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I lowered my voice, Alice still sleeping soundly on the couch. “Well, you trusted me with your child. Which seems like terrible parenting in my book.”
Beck's face softened as he spotted his daughter. “Did she give you any trouble?”
I shrugged. “Broke a vase, but she helped clean it up. Otherwise she was good, minus the fact she spent the afternoon with a perfect stranger. She was much easier to spend time with than her dad.” I gave him a pointed look.
“You're not a stranger.” Then a deep v formed between his brows, and he did a little motion with his fingers. “Let's rewind. What do you mean she broke a vase?”
Alice stirred. Our conversation paused as our attention swayed to her.
“Daddy?” she said sleepily, rubbing her eyes.
“Yes, sweetheart. I'm here.” Beck bent down and picked up his daughter, cradling her against his chest.
It made my heart tumble, the reaction foreign to me.
Beck brushed the hair out of her face and kissed Alice's forehead. “Let's get you home.”
He carried her to the front door, turning before he made his exit. “Thanks for watching my baby.”
I nodded, unsure what to say.
Then, just as he was leaving I called out, “Don't think we won't talk about this new neighbor thing.”
He chuckled softly, his good-natured laugh ringing like bells in my ears. “I expect nothing less.”
* * *
Beck hadn't followed up. Hadn't come over to explain why he was suddenly my new neighbor.
“The audacity!” I bellowed, filling Faith in on everything.
We were at her place in the city, and I was busy petting her dog, Willow, behind her ears. Willow usually stayed at the home upstate, but occasionally Sebastian and Faith brought her to the city for their quick twenty-four-hour visits.
Willowlovedthe city. There were so many new smells and places to explore. But the city wasn't the best place for a pup who was used to wandering around.
Faith leaned forward, hands planted firmly on the blanket around her as we faced each other on her gray sectional. “He didn’t tell you he moved next door?”
I shook my head. Faith's expression was appropriately incredulous, just as it should be.
“Nope. Just one day, out of absolutely nowhere, I go to leave my house and poof, there he is.” I snapped my fingers. “Just like that. Like a fucking genie. And then he asked me to watch his daughter.”
Faith's jaw dropped. “Wait. You watched Alice?”
“Yup,” I said, popping my ‘p.’ “The man said he had an emergency and just left his daughter with a complete stranger!”
She held up a finger. “Wait, you're the stranger in this scenario?”
“Yes! I'm an unfit guardian. And she doesn't evenknowme. And the worst part of it—she likespineapple on her pizza!”
Faith gasped in mock indignation. “Not pineapple on pizza! Sacrilege!”
I playfully pushed her arm. “Oh, shut up. You know it's questionable.”
Faith rolled her eyes. “Let the innocent seven-year-old decide what she likes and doesn't like on her pizza.”
I crossed my arms. “You're not seeing a problem with any of this?”
Faith shrugged. “Honestly, not really. So the guy you had a one-night stand with and never called you back moved in next door. NBD.”