Page 32 of You've Got Male

Jesus, was he really this desperate? He looked down at his daughter, thought of the bills stacking up, the bank balance, theimpending fine, and felt dizzy. Unless he got a job ASAP, he’d have to break into Amber’s life insurance settlement and that money was for the kids’ college and wedding funds. Something that was not happening. So yes, he was that desperate.

“Five minutes with Frank. You watch Waverly and I pay you a hundred bucks. In return, I give you a free hour of my time to talk about your investment portfolio. And you know what an hour of my time is worth.”

“If it’s worth so much, why are you here?”

Because he hadn’t heard back from a single company he’d reached out to. No one wanted to take a chance on a new hire with an unexplained resume gap, especially at the stage he’d been at. Other brokers probably thought he was crazy to quit his job months before a big promotion, or thought something must have gone really downhill. He didn’t regret quitting. But trying to find a job after two years of being a stay-at-home parent was no joke. It made him really empathize with moms trying to get back into the workforce after sacrificing their careers to raise their kids.

“This is the best firm and I know if Frank gives me the chance I can prove myself and get back to handling eight-figure accounts again in six months.”

“Two hours.”

“Deal.”

“But I’m not babysitting. She has to entertain herself.”

“She is an angel, I swear.” He was going to hell for that lie. Or maybe his baby could hold on for five minutes. And maybe the Beautification Board would give him an additional six weeks.

Jonah took Waverly by her chubby little hand and his heart burst with light and love so bright it nearly blinded him for a moment. Was he really going to do this? Was he really going to hire a nanny and let someone else raise his kid while he pulled eighty-hour weeks?

Just the thought of it brought on an acute case of heartburn. Or maybe it was heartbreak. Old-fashioned heartbreak. Either way, it knocked the wind out of him.

He went down on his haunches and looked Waverly in the eyes. “Daddy is going to walk through that door for just five minutes. Until that big hand is on the five, then I will be back. And because you’ve been such a good girl, I’ll let you play Purrfect Pet Shop on my phone. And that’s Stacy. She’s going to be there if you need anything.”

“You mean if there is an emergency.”

Jonah shot Stacy a death glare. “If you needanythingbecause you’re three, and three-year-olds need adults sometimes to feel safe. And this is a safe place, right Stacy?”

Stacy rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”

Jonah was rethinking this whole thing. “You know what? Never mind.”

“I got her.” Stacy stood up and walked around the desk and sat next to Waverly. “Go. Before I change my mind.”

“You’re a lifesaver.”

“And you owe methreehours.”

Jonah didn’t have time to argue. He strolled straight into Frank’s office, never slowing down as he pushed through the door.

Frank was as big as ever, his spare tire hanging over the pleats of his slacks. The buttons held on for dear life as he swung the golf club back and swung forward with intention, sending the ball sailing into the air on the simulator. Even though it was a perfect swing, the ball veered left.

Maybe slamming open the door hadn’t been the smartest decision because Frank flung the nine iron and let out a long string of words even Ryan and his friends hadn’t learned yet.

“I told you no one was to fucking disturb me while I was fucking working.” He spun around, expecting to see Stacy, andcame to a dead stop when it was, in fact, not Stacy.

“Out!” he roared. “Get the fuck out of my fucking office. I told you to never fucking come back.”

“Actually, you told me to get back to my fucking desk and get back to fucking work,” Jonah quoted verbatim. “I’m ready to do that now, sir.”

One could never tell how Frank was going to react, so when he burst out laughing and walked over to give Jonah a hug, Jonah felt his lungs exhale. There was a fifty-fifty chance of how this would turn out and it had spun in Jonah’s favor.

He looked down at his loafers and breathed in the canistered air and oxford-white painted walls and wondered if it had. Or if this was like returning to hell. He didn’t really like who he was now, but looking back he hated who he’d been then.

“How the hell have you been?” Frank gave Jonah a slap on the shoulder. “Still up to your elbows in dishwater and dirty diapers?”

“I have a nanny for that now.”

“About time you saw the light. Never met a nanny who couldn’t do a better job at raising kids than their parents. Just look at my five. All nanny raised. All turned out just fine.”

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