Page 36 of The Unconventional Nanny
"I have to keep a secret that's not mine to tell."
"Oooookay." Confusion laces her tone. "Then why are you telling me?"
I soften my voice. "Because it's something you would want to know. And I can't tell you. Not yet anyway."
I know I'm talking in riddles, but I made a promise. Only now, after seeing the hurt on Gracie's face, I wish I hadn't.
"I don't understand."
She looks between me and Everly, who is now running around the garage in circles. At this rate she's going to nap like a champ.
"I know you don't. And I wish I could say more, but I signed a contract. Believe me, if I had known at the time what I do now, I never would've signed."
"So then why are you even telling me you have to keep this secret?"
I run my fingers through my hair and tug on the ends in frustration. "Because I feel guilty keeping it from you, and secretly I'm hoping that by telling you this much, you won't be too mad at me in the future when you find out what I knew." I blow out a big exhale after getting that all out.
Clearly my discomfort amuses Gracie because she chuckles. "You want a free pass for me to not be mad at you in the future when you tell me a secret I know you have today?"
"Exactly."
Gracie laughs even harder. "Well, I can't speak for future me, but I can say I'll try. I mean, just remembering how flustered you look right now should be enough to cool my jets."
She says that now.
"I don't want to keep secrets from you." I step forward until the toes of our shoes are touching. "That's not how I want to start this relationship." I reach down for her hand and intertwine our fingers.
"Is that what this is?" Gracie looks up through her eyelashes and bats them at me. "A relationship?"
I smile at her teasing gesture. "I mean, after last night I was kinda hoping that's where things are headed."
Gracie stands on her toes and plants a lingering kiss on the corner of my mouth. I'm tempted to slide just a bit to the right and capture her lips, but now isn't the time. Not with Everly running around the garage.
"They are," Gracie says as she drops back down. "I just wanted to see what you would say."
I can't help but shake my head at her bluntness. Life is never going to be boring with her in it.
I'm about to tell her as much when Everly crashes into my legs, screaming, "Daddy!" I pick her up so that her little legs wrap around my back like the spider monkey she can be.
"Yes, baby girl?"
"I hungry."
"You are?" I let her climb until she's sitting on my shoulders. "And what are you hungry for?"
"Bee's!" she screams, just like she does most of the time when she talks.
I turn back to Gracie and ask, "Does the diner sound good for lunch?"
"I'll never pass up food I don't have to cook."
"Me either." I smile. I just hope Bee can keep herself in check today. Otherwise I have a feeling the whole town is going to know the feelings I'm starting to develop for my nanny.
GRACIE
"Well, if it ain't Willow Creek's newest couple," Bee boisterously hollers across the diner before we've made it two feet inside theplace.
"I should've known this was going to happen," Ang mutters from where he stands next to me.
