Peace.
That was the effect her touch had on him. Like he could finally breathe after being held underwater. It hadn’t fixed anything, yet for as long as she hugged him, he began to feel like he could eventually find healing.
Still, he shouldn’t have dumped his problems onto her.
He crept silently from Isla’s room, leaving the door partly open to let the hallway light illuminate a path to her bed. He always kept it on in case of any nighttime wanderings, which more often than not ended with her crawling in with him.
Entering his room, he crossed to the window overlooking the street. His car sat alone in the driveway, which didn’t ease his concern. He’d noticed her sedan still parked next to his Highlander when he’d locked the door on his way upstairs with Isla, several minutes after she’d made her exit.
He pulled his phone from his pocket and sent off a quick text.
Christian: Thanks again for watching the girls. Did you make it home okay?
He set his phone on his dresser to change out of his work clothes, continuing his one-sided exchange with Dad.She’s okay, right? I was imagining her tears.He’d simply been projecting his sorrow onto her.
His self-assurance didn’t stop him from abandoning the shirt he was about to put on and snatching the phone from his dresser as soon as it buzzed. Hallie’s name lit up the screen.
Hallie: Safe and sound. Heading for bed.
Hallie: Btw … I still have the girls’ extra seats in my car. Sorry I didn’t take them out before I left.
Christian: No worries. I’ll grab them tomorrow.
Now he had an excuse to see her again. Not that he should want one. But his mouth slid upward as he walked into the master bathroom to brush his teeth. While spreading toothpaste onto his brush, his phone vibrated again.
Hallie: I was thinking about something on the way home.
Christian: Yeah?
Three dots performed the wave below his message before disappearing. They reappeared only to go away again. Whatever she wanted to say was causing some hesitation.
Hallie: Remember when you asked me to babysit? You said you haven’t found a replacement nanny, and you were desperate.
He vaguely recalled mentioning that somewhere in the word vomit spewing from his mouth during their phone conversation.
Christian: Yeah…
More vanishing dots. They danced across the screen three times before a message appeared.
Hallie: What if I watched the girls?
She couldn’t be serious. Hastily, he rinsed the toothpaste from his mouth before jabbing the icon at the top of the text thread to dial her number.
“I can’t ask you to do that,” he said once she’d answered.
“You’re not asking. I’m offering.”
He dropped onto his bed, kicking his feet onto the mattress. “Hallie, I really don’t feel right about imposing on you with this. Watching the girls five days a week is a lot, and you have your own obligations. I can’t expect you to solve my problems too.” Not to mention she was already invading his thoughts most of the time. He’d do well to distance himself from her, a difficult feat if she was in his home every weekday afternoon.
And what about his girls? It wouldn’t be fair to allow them to get close to Hallie and have her inevitably disappear. It would break their hearts.
“It would only be temporary until you find someone else,” she said.
That didn’t make him feel better considering the way Isla had regressed following Annelise’s departure.
“I can handle a few hours on weeknights,” Hallie continued. “At least until I find a job.”
“Job?” Christian asked, momentarily pushing his reservations about her offer aside. “What about your business?”
