Still, I couldn’t promise anything. “Tell you what, kiddo,” I said softly. “How about I talk to your dad tomorrow, okay? We’ll see what he thinks.”
She hesitated, eyes flickering with doubt. “You won’t forget?”
“Never,” I said. “You’re unforgettable. Plus, we gotta turn that frown upside down.”
That got a faint smile out of her. She hiccuped, wiping her cheeks. “You sound like Daddy. He says that when I get sad.”
I smiled. “He sounds like a nice daddy.”
“Sometimes.”
I laughed. “Go get some sleep, you little rebel.”
“Okay,” she said reluctantly, sliding off her bed. “You promise you’ll call tomorrow?”
“Promise.”
She gave the camera a little wave, and the call ended with a click that left my apartment feeling too still again.
I sat there, staring at my reflection in the black screen, processing the whirlwind that had just hit me.
A six-year-old had just asked me to be her live-in nanny for three weeks.
I set the phone down and leaned back into the couch, staring up at the ceiling.
He’d told Harper that work wasn’t always predictable. That sometimes grown-ups had to do things they didn’t want to.
And now, apparently, he was being asked to leave again, something I knew would tear both of them apart.
I rubbed at my temples.
Could I really stay with her? Even temporarily? Surely, there were countless considerations—work schedules, logistics, and permissions. Technically, my schedule was lighter this month. A few court hearings had been postponed, and I’d taken on fewer clients after the summer caseload nearly burned me out. Perhaps I could negotiate work-from-home days to manage both duties effectively. I’d been telling myself I’d use the downtime torest,maybe even read something that didn’t involve legal precedent.
But the truth was, rest never came easily for me. Cami had called me out on it just last week at her house.You’re functional, not fine,she’d said.You don’t know how to stop moving. And coming from her, that said a lot.
And maybe she was right. Even now, when I should have been relaxing, my mind raced through logistics instead of letting me breathe.
Harper needed someone. Logan didn’t have family nearby. I had the time, but it wasn’t that simple.
He might notwantme there. From the time I’d spent with Logan, it was clear he liked structure and the monotony of strict routines. That was not me. Plus, I didn’t want to overstep. It would be easy to blur lines, to mistake kindness for closeness, proximity for something deeper.
I exhaled, letting my head fall back against the couch. I was overthinking all of it. That was what I did best.
So, I picked up my phone, and I hovered over the keyboard, unsure what to say. “I just talked to Harper”felt too forward. “She’s heartbroken” felt too heavy.
Finally, I typed,
Me:Hey. I just got a call from a certain
someone with bright green eyes
and a big heart. You okay?
There was no immediate reply, but it was late. He was probably still with her, sitting by her bed in the dark, the way parents do when guilt outweighs exhaustion, waiting for her breathing to even out before allowing himself to move. I let the phone drop to my lap and stared out the window, the rain having stopped just long enough to leave the streetlights smeared and hazy against the glass. Everything felt calmer than it should, as if the world had softened while something in me stayed raw.
I couldn’t shake the image of Harper’s face—tear-streaked, small, looking at me like I was something solid she could cling to.Daddy likes you,she’d said, her voice soft but sure, as if it meant more than I was prepared to grasp. I didn’t knowwhat she intended. Maybe it was simple. Maybe I was just safe, familiar, someone who showed up. But the way it settled in my chest told me I couldn’t dismiss it so easily.
Because I’d seen it too.
