“Humor me.”
He deposits me on the massive leather sectional in the great room with surprising gentleness, then swings Ellie down from the backpack. She immediately crawls up next to me, patting my cheek with concerned little fingers.
“Pi ’kay?” she asks softly.
My heart melts. “I’m okay, sweetheart.”
Felix disappears into the kitchen and returns with a glass of water and a protein bar. “Drink. Eat. Don’t argue.”
I take the water and protein bar while Ellie snuggles into my side. Felix hovers like he’s not sure what to do with his hands now that he’s not carrying me.
“I have a proposition,” I say, then immediately regret my word choice when his eyebrows shoot up. “Not that kind of proposition, you jacka—lope.”
“Lope, lope,” Ellie repeats in her sing-song voice.
“Jackalope?” Felix’s wide mouth curves up at one end. “That’s as good as fudge.”
“Sorry I scared thesugarout of you.” I offer up a world-class eye roll even as I’m fighting my own smile.
“Whatever. You were about to proposition me,” he says, taking a seat in the overstuffed chair next to the sofa. Ellie babbles something about butterflies, oblivious to the tension suddenly crackling between us.
I clear my throat. “I want to be your nanny.”
Felix blinks. “Come again?”
“I can stay here with you for the month, or until your house is ready.”
“What about your job?”
“Yeah, about that.” I take a quick sip of water before wiping the back of my hand across my lips. Those butterflies Ellie’s babbling about take up residence in my stomach when Felix’s intense gaze holds on my mouth. “I actually quit my job at the hospital.”
“Why?”
“I needed a break,” I say, then quickly continue, “And you need someone you can trust with Ellie who won’t end up naked in your bed.”
Felix shifts his weight as if he’s reacting to the image that popped up in his mind at my words, and I drain the rest of my water. “Suffice to say, I’d like to be somewhere that isn’t Skylark right now.”
He studies me with those impossibly blue eyes, and I can see him working through what this might mean for both of us. “What about Max? I assume you’ll want to pick him up from Sadie. I can’t believe he isn’t here?—”
“Max died a few weeks ago.” The tears come before I can stop them. Stupid hormones. “We came home from a short walk, and he laid down on his bed and then he was gone.”
“Piper...” His voice goes soft in a way that makes the tears fall faster.
I bite down on the inside of my cheek and draw in a deepbreath. “I know it’s stupid to cry about losing my old dog when you and Ellie are dealing with?—”
“It’s not stupid.” He sits forward, close enough that our knees almost touch. “Max was your boy.”
“My best boy,” I whisper. “But I didn’t deserve him.” The admission slips out before I can stop it. “I’m glad I got to be with him in the end, but I should have taken him with me when I moved after college. Bradley didn’t like dogs, and Sadie was so good with him. But I should have been a better dog mom.”
“Pi, feel bettr,” Ellie says as she swipes at my cheeks with her chubby hands. “No cry.”
I take her face in my hands and kiss her on the tip of the nose. “You’re right, Ellie Bean. No more crying.”
She grins. “Happy Pi.”
I force my gaze back to Felix and flash a tight smile, embarrassed by my display of emotion. “You know what? Forget it. This was a stupid idea. You don’t need me, and I should go back and face my life instead of hiding out.” I start to stand, but Felix catches my hand. His calloused fingers feel warm in a way that makes me want to climb into his lap and curl into his broad chest again.
I seriously need to get out of here.
