Playing the Player(35)

And here I’d been so certain that he’d be the slacker nanny and I’d be the superstar.

As Max ran toward Gilly the realization hit me that Slade was better at this than I was. He never flinched when things didn’t go according to plan, whereas I froze, or worse, flipped out.

If parents needed a sitter for a dinner date, I was perfect. But for an entire day full of unexpected detours and random freak-outs? Apparently, Slade was the go-to guy for that.

He glanced up and smiled at me. I saw a kaleidoscope of emotions when I looked in his eyes—reassurance, amusement….and something else.

My heart skipped a beat, causing me to literally stop in my tracks.

No. This could not be happening. I would not get sucked in by those unbelievable tiger eyes and that sexy mouth and that messy hair and the way he floated through life, charming everyone and—

“Trina?”

I stared at them, feeling like I’d wandered onto a movie set where I didn’t belong, waiting for a director to jump out and yell “Cut!” then usher me off the set.

“Trina, are you okay?” Slade looked concerned now, his dimple tucked safely away and a slight frown wrinkling his brow.

Gillian sniffed loudly. “Are you scared of butterflies, too?” She wiped her nose with the back of her hand. “I hate the way they fly in my face and hair.”

“I—um, no. I’m not scared. Just…maybe need some fresh air.”

Gillian slid off of Slade’s lap. “Me, too! Let’s go outside.” Suddenly she looked worried. “But not to the garden. No more butterflies. Let’s go to the parking lot.”

Max’s face crumpled. “I like the butterflies.”

Slade stood up. “Tell you what. Max and I will stay here and check out more butterflies. You girls go outside and inhale exhaust fumes until you feel better.” He winked at me, which did nothing to calm my nerves.

Outside, I tried to convince Gillian to check out the towering praying mantis sculpture, but she freaked out when a butterfly floated by. So we sat on the bench close to the pavement, inhaling exhaust fumes just like Slade had joked.



The drive back to Denver seemed interminable, especially once the kids fell asleep in the backseat and we didn’t have their nonstop chatter as a distraction.

Slade glanced in the rearview mirror and smiled. “Those two are a trip.”

“Yeah,” I agreed, careful not to meet his gaze when he looked at me. Maybe I could manage to survive the rest of the summer if I never made eye contact with him again.

“I never would’ve guessed Gilly would be the one to lose it today.” He laughed softly.

I shifted in my seat, trying to ignore how my stomach flipped over when he laughed. “You thought Max would lose it?”

He shrugged. “Max is a mystery man. I thought he might not like the up close and personal view, but he did.”

It was true; Max had loved the butterflies until he’d seen the exhibits of the dead ones pinned under glass. Then we’d had to deal with his tears, while Gillian declared that dead butterflies were sort of pretty, since they weren’t flying in her face.

“I bet they won’t let us back in there again.”

“Nah. I’m sure she’s not the first kid to freak out.”

I glanced over my shoulder to make sure the kids were still asleep. They looked so angelic when they weren’t spazzing out. Too bad I couldn’t be the night shift nanny, watching them while they slept.

“So, I guess it’s my turn to plan for Friday,” Slade said, downshifting as we caught up to a slow-moving line of traffic on the highway.

I bit my fingernail, wishing I was home, safe in my bedroom, where I could process the betrayal of my body and emotions, which had obviously lost all immunity to the Slade spell. Maybe the butterflies had impacted me, because I felt drawn to him just like a moth to a flame.

“So, the thing is…” He hesitated, staring straight ahead, his jaw tight. “Max’s mom really wants me to work with him on overcoming some of his fears.”

Anxiety ballooned in my stomach. Why hadn’t she mentioned this to me? Wasn’t I in charge?

“What do you mean?”

His hands tightened on the steering wheel. Why was he nervous? He was the super nanny, after all.

“She’s worried Max is too cautious.” He spoke softly, then glanced at me and shrugged. “You’ve seen how he is.”

I forced a smile. “Well, at least he’s not afraid of butterflies.”

Slade grinned. “True. We can check that one off the list.”

I swallowed nervously then plunged ahead. “So you weren’t kidding about the skydiving?”

“I think we’ll need to build up to that.”

Was he mocking me? I couldn’t tell. I stared at my phone, willing Desi to text or call me with a pretzel emergency.

“Seriously,” he continued. “I was thinking maybe we’d take them to Jungle Fever. They have lots of stuff to climb, and rope bridges that swing in the air.”

My head jerked up. “I’m afraid of heights,” I said, cursing myself for letting the words escape.

“Okay,” he said. “You don’t have to climb the stuff that’s really high. I can manage the kids.”

I leaned back against the seat and closed my eyes. God, I was pathetic. Why had the moms thought I could handle both kids? I pictured Dr. Edmunds’s latest check in my wallet and squeezed my eyes tight.