Page 58 of Nine Week Nanny

"About time!" I answer, then spot Micah and his mom standing at the front door, waving. "I can't talk yet, hang tight. I'll call you back in five."

Maris's tone is warm but clipped. "You've got exactly thirty minutes for my break, then I'm back to rounds until two. So call me back!"

"Promise I'll be quick." I hang up and hop out to help Lennon with his things.

Micah bounds down the front steps, his blonde hair bouncing with each step. "Lennon! I got a new dinosaur puzzle. It glows in the dark!"

Lennon's entire face lights up as he scrambles out of his seat.

“Morning, Sloane.” Micah’s mom, Angela, waves from the doorway, balancing a baby on one hip. She’s in Birkenstocks, a long skirt swishing around her legs, and a white tank top smudged with something that looks like oatmeal. Her hair’s pulled back in a short ponytail, and somehow she still looks like the woman who can do it all.

“Hey, you. Thank you so much for inviting Lennon over. He’s been practically vibrating with excitement since yesterday.”

"We're so excited to have him over."

I guide Lennon toward the door, his backpack slung over my shoulder. “He should be all set when y’all head to Seabreeze. He’s got his water and a snack in his backpack.”

While the boys rush inside, already deep in conversation about glow-in-the-dark dinosaurs, I set the bookbag down on the front stoop.

“Nanny extraordinaire.”

“Not quite. I’m learning as I go. This is so good for him. I can't even tell you how much it means," I admit, nodding toward Lennon's retreating form.

Angela squeezes my arm. "Of course. It's good for Micah, too. My husband will drop them at Seabreeze in an hour and a half."

"I want to set up a time for us to chat about the homeschooling schedule you use, too. I plan to start doing that with Lennon next week, and I'd love to pick your brain. This is new territory for me, too.”

"Happy to share. And we can set up homeschool field trips with the boys to museums and parks. Micah will love it."

“Fantastic. Thanks again, Angela.”

The Florida heat slaps me as I walk back to the SUV. I dig out my phone before I reach the car, already dialing. Maris picks up on the second ring.

“Finally,” she says, slightly breathlessly answering my call. In the background, I hear a muffled announcement over a loudspeaker. “I’ve only got a few minutes. What’s going on?”

“I know. I’m sorry. I’ve been dying to talk to you. Pope took Lennon for a walk this morning on the beach, so I needed to get you while they were gone.”

I turn the AC up a notch.

“Pope took Lennon on a walk? By himself? My, how things have progressed so quickly. Mr. Aloof is now the half-brother of the year.”

"Yep. And that's not all that's changed."

“Oh, really?”

“Nothing happened. Yet, anyway. But, there's some definite sexual tension going on between us, and I don't know how to handle it.”

She is quiet for a beat. “I'm going to need more details here, sister.”

“Lennon cried in the night, so I went in to comfort him. When I came out of his room to walk back to mine, Pope and I brushed by each other."

"Okay, that isn't sex. You're safe."

I smirk, pressing further as I buckle my seatbelt. "He didn't have his shirt on and I nearly drooled on him as we both paused for a few seconds. His carved chest. The veins. I forgot how ridiculously sexy he is."

Maris actually sputters, and I laugh so hard I have to cover my mouth. But she pulls herself together, her reserved tone snapping back. "Do not sleep with this man again, Sloane. You can't."

"I won't," I promise, but my voice falters, and I'm wondering if I'm strong enough to hold that line if he pushes it. "It's just, he's somehow gotten hotter. Responsible, protective, all of it on top of his ridiculous body. He's doing all of this for Lennon, shielding him, caring for him. Not to mention, we have that history."