Page 4 of Nanny for the Bodyguard

And that includes both of the women standing in front of me. I’m not cut out to raise Jade, and I wasn’t the man Hazel needed.

I just left Hazel, and now I’m staring at the consequences of my actions and unable to just get the hell out of here.

Why am I even here? How did I think a fucking ice cream was going to fix all this. I knew I was never meant to be a father. Hell, I’ve been adamant about not having children since I was eighteen.

And now all this? I can’t just give in to Jade every time. It’s her fault that she dropped the ice cream.

Shit, that sounds terrible. Fucking hell, what’s wrong with me.

“Hold on.”

And then Hazel leaves us, walking up to the counter at the back of the shop.

TWO

Hazel

The frigid, wet fabric of my shirt is sticky as I wait in line behind another customer. I can feel Easton’s eyes on my back, and I tap my foot on the tile floor.

Easton. It’s fucking Easton Hawke.

I knew there was a chance of running into him by coming back to Red Lodge. I knew he still lived here before I moved.

But I really didn’t think I’d run into him after only a week, and everything about this is so different from what I expected.

He’s caring for his niece now. His sister died. He’s running his own company. Easton has certainly been up to a lot.

It’s not that, Hazel. You know it’s not that.

Sighing to myself, I try to force the thoughts away, a chill working through me when the air overhead blows across my wet shirt.

It’s not working.

Easton just opened up about a lot. I could tell it all just erupted out of him, and even after everything that happened, my first instinct was to help.

But I can’t do that. I have my own life, and there’s no guarantee that Easton won’t up and leave again.

We weren’t even together that long. I have no reason to be this upset, and yet…

The woman in front of me steps off to the side, and I scoot up to the counter.

“Hi, how can I help you?”

I manage a smile as the employee behind the counter glances down at my shirt. “A chocolate ice cream cone and a medium vanilla latte. Hot. Please.”

It’s eighty-seven degrees outside, and I’m still ordering a hot latte, so the guy eyes me. Holding the smile in place, I wait for him to offer the total and then tap to pay with my phone.

Yeah, yeah. I know. It’s too hot for a hot drink.

But I work inside all day, and I prefer hot over cold.

After paying, I step to the side and wait for my order. My order that I’m buying for Jade, Easton’s niece.

I vaguely remember him mentioning her during our relationship.

We’d dated through my junior year of college and into the summer, but then he needed to go back to the military.

Easton said he’d come back as soon as he was able. That was seven years ago.