Page 92 of The Manny

“Yep.” I stood and gave a courteous nod toward Gus. “Nice to see you again, Mr. Armstrong,” I lied.

Gus studied me, his gray eyes cool and unfriendly. “Oh, yeah. Now I recognize you. Thomas, right?”

Seriously dude? You’re going to play it like that?

Looking surprised, Aiden said, “You two know each other?”

“I worked for Mr. Armstrong and his wife before I came to work for Jack.” I knelt down and smiled at Sammy who was in the stroller, looking sleepy. “Hi, Sammy.” I ruffled the toddler’s blond hair and the child smiled and kicked his legs.

“I guess it’s a small world.” Aiden laughed.

“How do you two know each other?” I casually asked. Gus didn’t strike me as the kind of guy Aiden would naturally gravitate to.

“I signed Percy up with Daddy and Me Gymnastics and Gus’s son also goes there.” Aiden grimaced. “Sitting in that waiting room while the kids roll around for an hour can be pretty dull. It’s nice to have someone to commiserate with.”

“Definitely.” Gus snorted. “Especially since rolling is about all Sammy can do at this stage.”

Aiden smiled. “He’s just a baby. I told you, Percy was the same way at first.”

“Are you a customer of Jack’s Automotive?” I asked Gus.

“No. I’d never heard of this place.” Gus glanced around, appearing disinterested. “Aiden invited me to this thing today. I figured, what the heck? Sheila is out of town, so it’s a good way to kill time.”

Yeah, God forbid you spend alone time with your kid.

“I see.” I forced what I hoped was a pleasant smile. “I’m Mia’s manny. She’s Jack’s niece.”

“Is that right?” Gus arched one brow, glancing at Mia.

“Daddy, I want a snow cone,” Percy said, tugging at Aiden’s pant leg. “Can I have one?”

Smiling down at his son, Aiden nodded. “Sure. What flavor?”

“Blue!” Percy squealed.

Grinning, Aiden said, “Uh… blue flavor it is. What about you, Mia? What flavor snow cone would you like?”

She looked at me. “Is it okay if I have one?”

“Sure. You finished your sandwich.”

“What flavor should I have? Hmm.” Tapping her chin, as if it was a very important decision, she said suddenly, “I’ll have blue like Percy.”

“You got it.” Aiden glanced at me. “Would you like one, Thomas?”

“Nah.” I smiled. “Thanks for the offer though.”

“Of course. Gus, how about you?” Aiden asked.

“No thanks. I’m trying to cut down on sugar. I’ll stay here and help Thomas watch the kids.” Gus met my gaze. “If that’s okay?”

“Suit yourself.” I shrugged, uneasiness curling in my gut. What was he up to? Why the hell would he stay behind with me? I didn’t need his help watching the children.

“Be back in a minute.” Aiden strode off and an uncomfortable silence fell.

Percy and Mia chatted merrily, but Gus and I avoided looking at each other at first. Eventually, I decided it was silly not to at least make small talk.

I cleared my throat. “So, how’s Sheila doing?”

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