Page 9 of This Baby Business
Grace’s little legs kicked and pumped double time with some serious action at seeing Levi, and I handed her over.
“Hey, baby girl.” His lovestruck smile was quite a sight.
I cleared my throat and got ready to tell a big fat lie. “She was perfect today.”
“Yeah?” Levi checked Grace out from head to toe as if to make sure she wasn’t missing any parts.
I tried not to feel insulted. “Do you like the dress?”
“Sure, it’s…nice.”
“But?”
“Not too practical.”
This was interesting information I could use, so I walked to the kitchen to get a pad of paper and pen from the counter. “So how would you rate it, say, on a scale of one to ten? If you were going to judge the dress, for instance?”
His eyes narrowed slightly. “I appreciate the dress. I’m not judging it.”
“No, of course not. I…didn’t mean to imply that.”
I made a note on the pad of paper.Appearance: ten out of ten. Practical use?I needed Levi for that, because at the moment he had more experience with babies than I did. When it came to my own clothes and sense of fashion, I always erred on the side of appearance versus practicality. I’d once lost the feeling in my feet for a day because of a gorgeous pair of paisley-patterned five-inch-heeled Louis Vuitton boots, but it had been worth the agony.
I could see it would be different with a baby.
“It’s just that she looks uncomfortable.” He shifted her from one hip to the other.
“You’re so right. There was something bothering me about the dress but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.”
Liar. I was completely useless.Practical use: five out of ten. Six out of ten?I didn’t want to be unfair. “No one makes cute, stylish,andcomfortable clothes for babies, do they?”
“But…she really seems to like this blanket.” He removed a corner of it from Grace’s mouth and handed it to me.
If this all worked out, I would need the miracle worker again tomorrow.
Levi picked up the car seat and diaper bag from the foyer. “Thanks again. We should get going.”
“Wait!”
I’d pretty much shouted the word, but rather than appear startled, he seemed slightly amused by me, his mouth twitching in a half smile. “Right. Sorry, I forgot to pay you.” He set the car seat down and, impressively juggling Grace, pulled a wallet from his back pocket.
“No.” I put out my hand to stop him. “Today was a freebie.”
Slow down, you don’t need to scare the man off. Take your time and do this right.
He squinted at me. “Freebie?”
“How about…how about a drink of water before you go?”
“I’m just next door.” Levi tucked his wallet away.
“This will just take a minute. How about a beer?” I led the way to the kitchen, hoping with any luck he’d follow.
He did. And stood in the framed opening of the kitchen entryway, holding Grace with an easy assurance I envied. Like a real pro. “Actually, do you know any babysitters you could recommend?”
Sometimes, when opportunity knocks, you shouldn’t just open the door. Open the door, go make a pot of coffee and bake some cookies. Maybe it will stay awhile.
I swallowed and gave him what I hoped was my best, most dependable babysitter smile. “Me.” I twisted off the top then handed the beer to him.
