“Nah, most of them are busy working.They don’t have time to hang out at a bar.”
“So… Should I go door to door and knock until I find one?”
“Absolutely not.”I chuckle at the thought.“You’ll come face to face with a lot of angry wives and girlfriends.”
“You’re making me depressed, Schmidt.”My last name tumbles out of her mouth and I instantly realize she’s never called me Schmidt.She calls me Jamie and I like it a lot better.
“Don’t call me Schmidt,” I whisper, shaking my head.
“I thought you only went by Schmidt.I remember Wheeler making a comment about how most of the starting lineup goes by their last names.He said Wyatt, Leo, and Cord were the exceptions.And then he made the comment on Saturday night…”
“I do… but I don’t want you calling me that.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know.It sounds wrong when you say it.I like you calling me Jamie.”
“Why don’t you let anyone else call you Jamie?”
“After Ellie died, I didn’t want anyone to call me Jamie.It hurt too much to hear, so I forced everyone to call me Schmidt and corrected them if they called me Jamie.I introduced myself as Schmidt and people quickly only called me by my last name.I think Martha was the only person who still called me by my first name.”
“And since she told Karen about the job, I met you as Jamie.”She nods her head like it’s all clicking into place.“Doesn’t it hurt when I call you Jamie?”
“Nah, somehow when you’re here, my soul feels more at peace and having you call me Jamie helps me even more.”
Before I can stop myself, I reach out and toy with the ends of her hairs.A soft smile spreads across Winnie’s lips when she realizes what I'm doing.She doesn’t stop me or ask me what I'm doing, so I keep going.
“I'm glad.Living here has been different.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know.I feel more relaxed.Do you know I haven’t let anyone see me without makeup on since I was in middle school?I’d wake up and do my makeup before I even left my room.I'm not sure if my parents have even seen my natural face in over a decade.”
“That’s crazy.You don’t need it.”I move my hand from her hair and cup her cheek again.I stroke my thumb back and forth along her smooth skin.“You’re gorgeous, Win, just the way you are.”
Right as I feel myself leaning in to kiss her, Tali cries through the baby monitor.I pull back and stare into Winnie’s eyes.She wanted me to kiss her just as much as I wanted to.I didn’t plan on kissing her.I didn’t even realize I was leaning in until it was almost too late.
“I’ll be right back.”
I disappear down the hallway and scoop Tali out of her crib before setting her on the changing table.I'm sure she needs a new diaper and this will give me some time to calm down.I need to get my head on straight and figure out what’s going on between us.I need to decide what I’ll let happen and how much I can resist her.
Chapter 14
Winnie
“WhatamIgoingto do, pretty girl?”Jamie murmurs through the baby monitor in Tali’s room.
My brows furrow as I wonder what he’s talking about.He can't be talking about me.He knows I can hear everything he’s saying… Right?
“Yeah, Daddy’s seconds away from making a move that might not be smart.”
Tali blabs back to him.She doesn’t care if you can understand her or not.She just likes to talk.
“Doesn’t that sound a little cliché?The single dad falling for his nanny?”
“Da-Da fall?”Tali questions, making me chuckle.“Da-Da hurt?”
“Nah, I'm not hurt, Tali Girl.But Daddy needs to figure this out before someone does get hurt.She needs time… I think.She’s getting out of a relationship… Right?Why does this have to be so difficult?”
