“I thought you might be too tired,” he said. “It was a busy day.”
It had been. When Victor announced he was hosting the cookout and swim party, things had shifted into overdrive as he’d gone to the store to buy food, while Belle remained behind with Pip to organize things in the backyard. However, they both knew that wasn’t why he hadn’t invited her to join him tonight.
“Not sure sitting and relaxing with a glass of wine is tiring,” she said, claiming her usual spot, hoping to find a way to get the two of them back to normal. “Victor,” she started.
He raised his hand, stopping her. “I’m sorry, Belle.”
She frowned, hoping he wasn’t apologizing for the greatest kiss of her life again. “I told you?—”
“I don’t mean for the kiss,” he interjected. “I mean, Iamsorry for that. But this time, I’m apologizing for the past couple of days. I’ve left too much of Pip’s care to you. I just thought maybe you’d be uncomfortable spending time with me after…” Victor shrugged, letting the gesture finish his sentence.
“I’m not uncomfortable around you at all.”
He gave her a rueful grin. “I’m glad.”
“I hope you aren’t uncomfortable aroundme,” she added, praying the easy rapport they’d established hadn’t been completely wrecked.
His brows furrowed. “No, I’m not. I’m glad you came out to join me.”
She smiled. “I’ve missed our nightly chats the last couple of days.”
Belle’s heart skipped a few beats when Victor graced her with one of his all-too-rare smiles.
“Half the time, we sit here in silence, Sunshine,” he said.
She giggled, his use of her nickname proof that things were going to be fine between them. “Well, I’ve missed that too. I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but Pip tends to fill any and every room she enters with noise.”
Victor chuckled, and she tried to hide how delighted she was to hear it. Five minutes in, and she’d gotten a smile and a laugh. It was a big night.
“She gets that from her mother. Vivian was the same way as a kid. If she had a thought, everyone in a five-mile radius heard it.”
Belle nodded in agreement. “Viv hasn’t changed much. Though it’s probably safe to say Pip inherited a fair share of her chattiness from Phil too.”
Victor’s smile faded slightly, as it always did whenever Phil’s name was mentioned. He’d confided that he had loved his sister’s husband like a true brother, and Belle could tell Victor missed the man as much as Vivian did.
Hell, Belle missed him, and she hadn’t been anywhere near as close to him as Vivian and Victor. Phil had a way of lighting up a room with his positive energy and infectious laugh, both things he’d genetically passed on to his daughter.
“I’m glad you knew Phil,” Victor said after a moment. “Glad you’re able to tell Pip about him.”
It wasn’t uncommon for Pip to ask questions about her father, and at least once a week, she pulled out the small photo album Vivian had given to her for Christmas this year, flipping through the pages to look at pictures of him.
“I’m glad I knew him too. He was an amazing person. He changed my life when he offered me the nanny job. I can’t even begin to imagine where I’d be right now if he hadn’t. Probably working long-ass days for minimum wage with no hope of escape.”
“You’re a smart woman. You would have found a way to improve your future even without Phil’s help.”
She smiled at him, so touched by the compliment, her throat closed.
He acknowledged her appreciative look, then took a drink of his beer before turning his attention away, glancing toward the pool.
She followed suit, sipping her wine, looking across the yard without really focusing on anything.
For two days, she’d obsessed over Victor’s kiss, wishing it hadn’t ended the way it had. Originally, she hoped he’d been driven to it by jealousy. She was the queen of wishful thinking, after all. But she could see now, it was just as he’d said. A lapse in judgment driven by the fact they’d been living in close quarters and essentially co-parenting.
Their relationship had always been one of not-quite-friends but more-than-acquaintances. That had changed this summer, the two of them making the leap to a genuine friendship.
She loved that as much as she hated it. Because getting to know Victor better and spending so much time with him was only making this ill-fated attraction of hers more powerful.
Belle had become accustomed to them sitting in quiet companionship, their conversations typically brief between longer periods of self-reflection. So, she was surprised when Victor broke the silence.
