Page 21 of Give & Take

She nods innocently, but I can see the look of awareness creeping over her.

Raphael’s looking everywhere but at me for the first time during this whole sham of an interview.

Everything begins to fall into place. I cross my arms. “Funny, Nova. Raphael also didn’t mention anything about your non-existent pet cockroach collection like the first woman.” I look pointedly at Raphael. “Or how it didn’t bother you that I have a giant Beanie Baby collection in my bedroom!”

Raphael knows the gig is up. He pinches his lips together, looking sheepish. Nova, meanwhile is sputtering. “That’s so weird!” she says. “Isn’t that weird, Raph?”

I turn my back to them, walking over to the wall and placing my hand on the fireplace mantle.

“Shoot,” Nova whispers. “She’s really mad.”

I am mad. But I’m also trying very hard not to laugh thinking of that woman’s absolute sincerity mixed with fear when she talked about the Beanie Babies. But Iammad!

“Both of you should be ashamed of yourself!” I say, schooling my expression before turning around again. “Sabotaging perfectly good interviews!”

Guilt covers Nova’s face. “Mom, come on! None of them would have been as good as Raphael.”

“You,” I say, “are staying in your room for the rest of the interviews.”

“There are more?” Raphael asks, looking truly concerned for the first time since he swaggered in here.

“Yes, there are more. And you. You’re leaving, and you’re not coming anywhere near any of the other applicants. I have a ring camera.”

Raphael runs a hand through his hair. My eyes, those traitorous orbs, go to the flexing cords in his forearm. To the leather bracelet on his wrist and ring on his thumb—both flashy things I remind myself again I shouldn’tlike. When he drops his arm, his thick dark hair is mussed in a way that makes me sure it looks like that when he wakes up.

Or comes up for air from under the sheets.

What. The.Hell.

I can’t find the jewelry sexy. I can’t find the forearms sexy. I can’t find this…barely a man sexy! He’s childish. He conspired with my kid to try to get hired to look after my kids for a whole summer.

Hell, hewasa child, back when I was practicing law.

I feel suddenly like a dirty old woman. “Please, just?—”

“It was my idea,” Raphael says. His voice is serious, just like his expression.

“No it wa—” Nova starts, but he interrupts.

“It was definitely me.” He throws a no-arguments glance Nova’s way that has her mouth snapping shut.

I can barely ever make that happen.

“I’m the responsible adult,” Raphael continues. “It’s on me.” He presses his hand to his heart, like he’s making an oath. His tanned fingers spread wide across his chest. They’re so big, his fingers so long. “But both of us shouldn’t have done that. Right, Nova?”

My daughter huffs a breath, glaring at him like he’s some kind of traitor. “Fine. I guess.”

Raphael raises an eyebrow.

Her shoulders slump. She looks at Raphael sincerely. “Yes. You’re right.” To me, she says, “Sorry, Mom.”

I’m so stunned by how he’s managed to do that it makes my head spin. I pinch the bridge of my nose. “The apology is…a good first step. Now go upstairs,” Itell her.

“But I said sorry!”

I give her a mom look and point my finger to the stairs.

Nova’s lips pinch together in anger. She thrusts her clipboard at me. When I take it, she stomps across the living room. Then she stomps extra hard up the stairs.

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