Page 37 of Penthouse Prince
“Yeah. He’s a fifth-grade teacher at my school. He asked me out right before the school year wrapped up.”
“Oh,” he says again, this time with more disappointment in his tone, maybe even a twinge of jealousy. “Um, I hope it goes well.”
“Me too,” I say firmly. And I mean it. At least, I think I do.
This teacher is cute, tall, and great with his students. No, maybe he’s not quite Lexington-level hot, and he’s never made the butterflies in my stomach flap quite the way Lex has. But he’s also never hurt me before. There’s no messy history. A clean, easy start could be just what I need.
“Daddy, look!”
Grier’s piercing squeal breaks through our awkward moment, sending both of our heads swiveling in her direction. I couldn’t tell you when or how it got there, but suddenly she’s pulling a big clump of seaweed from out of her swim diaper.
“I swear, you take your eyes off a two-year-old for one second . . .” Lex grumbles to himself as he pulls his little girl into his arms, taking the seaweed from her tiny fist and flinging it as far away as possible. “Love bug, we don’t put things in our swim diaper. Not seaweed. Not anything.”
I bite my lip, holding back laughter. Kids never fail to crack me up, especially this little munchkin. I love my first graders, but I think I’m really starting to develop a soft spot for toddlers.
As I listen to Grier’s babbling while her dad wraps her in a towel, my chest suddenly feels tight. I can’t shake the story of Grier’s mom, how she didn’t feel any connection with her or have any desire to keep her in her life.
How could anyone not want this sweet little angel? I mean, just look at her. She’s a little blond beach burrito, all snuggled up in that towel, her bright blue eyes blinking curiously at the world around her. Just being around this little girl makes my life brighter.
It’s one more reason why I can’t get mixed up with her dad. No matter how hard those butterflies in my stomach are flapping their wings, or how insanely hot his dad bod is.
Because Grier is already one of the highlights of my summer, and if things got messy with her dad, she would end up hurt. She’s already lost out on having her mother in her life. The last thing she needs is a revolving door of women coming in and out of her father’s life.14* * *LEXINGTONNormally, I fall asleep in only a few minutes, exhausted by the demands of work and toddler-herding, but tonight I stare into the darkness for what feels like hours. My head is spinning, replaying the day’s events over and over.
Corrigan’s smile, her body in that swimsuit, the land mines of our conversation about my chat with Dak, the unbearable sexual tension, how natural it felt playing with Grier together . . . and then the bomb Corrigan dropped.
A date. She’s going out on a date in less than forty-eight hours. And he’s another teacher, a teacher at her school, so they’re sure to have tons in common. Sure to get along just fucking fantastic. Bastard. Who is this asshole, anyway? I should have asked for his name so I could snoop online.
Abruptly, I sit up. What the hell am I thinking? Of course I shouldn’t have.
Get a grip. They’re going on one date; it’s not like they’re getting married. And even if they were, I sternly tell myself, she has the right to do whatever the hell she wants. I’m not her boyfriend. She doesn’t have any obligations to me. She’s a grown-ass woman, and I need to act like a grown-ass man.
He probably isn’t a single dad.
No, dammit, stop this!
I’m acting like a lunatic, and if I keep sitting alone in the dark letting all this shit rattle around my mind, I’m going to become one. I need to talk this out with someone who doesn’t have any skin in the game, unlike Mom or Dak. Someone who can commiserate with me and maybe offer some advice.
I grab my phone and open the group text with Bryce, Lesley, and Devin.
LEXINGTON: Hey, guys, is anyone still up?
Surprisingly—or maybe not, given that none of them have kids—it’s only a few minutes before Devin replies.
You forget all about your big-city friends?
I type, Sorry I’ve been AWOL for so long, a lot’s happened since I left. I actually wanted to talk about some of it.
BRYCE: Sure, what’s up?
I type out my reply. So, do you guys remember Corrigan?
It’s Lesley who responds first.
LESLEY: Your old high-school sweetheart? Yeah. Did you run into her?
I chuckle and decide to come clean. A little more than that . . . I hired her as a nanny.
DEVIN: OMG, dude, I can’t tell if you’re a genius or a moron.
