Leo takes the used one from me and puts it in the trash before heading in the direction of Bennett and Sam, where I know he’s about to get quizzed on what his new nanny is like.
“Thanks, and Mae invited me.” Flo gives a half-shrug.
Clearing my throat, I shake my head and chuckle at seeing my son attempt to climb Bennett like a tree. And like the guy Bennett is, he lets him.
“Big turnout.” Flo nods to the crowd of people, who I’ve been politely mingling with. Not that I’ll remember any of their names.
I hum in response, needing to do something with my hands, so I scoop up the first thing I see, fudge, and bite into it. The overpowering sweetness explodes on my tongue, and I do my best not to cringe, having no desire to go in for a second bite.
“Gracie seems to be happy over there for a vegetarian.”
My eyes find my sister loading a plate full of sausages, handing it to Cam, Mae’s brother and the team’s physiotherapist. For someone who doesn’t eat meat, she sure does enjoy cooking it.
I hum at the same moment Flo pops a brow at me.
“Do you avoid conversation with everyone, or is it just me?” A slight chuckle sounds from her throat. “You don’t have to be so weird around me, you know? I’m not here to jump your bones like your other nannies.”
“I’m not acting weird.”
Hearing the wordsjump your bonesslipping from her mouth causes my stomach to knot up, but I swallow hard, ridding myself of any thoughts that go beyond her being Leo’s nanny, possibly for the summer, if she doesn’t fuck this up.
She’s too fucking attractive for her own good, but none of that shit matters because this is temporary. Deep down, I’m a gentleman and always treat women with respect, so finding it difficult to stop ogling her is fucking me up.
I realise I don’t even know if Flo is single, and I feel like even more of a dick for thinking the things I have about her when she could possibly be loved up.
“Your friends are staring at us.”
My eyes follow Flo’s, and I harden my stare when Bennett waves at us and Sam mouthsGive her my number, causing Flo to snort.
“Ignore them. Sam’s an idiot.”
“It’s fine, I’ll just tell him that my six-foot-eight, wrestler boyfriend will be paying him a visit.”
That gains my undivided attention. Six foot eight. Wrestler. Shit. I shouldn’t have looked at her the way I did. It was disrespectful, especially since she’s taken.
But even if she weren’t in a relationship, I would never cross that boundary with this wildcard of a woman.
She’s too young for me. Too free. And I’m stuck in place, pinned down with a strict routine and a boat-load of responsibilities.
“Don’t look so disappointed, West. I’m kidding. There’s no six-foot-eight, wrestler boyfriend.” Laughter rings out from Flo, and she shakes her head.
“I’m not disappointed.” I take a breath because hearing that she’s single suddenly makes my lungs expand withwhat could be… relief? So fucking stupid. “Did you get the schedule my coach sent you?”
“I did. Do you really practise almost every day?”
“I’m given an extra day off because of Leo, but yes, this season is going to be gruelling. Leo will need a lot of attention.”
This is it. The moment she’s going to tell me she wasn’t expecting the workload to be this much, and that she appreciates the offer, but she’s going to decline being Leo’s nanny. However, to my surprise, all Flo does is smile.
“That’s fine with me.”
I’m surprised, taken off guard.
“Okay, well, I’m around most evenings, so you’ll get them to yourself. I’m sure you have plenty of things to do.”
“Hmm, not really, I see Mae a couple of times a week, and visit my Mom, too. But other than that, I’m looking forward to a pretty quiet summer. Besides the—”
“If you say ziplining, I’m going to walk away from this conversation.”
