Page 5 of Playing with Fire

His gaze met mine again, and he gave me a clipped nod. “Thank you.” Setting the girls down on the floor, he lowered his head between them and loudly whispered, “Why don't you go ahead up and pick out a book for me to read? I'll be up in a minute.”

“Okay.” They both replied in that same adorable tone, then turned and bounded toward me, almost knocking me over as they hugged me.

“You're the best, Izzy,” Nikki said.

They called, “Goodnight,” as they took off out of the room and up the stairs. Once the sound of their footsteps stopped, Logan turned his glare back on me and I fought the urge to shift on my feet.

“Did Maggie go over the schedule for the rest of the week with you?”

“Yes.” I swallowed hard. “Tomorrow morning I'll be here at six thirty, drop off at school by eight thirty, and pick them up at three thirty. Then I’ll take them to Maggie’s. I’ll be back here Thursday after school.”

“Right.” His jaw locked. “There's always a chance I get held up on a call, even after my shift is supposed to end, so I could be late.” He crossed his arms across his wide chest. “That won't be a problem, will it?”

“No. Not at all.” I attempted a smile, although I was sure the idea was foreign to him. “Whatever you need.”

The tic was back in his jaw as he looked away and shoved his hands in his pockets. Apparently, that wasn’t the right answer.

“You're welcome to use the SUV for drop off and pick up if you want.”

I nodded. That would be a little easier than my two-door Hyundai. “Okay. Thanks.” I started toward the door but froze suddenly, spinning to him once again. “Oh. The girls mentioned really wanting to do soccer. They said they usually couldn't do stuff like that, and I know it's a couple of weeks into the season, but I really don't think it'll be a big deal. They seem to have the basics.”

His body sagged, and he let out a sigh. “The previous nanny wasn't very reliable, so that made it hard to commit.”

That made sense. “Well, I'm happy to do whatever you need.”

He shifted his weight, and I swore he groaned, but his lips were still pressed together tightly.

“Well, I'd better go.” I turned slightly back toward the door. “See you tomorrow.”

I took a deep breath once I was out on the sidewalk. The whole exchange was confusing. Angry wasn't right. More annoyed. But I couldn't understand why. Like our other exchanges, I struggled to pinpoint what made him so frustrated with me.

Maggie was beyond excited. Exuberant, really, that she’d found someone. She loved that I was someone she and Logan already knew and who the twins had actually met before. Someone who could drive and do all the things they needed. I assumed Logan would feel the same. I guess he just needed time to come around.

Whatever. Maybe whatever crawled up his ass would eventually crawl back out. His attitude wasn't my problem, and I would only need to deal with him a few times a week, since he and Maggie shared custody.

The schedule was a bit chaotic, but it made sense. It gave one parent a five-day stretch and then the following week, the other parent would have the longer stretch of time. But that meant some weeks I’d likely have to deal with him for five days straight.

Maybe I jumped into this too quickly and didn’t completely think it through. My initial gut instincts rarely led me wrong, but this time I wasn’t so sure.

LOGAN

The dirty fucking thoughts that flew through my mind when she said she'd do whatever I needed was shameful. What the fuck was wrong with me?

I'd hoped her being the nanny would fix my issue. Apparently not. It was like the minute I laid eyes on her long blonde curls, green eyes, and glistening lips, all the blood rushed south.

How the hell was this going to work? I couldn't go around sporting a semi the whole time she was here. Talk about a fucking cliche.

I had to hope it would get better. Because I didn't know how to get out of this arrangement. What could I possibly say? Even if I came up with a dozen reasons she wasn't a good fit, Jay would be pissed if I fired his baby sister.

I trudged up the stairs and down the hallway before turning into the girls’ room. They were sitting together on Nikki's bed, a book between the two of them. I chuckled, picking the book up and sitting down in its place. Both girls scooted closer, cuddling against me on each side. “Pete the Cat again?”

“You sing it good,” Nikki said and scooted closer.

“Yeah, you do the bestest voices,” Alice added. “Well, not as good as Izzy. She did so many voices.”

I flinched at the mention of her name and swallowed uncomfortably before clearing my throat. “So you girls like Izzy?”

Both of their heads nodded.

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