Page 28 of Surrendering His Heart (Buena Hills #4)

“Is that Christian?” McKenzie asked, peering over Hallie’s shoulder at the laptop on their kitchen’s center island.

Hallie jumped. Perhaps she should’ve picked a more discreet place for her deep dive into Christian’s dancing career via YouTube. She peeled her eyes from the video of three couples in the middle of a lively jive playing on the screen. How long had her roommate been standing there?

“Yeah,” she said as McKenzie slid onto a stool next to her and turned the screen enough to see.

What had started as a mere curiosity about Christian’s time on the ballroom team in college had turned into a week-long obsession to find every YouTube video available of him dancing.

Obsession is such a strong word. Hallie checked the clock above the web browser. Two hours?! Today’s indulgence had lasted longer than the rest.

Maybe obsession was a more accurate term than she thought. This curiosity had derailed her entire afternoon. And turned her into a stalker.

Yet she couldn’t stop herself from starting just one more video, this one a dance with only men from what appeared to be a show on campus.

Hello, shirtless Christian. Nice to meet you. Hallie groaned inwardly. Stop ogling him. He’s not a cupcake.

But she still had to use an exorbitant amount of willpower not to fan her face.

He was, for lack of a better word, incredible. His dancing, not his abs, though those were nothing to scoff at either. Other descriptors could include graceful yet masculine. Powerful yet gentle. This younger version of Christian made the perfect leading man.

“I didn’t know he was a dancer,” McKenzie said after several moments of silently watching.

At least she didn’t comment on Hallie’s obvious loss of sanity. If Beej had been the one to discover Hallie stalking old YouTube videos of the guy, she would’ve gone crazy over a potential love match. Kendall would’ve rolled her eyes. But McKenzie was more subtle.

Thank goodness.

“I didn’t know either.” Hallie started another video.

This is absolutely the last one. It was her favorite because it featured only one couple. She’d watched it four times already, but after exhausting all the content she could find, what else could she do?

Besides turn it off altogether, because she’d already proved she didn’t have the control to do that.

Christian and his partner—a shockingly beautiful woman named Sabrina Abbott, according to the caption—began an Argentine Tango that was both elegant and sensual. Their obvious chemistry came through in the dance, and Hallie, as much as she loved it, felt an uncomfortable twinge near her navel.

You’re being ridiculous. This obsession wasn’t healthy.

McKenzie leaned forward, resting her chin on top of her forearms. “He’s good. Too bad we didn’t know him while I was still competing. I could’ve used his help with my floor routine. I hated the dancing elements.”

Hallie’s phone buzzed on the countertop between them, interrupting any response she could’ve made. McKenzie glanced at it as Christian: My Favorite Client scrolled across the screen.

A glimmer of mischief twinkled in her blue eyes. “Speak of the devil.” She waggled her ginger brows.

Hallie snapped the laptop closed. Face burning, she waved her arms over the computer. “This never happened.”

“My lips are sealed.” From McKenzie, that promise was like making a blood oath .

Hallie snatched her phone off the counter and rushed from the kitchen, answering the call only when she’d reached the entryway.

“Hello?” She tried to keep her breath steady as she jogged up to her room.

“Hey,” Christian grunted. “Sorry to interrupt. You busy?”

Not unless you count cyberstalking you for the last two and a half hours.

“Nope. What’s up?”

He exhaled deeply, and Hallie’s stomach twisted with dread. She closed her door before dropping onto her bed.

“Everything okay?” she asked.

Christian puffed out another breath. “Actually, not really. My boss set up this mandatory but totally unnecessary meeting for this afternoon. I don’t know what to do with my kids. My sister usually watches them but she’s taking a test.”

Where was he going with this?

“Tyler is working Downtown today, and my mom’s on a cruise.

The girls’ nanny moved, and I haven’t found another one.

There’s no one else to take them. I know this is probably crossing so many boundaries—and I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t desperate—but your brother said I could trust you, so … would you be able to watch them?”

He wanted her to stay with his girls?

Alone?

Wait, her brother said that? Oh boy, I’m going to hear about this later .

Christian trusted her—the girl who, at fourteen, had let a kid ride his big wheel off the deck—to take care of his precious children? Her, the one who’d spent her teenage years hustling for tips as a waitress in Mom’s café instead of building up her babysitting skills?

The queasiness turning her stomach thickened. Sure, she’d grown more comfortable around the girls lately. She didn’t feel so out of her element, and even Isla seemed okay with her around. But…

“I don’t know, Christian,” she said. “I’ve never watched them alone before. I’m not sure it’s such a good idea. ”

“Please, Hallie?” The distress in his voice cut straight through her heart. “I’ve exhausted all other options. I’ll pay. Whatever you want.”

“You can’t afford me.” Wow, that attempt at a joke sounded arrogant. So much for lightening the mood.

He pushed out a breathy laugh. “It would be worth it. I’m that desperate.”

No kidding.

And she could use the money that came from watching the girls. It wouldn’t solve her need of finding more clients, but every little bit helped.

Her shoulders sagged. “What time should I pick them up?”

He exhaled again, the relief coming through the line. “Isla’s school gets out at three-thirty, but she’s been going to Kid Care the last few weeks, which ends at five. You can pick up Penelope any time after four.”

He explained the pickup process, promising to text her the addresses of the girls’ schools, and reminded her to bring her ID.

“I’ll call the schools to put you on the pickup list,” he continued. “Thank you so much, Hallie. You’re an angel.”

Angel? No one had ever called her that. And coming from him made the flutter in her stomach transfer to her heart.

“What about car seats?” Sticking with the conversation kept her from analyzing the nickname too much. Or her body’s reaction to it.

“There’s an extra set in the garage. The high-backed booster is for Isla, and Penelope’s is the five-point harness. You should be able to clip both into the anchors in your backseat.”

“I know how to do it. I’ve installed Will’s before.”

“Great.” She could feel his weight lifting through the phone. “I’ll text you the code to the garage and the front door. And there’s one more thing.”

“What’s that?”

Christian’s silence triggered Hallie’s lingering uncertainty. It felt like he was about to drop a major bomb.

“Isla struggles with separation anxiety,” he finally said. “It’s gotten a lot better, but she’s hit a bit of a relapse since her nanny left. I know she won’t be happy with the change of plans.”

“Oh.” Nausea rippled in Hallie’s stomach. “How can I help her?”

Christian considered that for a moment. “When I call her school, I’ll ask to talk to her directly.

They’re pretty good at allowing that, given her condition.

So, she won’t be blindsided when you show up.

Also, if she’s having a hard time, you can remind her of our heart promise.

She’ll know what that means. It’s this little heart on her thumb. ”

Hallie remembered the matching icon on his hand the day he came over to help with her website. What she’d thought had been a token from a flirty girlfriend had been a sweet way of helping his daughter. How adorable.

“And she likes to chill in my bed sometimes too,” he continued. “I guess the pillows smell like me. It comforts her.”

That made sense. “Heart promise. Pillows. Got it.”

“I’ll call once I’m done, so you know I’m coming home. And if you need anything, please text me. Thank you. You’re a lifesaver.”

Hallie swallowed. “Of course. Don’t worry about us. We’ll be fine.”

If only she believed that.

Beads of sweat slid between Hallie’s shoulder blades as she wrestled Isla’s booster seat into the back of her car. She’d attached the first strap to the anchor easily. The second? Not so much.

“Come on,” she groaned, twisting herself into an unnatural angle to push the seat’s claw against the metal anchor. “Go in!”

Installing Will’s infant seat was a lot simpler than this monstrosity. Then again, her nephew’s Graco had two parts, allowing the carrier to be removed during installation. Dealing with the lighter weight made manipulating the base into place much more manageable.

Hallie let out a long grunt and thrust the claw into the space between the two sections of the back seat. The most beautiful sound in the world filled the car: the thwack of the buckle clicking into place.

“Success!” She moved her arms in the only celebration dance possible while crammed into the tight space. “You’re no match for me!”

“Do you need help?” a woman’s voice asked, followed by a series of high-pitched yipping.

Hallie stopped her celebration, warmth rising up her back that had nothing to do with the unexpected workout.

Backing out of the car, she poked her head around the door, meeting the curious eyes of a woman in tight leggings and a long-sleeve athletic tee.

Her brightly lipsticked mouth twitched in amusement while she ignored the four yorkies straining at their leashes.

Hallie couldn’t ignore them, though. Did everyone in this neighborhood have dogs?

Her chest tightened. Christian’s was waiting to terrorize her when she returned with the girls. She’d been so focused on listening to his instructions on how to help Isla that she’d forgotten all about that major complication.

She kept the open door between herself and the dogs. “I was trying to install these car seats. But I got it. Thanks.”

Hallie turned to open the driver’s side door, willing the woman to leave so she could be on her way. It was already after four, and she wasn’t sure how long it would take the schools to verify her identity and release the girls to her care.

“I’m Carrie, by the way. Carrie Pritchard. I live in that house over there.” She made a grand show of pointing to the immaculate mansion two doors down—the only home on the street free of at least some Halloween decorations.

“Hallie. Nice to meet you.”

“Are you the girls’ new nanny? I haven’t seen you around here before.”

Hallie almost laughed at the idea of her being a nanny to anyone. “ Uh, no. I’m just a … friend. Christian is stuck at work, so I told him I’d watch the girls until he got home.”

One of the dogs had broken through Carrie’s hold, lengthening its leash enough to meander around the wall of Hallie’s temporary sanctuary. She sidestepped his attentions.

Carrie pulled on the leash to get the dog back in line. “Well, you can’t blame me for making that mistake. Christian likes to hire the young nannies. The last one was barely out of high school. And gorgeous, if you know what I mean.” She wiggled her dark brows.

Something about this woman rubbed Hallie the wrong way. The easy way she gossiped about Christian, and her implication of inappropriate relations with his former employee sent an icky sensation skittering across Hallie’s skin.

“I think she left because of a broken heart.” Carrie gave a smug shrug. “Not that I blame her. I wouldn’t stick around either, given the state of his kids.”

“Excuse me?”

“I thought you’d know, being his friend and all.” Carrie gave an exaggerated wink as though she knew exactly what was going on between Hallie and Christian.

How can you when I don’t even know?

Carrie continued in a conversational tone. “Well, if you’re not aware, I guess it’s my obligation to warn you before you get in too deep. You know—” she leaned in closer to Hallie, dropping her voice to a whisper “—woman to woman. That family has problems.”

Hallie’s defenses elevated.

“Penelope is a doll, of course,” Carrie continued. “So sweet, like my Sammy. But Isla has some real psychological issues that need serious intervention. I heard she lashed out at a woman last week. Full on assaulted her.”

Hallie’s guard took an even larger spike, turning into a full-blown case of indignation. Assuming she wasn’t mistaken, she was the woman Carrie referred to. How dare she spread gossip about a situation she knew nothing about?

Assault? Please .

“The worst part is, her dad enables her. Just the other day, I spoke to him as a concerned neighbor, and he immediately turned it onto me like it was somehow my daughter’s fault that Isla is ostracized at school.

I refuse to let my Sammy play with her anymore.

Why would I subject her to such a dangerous child? ”

Okay, Hallie really disliked this woman. Did Carrie just enjoy stirring up trouble everywhere she went? Or were her claims about Christian’s daughter valid? Perhaps the kicking incident hadn’t been the only—or worse—outburst Isla had committed. Was her behavior really as bad as Carrie made it seem?

She pushed those thoughts from her head. Sure, she didn’t know Christian very well, but Tyler did. And she trusted her brother way more than this neighborhood gossip.

“Christian is doing the best he can,” she said, refusing to listen to Carrie disparage his family any longer. “We can’t all be so perfect. Excuse me.”

Carrie’s mouth dropped open in shock seconds before Hallie slid into the driver’s seat, ending the conversation. She plugged the address to Penelope’s preschool into her phone, giving Christian’s busybody neighbor a chance to clear out of the driveway before backing out.

The woman was nothing but the worst kind of gossip—one who didn’t care about having the facts correct or not. Hallie couldn’t take anything she said with more than a grain of salt.

That didn’t stop doubt from creeping into her mind on the drive to the girls’ schools. It shrouded her already confusing feelings over Christian into darker shadows. Maybe it was wise to step back even further from this thing developing with him.

If only she’d taken her brother’s worry more seriously.