“Hence, why I want to give him something in return.”
Gemma nudged Tyler gently in the side, drawing his attention away from Hallie long enough for her to breathe. “I don’t think there’s any harm in it.”
They shared a silent conversation before he sighed and turnedback to his sister. “Fine. I’ll text it to you.” The intensity in his stare didn’t lessen. “But I need you to promise me one thing.”
“What’s that?” Hallie asked.
“Please don’t get involved with him.”
Hallie sputtered out a laugh. “You have nothing to worry about on that score.” Did her voice sound pitchy?
“Good.”
“Good,” she repeated, bobbing her head once in finality. Except her curiosity wouldn’t let this conversation die. She swung her arms back and forth a little. “But … uh … why exactly … don’t you want me to get too close … to … him?”
Sheesh, she needed to work on her acting skills.
Her brother tilted his head to one shoulder, suspicion returning to his face. “It’s not my place to dig up his demons.”
Demons?
Hallie’s mouth tipped upward. “With that vague reference you’re giving credence to Kendall’s suggestion about him being a serial killer. You know that, right?”
Gemma laughed, but Tyler barely managed a smile.
“Why is he your best friend if he’s such a bad guy?” Hallie asked.
“I never said that. Christian is one of the best men I know. He’s just been through some pretty traumatic things, and I don’t think he’s capable of being the kind of partner you deserve. Not right now anyway.” Tyler snapped his mouth shut as though he’d already said too much. “Look, I don’t feel comfortable airing his dirty laundry, so I’m only going to say this. Please be careful. I don’t want my little sister getting hurt.”
Well, that didn’t clear anything up. “That’s not going to happen, so stop worrying about it. I have to go. I’ll text you the details for the Autumn Festival. Give Will a big, squeaky kiss for me, and say hello to Grandma June.”
Gemma waved to her, and Hallie headed toward the car. At the curb, she made the mistake of glancing back at the porch before sliding behind the wheel. Gemma’s head was back against Tyler’s shoulder, but his attention remained on Hallie. She was too far awayto read his expression, though she practically drowned in the concern radiating from him.
They’d always been close, and as annoying as he could be with the whole protective older brother stance, she’d never doubted he only wanted the absolute best for her. If he felt it necessary to be cautious, she’d keep her distance.
Starting tomorrow after she delivered some thank-you cookies.
Christian pulled into his driveway and threw the gear shift into park, letting the Highlander idle as he jabbed the button on the dashboard to turn off the stereo. The kids’ playlist filling the car the whole way home stopped mid-song, the hum of the motor becoming the only sound. He swiveled to face the girls in the backseat.
“Once we get inside, I need you to wash your hands. After your snack you’ll have to entertain yourself while I meet with someone about the nanny position.”
Isla groaned. “I don’t want another nanny.” Her already stormy face grew even more tempestuous. Slouching low in her seat, the safety belt provided the only barrier keeping her from sliding entirely off her booster.
Facing forward again, he pushed a breath out through his teeth. “I know you don’t,” he muttered under his breath.
But he summoned his patience, letting the conversation drop. She’d been in a mood the whole way home from school, and he’d let her grumpiness get to him. No good would come from rationalizing with her right now. They were already in for a long afternoon.
Christian stared out the windshield at the garage door. He didn’t want to hire another nanny either. Annelise had been a godsend the last few years, not only taking care of the girls, but easing the household load on him as well. Isla and Penelope weren’t the only ones sad to see her go.
But what other option did he have than to keep looking? His boss had handed Christian more backhanded comments less than two hours ago when he’d left the office early to pick up the girls. Even after working out his situation with HR—not to mention the extra hours he logged once the girls went to bed every night—he couldn’tshake the feeling that Jim would latch onto any little reason to give him the ax.
Yanking at his tie, he shut off the car’s engine and grabbed his work bag from the passenger seat. Once outside the vehicle, he opened Isla’s door, then circled around to the other side.
“Hey, sweet girl,” he said, unbuckling Penelope’s five-point harness. “You ready for a snack?”
Penelope kicked her feet, anxious to be freed from the constraints of her car seat. “Okay!”
He chuckled and helped her down from the car. “What sounds good?”
