A sigh laced her words as she responded. “My savings are running out really fast. And I don’t have any orders coming up besides the Hawthornes’ and yours. I’m not exactly rolling in the dough right now.”
“I see what you did there.” Her unintended pun pulled a chuckle from Christian before he realized how insensitive it sounded. He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry, Hal.”
“Thanks.” Despondency hung in her voice. “Who knows, maybe working for someone else for a while will be a good thing. It’ll give me valuable insight to take with me if I finally get my bakery.”
If? She must really be worried if she’d downgraded her dream status toif.
“I applied for a position as a baker’s assistant,” she continued, “but I found out today I didn’t get it. Not enough experience. So, it’s back to square one.”
Had that been what had bothered her before? As bad as it sounded, Christian hoped her discouragement had only been due to her disappointment rather than the things he’d told her. “If that’s the direction you want to go, I’m sure you’ll find something. But I get your discouragement.”
“You do?”
More than she knew. “Believe me, the job I have now isn’t my dream job.”
“If you could have any job in the world, what would it be?”
He’d spent hours thinking about his previous career goals. At night while snuggling Penelope in the peaceful quiet of her darkroom. After every agonizing team meeting or lecture from Jim. Still, he rarely, if ever, spoke them out loud.
“I wanted to form my own tech startup. Nothing big, just me and maybe one other person. Something with a flexible schedule so I can spend more time with the girls. I hate having to miss so much by being in the office all day. They’re growing up so fast.”
Not to mention the wonders that would work on Isla if he didn’t have to leave all the time. “But I never had the luxury of building it up before the girls came, and they kind of need to eat.” He pushed out a breathy laugh.
“You’re a good dad,” Hallie said softly. “Isla and Penelope are really lucky to have you in their corner.”
When was the last time anyone had told him that? He was sure Mom had from time to time. But she was his mother; she had to say stuff like that. Dani may have mentioned something similar too. But had anyone outside his family ever made an effort to ease his doubts?
I’m lucky to have you, Hallie.
He squeezed his eyes shut. No, he didn’t have her. And he shouldn’t want her.
He shook away the unsettling reminder of his ill-advised crush on his best friend’s sister. “I really can’t complain. I have a good job that pays well with full benefits. And besides my lackluster boss, I love the people I work with. Many college graduates just starting out aren’t so lucky. But I understand the discouragement that comes from having to pivot away from what you’d rather be doing.”
“Yeah. I’m sure I’ll figure things out.” She sighed, and he could feel her mood shifting with the sound. “In the meantime, I’m free to help you.”
“I don’t know.” There had to be a million things she’d rather be doing on a weekday than hanging out with little kids.
“It makes sense. The girls already know me. Even Isla warmed up after a while, and I know you’re super stressed about her. Let me take this off your plate.”
Christian stretched out onto his bed, bringing his free hand torest behind his head. She made all valid points, especially about the girls responding well to her.That’s what I’m worried about.
But wouldn’t he have the same problem no matter who he hired? As much as Annelise had felt like part of their family, she wasn’t. And her life goals had made it necessary to say goodbye. Nannies, by design, were a temporary fix. They didn’t replace the fact that his girls don’t have a mother. Perhaps he could use this as a teaching opportunity, especially for Isla. If he prepared her early, she’d have an easier time transitioning to someone new. Hopefully.
And on the good side, letting Hallie step in for a while would get his boss off his back.
He exhaled a resigned sigh. “Fine. If you’re willing to watch them, I won’t say no. But I have … stipulations.” More like boundaries. Barriers to keep his heart in check.
“Like what?”
“You are not, under any circumstances, allowed to clean my house.” He’d let her watch his kids, but he wouldn’t add maid service to her duties.
Her strangled groan brought a smile to his face. “The sight of a messy kitchen gives me hives.”
Christian chuckled. “I can’t tell if you’re joking, so for the sake of your physical health, I’ll add an exception to that rule. You canstraightenthe kitchen after using it. But nothing else.”
“I don’t know,” she deadpanned. “I’ve seen the state of your laundry hamper.”
“Don’t touch my laundry, Hal,” he barked, more sternly than he’d intended.
