Page 19 of Forbidden Kisses

"Sure we can."

I was wearing a black bikini, which I wasn't entirely sure was appropriate for a nanny job. It wasn't what I'd call super sexy, but a one-piece would probably have been better. But right now, I wasn't in a position to splurge on a bathing suit that I was only going to use for a few months, so this one would have to do.

Jeremy and I got out of the pool and sat on two lounge chairs I’d carefully set up under the shade of one of the palm trees. I preferred natural shade to umbrellas, if possible.

I'd made brownies with him earlier, and he grinned as I took the lid off the Tupperware. He reached for one and shoved it into his mouth.

"Don't swallow it whole."

"So good," he said while chewing on it. His little face was too adorable. I snapped a picture of him with my phone. Then I ate one, too, closing my eyes and savoring it.

It was truly delicious.

We each took another one, and then I opened the bottle I’d filled with a mix of apple juice and ginger ale and poured it into glasses for each of us.

He gulped it down and then said, "I'm feeling much better after the break. Can I go back on the slide?"

I laughed. "Let's wait twenty minutes, okay? You just ate. I don't want you to hurt your tummy."

He pouted. "Okay."

"What did you and your dad do over the weekend?" I asked him.

"We were at the pool. He taught me how to swim butterfly. Do you want to see?" He straightened up again.

"Twenty minutes, remember?"

He went back to pouting.

"Do you want to tell me another one of Spider-Man's adventures while we wait?" I asked.

"Yes!"

His eyes lit up as he began to rattle on about Mary Jane and Spider-Man. I used this trick a lot because he always lost himself in stories about Spider-Man and didn't notice time passing.

Jeremy was retelling me how Peter Parker got bitten by a radioactive spider when he suddenly jumped up from the lounge chair.

"Dad," he exclaimed.

My breath caught. I turned around and saw Duncan walking toward us from the building.

I instantly felt self-conscious. It was only four o'clock. He never came home this early. I wanted to throw something over my bikini, but I couldn’t put on my dress because I was still wet.Crap.

"Hi, Duncan," I said. My voice was ridiculously high-pitched. "Did you text me that you were coming home earlier? I didn't check my phone."

"No, it was a spontaneous decision. I have another call later on, but I can do that from my office upstairs. What were you two up to?”

“Riley is an amazing listener,” Jeremy cut in. “She already knows all about Spider-Man.”

Duncan looked at me sympathetically.

"I don't mind," I assured him.

"Dad, you want to come in the pool with us? You can show me the butterfly stroke again."

“I’d like to, bud, but I've got another call in forty minutes."

"That's a long time."