Page 12 of Make Your Shot
“Okay. I’ll text you my address.”
Mia nods, her gaze lingering on mine. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
I swallow, watching her carefully as she turns around and climbs into her car. “Goodnight. Drive safe.”
Mia’s eyes meet mine once more. “You too,” she says, pulling the door shut behind her.
Adjusting Tella in my arms, I walk across the lot to where I’m parked. She snores lightly, stirring in her sleep as I open the back door and slide her into her booster seat. As I stand upright, I glance back across the lot, catching sight of Mia’s taillights as she heads toward the exit.
I don’t know how this situation is going to pan out, but at this point, I don’t have any other options. It’s weird to imagine someone other than Gloria being in my home, taking care of my daughter while I’m not there. I’m going to be putting my daughter’s life in the hands of a woman I barely know—a woman everyone swears I can trust to take care of Estella.
Shaking my head, I push away the thoughts and slide into the driver’s seat. Mia’s actively looking for another job, so I can’t expect her to drop everything tobecome my full-time nanny, unless that’s something she wants to do.
Regardless of what happens in the future, I desperately need this to work out right now.
I need Mia to be someone I can count on. Someone I can depend on.
Someone I can trust.
CHAPTER SIX
MIA
“Ithought I smelled coffee,” Willow says, lifting her arms above her head to stretch. Her tank top creeps up her torso and she doesn’t bother to fix it as she slides into the seat next to my dad at the counter. Willow pins her gaze on me, tilting her head to the side. “Where are you going this early?”
My father lifts his gaze from his laptop, eyes also gluing to my face as I duck my head, pouring myself and Willow a cup of coffee. I glance at him and then at Willow as I stir in the creamer.
“I’m going to go watch Caleb’s daughter while he’s at practice."
My father doesn’t say anything and Willow raises an eyebrow. “Caleb. He’s the hot, older one, right? You said he plays middle or something.”
My father snorts. “Center,” he corrects her, his voice low as he shakes his head. “How did this come about?”
I explain the situation to both of them, telling them what happened last night and how I ended upwatching Tella. “His old nanny retired, so he needs someone to help watch his daughter until he finds a permanent one.”
“You’re not coming to Sugar Hill with me then, are you?”
I swallow roughly, shaking my head at her. “I don’t think so.”
“What happened to getting a job?” my father interjects.
“Technically, it is a job.”
“She doesn’t want to work in marketing, Dean,” Willow adds at the same exact moment, the words flowing from her mouth before she realizes what she’s saying. Her eyes flash to mine, widening as she holds her breath. “Shit, sorry,” she mumbles, closing her eyes as she blows out a breath.
My father’s eyebrows tug together. “What?”
My stomach plummets. I planned on having this conversation with him at some point...just not right now.
“Um, yeah. I wanted to talk to you about that,” I admit, shifting my weight and ignoring my coffee that’s cooling on the counter in front of me. “I’m not sure marketing is what I want to do, but I’m thinking about exploring some other career opportunities that would hire me with a marketing degree.”
He stares at me for a moment, gaze fixed and unwavering. He abruptly stands up, moving away from his seat as he closes his laptop. “You’re an adult, Mia. You can make your own decisions.” He pauses, sighing deeply. “This is news and a little unexpected. I’m notmad. I support whatever you ultimately decide to do, although I do think it’s important to find a good paying job.”
I swallow hard over the lump lodged in my throat. “I know.”
“Caleb Ford has had a rough go at things, after losing his wife and juggling his career and daughter.” My father takes another sip of his coffee before he walks over to the sink and dumps it out. “I’m sure your help is greatly needed. I just don’t want you to throw away a degree you worked so hard for to be someone’s babysitter.”
“It’s just a temporary thing.”
