Jake’s voice was more of a mumble from behind a pile. “I found the other one.”
I lifted the box and carried it over to where he was pulling a long, large, rectangular box from the top of a pile. The end looked chewed up, the top was open, and he lifted it above his head by the long side flap, which gave me a clear view inside.
“Wait, Jake—”
The box rotated before I could stop him, and a section of the tree tumbled out onto his head, along with several mouse nests and a whole lot of mouse poop.
He threw the box away and screeched like a scared little girl. “Gross! ”
I did my best to hold my laughter in.
He swiped at his clothes and brushed his fingers back and forth roughly through his hair to get the feces out.
And then I lost it, and my laughter came pouring out.
“Hey! This could have just as easily been you.” He gagged and wiped at his tongue. “Why did my mouth have to be open?”
My laughter quickly turned to hysteria until tears were streaming down my face. I hadn’t laughed that hard in a very long time.
He made a stern face, but the harder I laughed, the more his expression softened until he began to laugh, and soon his level of laughter matched mine.
“What’s so funny up there?” Nora yelled from downstairs.
“Do you want to tell them or should I?” he asked.
“Will your version include how you screamed like a little girl?”
“I did not!”
I giggled. “Oh, you so did.”
He kicked the box further away from himself. “What do you say we take the girls to the store to buy a new tree?”
A thought suddenly crossed my mind, and I smiled. “I have a better idea.”