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“She does. Why do you ask, are you thinking about going there?”
He shrugs non-committedly.“My dad wants us looking at all the Ivy’s.”
“Is that what you want?”
“I’m ten. I don’t know what I want yet.”
“With the intelligence of what…a sixteen-year-old?” He shrugs again and I narrow my eyes at him. “Okay, boy genius.”
“You didn’t answer my last question.”
“Do you think that’s your business?” I ask while raising an eyebrow.
“Ummm, yes? Especially if he shows up here to take you out or something. That would be a problem for my uncle who wants to ask you out,” he says before taking another bite of ice cream.
I blink at him in surprise. “Did he put you up to this? Because you have no chill.”
“No, but I’m sure he’ll be curious.”
“Well, I am currently unattached,” I tell him. “It’s hard when I’m nannying anyway. Doyouhave a girlfriend? Or are girls still gross?”
“Not gross. There is a girl…in my class.”
“Oh?”
“She’s cool,” he says while not meeting my gaze and I resist the urge to giggle at his flamed cheeks.
“Is she the reason you’re acting out at school? Forherattention?”
“Don’t shrink me,” he scoffs.
“Don’t avoid the question.”
The sound of the garage door opening stops our conversation and just before we hear the door open, Sawyer shakes his head at me as if to say not to say anything in front of his dad.
“This conversation is not over,” I say as I point at him and he rolls his eyes dramatically.
“I’m sorry I’m so late,” Rowan says as he makes his way through the door carrying a stack of files under his arm that he did not leave with.
“Isla’s pissed,” SJ says through another bite of ice cream and I frown at him just in time for Rowan to respond.
“Don’t say ‘pissed.’”
“Well, she is!” He slides the bowl across the counter to me and I look at it and then back at him and then back at the bowl before raising an eyebrow at him. He sighs, reading my look before getting up and grabbing the bowl to rinse it himself.
“She was fine. We read a few books and she went down easily. No tears.” I smile at Rowan. “But you probably do need to make it up to her tomorrow.”
He nods and makes his way around the island in the center of the massive kitchen to open the refrigerator. “Thank you and thank you for staying.” He pulls his eyes away from the Tupperware and looks at me in question. “You cooked?”
“Yeah, and it was great,” Sawyer chimes in from the sink before he puts his dish in the dishwasher. “She said she’s going to make tacos next week.”
Rowan looks at me.“So, you’ve learned the way to my kids’ hearts is through their stomachs then?” He looks impressed.
“I am not that easy,” Sawyer says before he heads out of the kitchen. “I’m going to my room. Night, Dad. Night, Elles,” he says and I smile at the nickname he’s already created for me.
“I’ll be up in a bit to say goodnight,” Rowan calls after him.
After a few moments, Rowan peeks his head out of the kitchen toward the stairs, presumably to make sure Sawyer isn’t within earshot. “How did it go?”