Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 54055 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 270(@200wpm)___ 216(@250wpm)___ 180(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54055 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 270(@200wpm)___ 216(@250wpm)___ 180(@300wpm)
“I get to pick?”
I nodded. “You have to wear them, not me. Just make it something you wouldn’t mind wearing in public.”
Her blue eyes sparkled and then she took off to a closet most grown women would envy, mumbling to herself as she chose. I was tempted to follow her, but I wanted to give her the autonomy to choose without my input.
“Okay Lucy.” She ran back from the closet and held up a denim skirt with leggings, and a sparkling tank top with a dancing unicorn on the front.
I couldn’t help but smile. “Perfect. Let me help you get dressed and then we’ll find some shoes, okay?”
She nodded, and fifteen minutes later we made our way downstairs to the kitchen. Lena chatted the entire time with occasional giggles thrown in, which made it hard to believe she came from the same genes as her grumpy father.
“Morning Daddy!” She sang the words as she released my hand and climbed up the high back stool pushed up against the countertop.
Dante leaned to the side and she pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Morning, honey. Sleep well?”
She nodded and then launched into a highly detailed rundown of our visit to the museum. She talked about the coronation gowns, the different colors worn and why. And of course, the ladies in waiting. “It was the best, Daddy. The best!”
Dante listened to every word she said with a smile, even interrupting to ask questions. He was an attentive parent, with a lot of love for his little girl.
“Sounds like you had a good time.”
“It was so much fun, Daddy. You have to see it.”
“Maybe you can show me one of these weekends.” He gave her ponytail a playful tug and she giggled before she dug into the breakfast Dotty set in front of her. While she ate, Dante turned to me with a smile. “You could not have found a more perfect activity for her.” His broad smile was gorgeous, but I wasn’t ready to forgive him.
I shrugged and flashed him my best southern hospitality smile. “Well, I am adequate at my job.” I smirked at him before I turned on my heels and fled the kitchen.
“Dammit,” he muttered under his breath and that only made my smile bigger.
Some days were all about the small victories.
Chapter 8
Dante
Ineeded to apologize to the nanny.
That was my first thought as I came to a stop in the driveway behind the Escalade. Though why I even cared so much was a mystery to me. Lucy worked for me, not the other way around, and despite her snarky yet also chipper attitude, I couldn’t stop thinking about her. Three days had passed since she twirled away from my attempt to apologize, and every day since she had been mysteriously absent unless Lena was also around as our unofficial chaperone.
The more I thought about it though, I thought maybe not apologizing was the way to go. As long as she was a little annoyed with me, we could keep a professional distance between us that would prevent us both from doing something stupid, like give in to temptation. Like strip every stitch of clothing from her luscious body and make her mine. Only for a night though, because I didn’t do long-term, not anymore. No more marriages and no more babies for me. One night, or maybe a few weeks of carnal bliss was all I needed to keep me going.
In the end though, for the sake of keeping the peace, I decided to apologize. I found Lucy and Lena in the backyard. But instead of skipping around the grass or having a tea party, they were laid out on a pink blanket with their heads together facing the sky.
“I see a bunny rabbit!” Lena’s excited words stopped my progress across the lawn, and I watched the two females as I rolled up my sleeves and popped the top buttons on my shirt. Lena giggled and pointed at the sky.
“I can’t quite see it,” Lucy said in a gentle, guiding voice. “How many clouds is this bunny rabbit?”
Without missing a beat, Lena pointed as she counted them out carefully. “See?”
Lucy gasped and nodded. “Oh yeah, now I see it perfectly. Very good, Lena.” She was so good at this, finding ways to encourage Lena while infusing even fun activities with learning. “Okay, my turn. I see a pig!” She pointed and did a terrible impression of a pig’s oink.
Lena giggled wildly and pointed to the sky once again. “I see it too!” She counted once again, this time without being prompted. “You’re good at this game Lucy.”
She huffed a laugh and shrugged. “I played this game a lot when I was a little girl, and even during study breaks when I was in college.” There was a wistfulness in her voice that sent a multitude of questions firing off inside my head.