Page 156 of The Nanny and the Beefcake
Your fights are my fights.
She shouldn’t want that to be true.
“Mibby, Dad,” Sebastian moaned, popping their angsty, universe-induced bubble. The boy’s jovial demeanor had disappeared, and he rubbed his belly.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, taking a knee in front of the child alongside Raz.
“It’s a hot dog situation,” Penny said as she and Char wove through the crowd.
Rowen arrived with Phoebe in his arms, and Mitch came up with Oscar in his.
“What happened, Sebastian?” Raz asked.
“Americans really like to eat a lot of hot dogs, and I couldn’t resist either,” the boy moaned.
“How many hot dogs did you eat, son?”
“Seven, because I’m almost seven,” the boy answered, followed by a meaty belch.
“Come on, you,” Raz said, lifting Sebastian into his arms.
“It’s all fun and games until the hot dog situation goes awry,” Penny remarked and rubbed Phoebe’s back.
“We know that better than most,” Rowen added.
“Yep, it’s time to call it a night,” Charlotte said, slipping Oscar’s camera strap from his neck.
“I have something for you, Libby,” Oscar mumbled wearily through a yawn, holding out a Polaroid. “I got a shot of you kicking that guy in the balls.”
“Thank you, honey,” she said, staring at the photo. He’d caught the moment the top of her heel grazed Derrick’s naughty bits. With bulging eyes and a look akin to Edvard Munch’s painting, The Scream, the man’s expression was pure comedy gold.
Char peered at the picture. “Yep, that sure captures the evening for me.”
“Never let me eat hot dogs again,” Phoebe lamented, the back of her hand pressed to her forehead like a soap opera actress.
“We should head home, too, Libby,” Raz added, pressing his hand to her lower back.
The contact sent a different kind of vibration through her—a natural comfort that bound them together. They were three people, ready to turn in for the evening, but the everyday simplicity of his words and the ease of his touch cracked open the door to the hopeful part of her spirit she’d kept hidden away.
This must be what it’s like to click into a life so seamlessly.
“Do you guys want us to give you a lift?” Mitch asked.
Raz waved him off. “No need. There’s a trail that leads straight to the back of our Victorian, and a little air will do Sebastian good. Not to mention, we have the donkeys with us.”
“What about my bike, Dad? I think I’ll puke if I try to ride it,” Sebastian added through a whimper.
“It’ll be here in the morning. Nobody will nick it in Rickety Rock. These aren’t the mean streets of London,” he teased as the boy rested his head on his father’s shoulder.
“Oh, I almost forgot. Here’s your phone, Libbs,” Penny said, passing it over. “A couple of emails came in from a C.L. Investments while you were doing your demo. Is that a new business prospect?”
Libby replied with a skeptical huff. “It’s probably more fake venture capitalist bros. Thanks for holding onto my cell, Penn.”
“We’ll see you in a week for the Ass-in-Nine,” Charlotte called as she headed out with Mitch and Oscar.
“Nice job tonight, Libby. Good to see you, Raz,” Penny added before joining her crew and disappearing down the block.
“We can’t forget Plum and Beefcake,” Sebastian mumbled, his sleepy words slurring together.
