I finished my pizza and kept my eyes focused forward, never once glancing at Sean again until Janie and I left the restaurant. On our way out, Tommy and Sarah waved their goodbyes, and I smiled back. My eyes flickered to Sean for a fraction of a second, and finally, he was looking back at me. Our eyes met, and he looked away quickly. But before he did, I saw the same look I’d seen in his eyes the day before.
Janie and I said goodbye. I made my way home, still thinking about Sean and that meaningful look. Maybe Janie was right. Maybe Sean just decided he wanted to spend more alone time with his children. Or maybe there was something more going on, something I was too na?ve to see until now.
As I walked home, I remembered the way Sean looked at me in the kitchen. If I didn’t know any better, I would have said his look was one of longing. There was tension in the air between us whenever we were alone. I dismissed it as nothing more than my attraction to him, but now, I couldn’t help but wonder if it went deeper than that. Maybe Sean was as experiencing that same attraction.
Whatever it was, I was intrigued in every sense of the word by this man. He was a mystery and despite my reservations, I needed to find out more about him.
CHAPTER SEVEN - SEAN
After lunch, I took Tommy and Sarah home. They begged to go to the park, but I couldn’t bring myself to take them. My mind was still racing with everything I’d seen at the restaurant.
By the next morning, I was still thinking about it endlessly. All I could see was that guy leaning over, pressing his lips to Emily’s ear in an intimate gesture. The memory made my stomach tighten with jealousy.
Shaking my head, I pushed myself out of bed and hurried toward the bathroom. As I showered, I told myself I was being stupid. There had been so much tension between Emily and me that I used it an excuse to fire her, but now, I knew that wasn’t the case. Obviously, the tension was one-sided, just my imagination. There was obviously a guy in her life, and here I was, deluding myself into thinking her interest in me was more than just professional. I realized now that I let my attraction to her get in the way of my common sense.
Still, I couldn’t change it now. I’d already set up three interviews with potential nannies for today. After breakfast, I would take the kids over to Mrs. Johnston and spend the day finding their new caretaker. Tommy and Sarah made it abundantly clear that they wanted Emily and no one else, but I couldn’t do that to myself. Despite the other guy, my feelings remained the same. Just seeing her at the pizza place was enough to make my dick twitch in my pants. I couldn’t look at her without my fantasies running wild.
“Breakfast?” I asked as I walked into the kitchen. Tommy and Sarah were already sitting at the kitchen table.
“Why can’t Emily come over?” Sarah asked.
I sighed and turned to face them. Sarah’s eyes were narrowed in the way they often did, challenging and demanding. Her expression wasn’t a surprise, but I was shocked to see it mirrored on Tommy’s face. His anger hit me harder than Sarah’s. It was unexpected, and it so rarely happened that I had to take a step back and recover before I spoke.
“Listen guys,” I said softly. “I’m interviewing a bunch of different nannies today, okay? I’ll find someone who’s just as great as Emily. Maybe even better.”
“That’s not possible,” Sarah said firmly. “Emily is the best.”
“I know you both liked Emily, but you’ll like the next person too,” I said. “I promise.”
Sarah rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. She turned around to face away from me and spent the rest of the morning pouting. Tommy just shrugged and accepted the bowl of cereal I placed in front of him. Sarah didn’t eat, but I wasn’t surprised. When she was angry, her favorite tactic was a hunger strike. I knew the second she got over to Mrs. Johnston’s, she would eat everything in sight, so I wasn’t worried.
“Come on,” I said, once Tommy was done eating. “Let’s head next door.”
“Why can’t we be here for the interviews?” Tommy asked. “Shouldn’t we meet the new nanny ourselves?”
“You will,” I said. “And if you don’t like whoever it is, then I’ll find someone new. Deal?”
Tommy nodded, but he still seemed upset. I sighed and followed the kids out of the house and across the yard. We stepped up to Mrs. Johnston’s door, and Sarah rang the bell.
“Hello there!” Mrs. Johnston said when she answered the door. “I’m so excited to hang out with you both today!”
“Do you have anything to eat?” Sarah asked.
“Sarah,” I said warningly.
“There’s muffins on the counter,” Mrs. Johnston said with a smile. “Go on in.”
Sarah and Tommy both ran into the house and disappeared into the kitchen. I just shook my head and smiled at Mrs. Johnston.
“Thank you for doing this,” I said. “They aren’t too happy with me for letting Emily go.”
“I can’t say I blame them,” she said severely. “Emily is a wonderful girl. I’m not too happy with you myself.”
“There were just some things that wouldn’t have worked,” I said, feeling suddenly defensive.
“It’s none of my business,” Mrs. Johnston said, holding her hand up to silence me. “That’s just my two cents.”
“Well, I really appreciate your help today,” I said.
“Anytime.”
I left and Mrs. Johnston slowly closed the door behind me. It was hard enough having my own kids hate me, but for Mrs. Johnston to disapprove of my decision? I suddenly felt a wave of regret wash over me, but I forced it away. There was nothing I could do about it now. Emily was gone.
As I walked back inside my house, I checked the time. I only had ten minutes before the first interview was scheduled so I brewed a pot of coffee and poured myself a mug. Just then the doorbell rang, and I hurried forward to answer it.
There was a tall, skinny woman on the front steps. She was wearing workout clothes, and her hair was pulled back in a wet bun. Her face was covered in sweat, and she was jogging in place, bouncing up and down on my front porch.
I was confused. “Can I help you?”
“I’m Tamara,” she said with a smile. “I’m here to interview for the nanny position.”
I was instantly annoyed by this bouncing woman on my porch, but since I’d let Emily go, I didn’t have much choice but to invite her in.
My thoughts were jumbled from her constant movement. “Can you stand still?” I said irritably. “You’re distracting me.”
She stopped jogging in place, but the air around her still seemed to vibrate with energy. I found it intensely irritating.
“How long have you been involved in child care?” I asked.
“Not long,” she said honestly. “Until lately, I’ve been a personal trainer.”
I frowned. “Why did you change careers?”
“I decided children needed my support more than adults,” she said. “Are you aware of the childhood obesity rate in the United States? It’s high. Too high. I aim to rectify that, one child at a time.”
I raised an eyebrow at her and she continued.
“I came up with a workout regimen that works great with kids,” she said. “I’ll have your kids whipped into shape in no time!”
“My kids don’t need to be ‘whipped into shape,’” I said.
“Oh, but they do!” she said with a little too much enthusiasm. “You don’t realize it, but this age is crucial for their development. If they don’t create healthy exercise habits now, they never will.”
“All right,” I said, standing. “I’ve heard all I need to.”
“Are you sure?” she asked.
“Yup.” I stood up and ushered her to the door.
“I look forward to hearing from you,” she said with confidence.
“Don’t wait by the phone,” I grumbled before slamming the door in her face. I glanced through the peephole and saw the befuddled look on her face before she turned and jogged back down my driveway.
What a fucking mess.
The next applicant to arrive was a fifteen-year-old girl who was accompanied by her dad. They walked inside and sat down side by side on the couch. I figured I should slow the roll on my dickish behavior with the dad here, and offered him a cup of coffee. He refused and held up a hand.
“Look,” he said. “Before we even get started, you need to know, I’ll kill you if you touch my little girl.”