Page 17 of She's the Star

An awkward silence descends.

It’s like we’re back in the parking lot—there are a million things I want to say, but none of them come out of my mouth. What is it about him that makes me so tongue-tied?

Maybe it’s his easy demeanor. Or his obvious competence with children. Or the way his eyes crinkle when his dimple starts to appear on his left cheek.

I lose track of my goal as I stare at him. His eye color is clear now that the sun isn’t attempting to interfere—they’re light brown with flecks of green, just like I thought. A sound from the pool startles me back to reality, and I realize I still haven’t tried to convince him to work for me.

I open my mouth, and words start spewing out. “Mina probably told you that this is a kickoff—a pre-celebration for the tour. I can introduce you to everyone at some point, but for now, I thought it might be helpful for you to see what it’s like on the road. We’ve been preparing for weeks, but we haven’t been together as a group in well over a year so it’s a bit crazy.” I bite my lip. “Honestly, this is pretty much how it is on the road, too. Crazy, I mean.”

If he hates crowds and chaos, it’d be best if he says so now.

“It’s nice that you all get along. I doubt that’s always the case.”

What does that mean? Did he expect me to be difficult? Does he think I’m a diva?

“Maddy likes you,” I blurt, leaving my tentative rambling in the dust. “Tours are grueling, and I need her to be happy. What will it take for you to agree to join us?”

His brows draw together, and he blinks. “You don’t even know me.”

Technically, he’s right, but I know what I need to know in order to offer him this job.

“You have a master’s degree in early childhood education. You’re a licensed childcare professional. You correctly identified why Maddy was crying and got her to stop almost immediately. And then…when you realized who I was, you treated me like a person, not a celebrity.” He probably has no idea how important that is to me.

His lips turn up. “Full disclosure: I knew who you were before I stopped.”

“All that tells me is you could have pulled out your phone, recorded my temper tantrum, and sold the footage to the highest bidder. Video like that could make you a fortune.”

He rears back against the arm of the couch. “I would never.”

“Exactly. That’s why I know I can trust you.” It’s probably foolish for me to trust someone so quickly, but my instincts are solid. The only person I’ve ever trusted who I shouldn’t have was Teddy, and since I was in love with him, I try not to blame myself too much.

Maddy starts to fuss now that all that’s left of her wafer is sticky mush on her fingers. Fortunately, I’ve already figured out that she hates having dirty fingers, so I don’t have to rely on Nolan to decipher her tears. “I need to grab a wipe. Will you watch her for a second?”

I stand up before he can decline and dart across the room to the kitchen.

Mina raises her brow from where she’s leaning against the sink. “So?”

“Have you been standing here watching us the whole time?”

She shrugs. “Maybe.”

“Then you already know it isn’t going that well. I’m being…awkward, and he hasn’t said yes. Or no. I need to get a wipe so I can clean off Maddy’s hands.” I bite my lip. “I think I might have miscalculated when I decided to invite him to a party.”

“Because he doesn’t like parties?”

“Maybe. I don’t know.” Because he might not like me. “Do you think I should play up the Maddy angle more? He seems to like kids, right?”

It isn’t ideal to rely on my daughter to convince him, but if that’s what it takes, I’ll do it. Mina looks behind me, presses her lips together, and shakes her head. “I’m not sure that’ll help. Your plans may be backfiring in more ways than one.” She gestures behind me.

I spin around and—oh, no.

Maddy has her grubby, mush-covered hand on Nolan’s cheek. He’s the one who put his face close enough, but sticky baby fingers are not going to encourage him to become her nanny. The way those wafers turn to paste makes my skin crawl. I grab the wipes and rush across the room. “I’m so sorry. I got distracted.”

“It’s no problem,” he responds as I lean over him and concentrate on wiping Maddy’s fingers one at a time. When her hand is clean, I take a fresh wipe and use it on Nolan’s cheek.

I’m so close I can see his individual eyelashes, and it doesn’t occur to me that I’m stroking his smoothly shaven skin until Bruno, who does my hair, shouts from across the room, “I’m pretty sure his cheek is clean.”

I stumble backward, almost landing on my ass, before I catch my balance. “Maddy coated him in wafer—I was just trying to get it off,” I retort a touch too defensively.

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