Down Too Deep (Dirty Deeds, #4)(7)

He was busy. That was clear. I should probably get to the reason why I was bothering him so he could get back to work.

“A couple of things,” I said, pushing the door open further and moving inside the room. I sidestepped a few stuffed animals. “First, I believe this belongs to you.”

Nate looked up again, saw Marley in my arms, and cursed, rushing to his feet. “God, how do you keep getting out?” He rounded the desk and took her from me.

“They’re like little escape artists at this age.”

Marley pushed against Nate’s chest and squirmed in his arms, fighting his hold immediately. When she started whining and going red in the face, he sat her in the play yard, closing the latch so she couldn’t walk out. He dropped a handful of alphabet blocks in her lap to occupy her.

“Sorry if she bothered you,” he said, returning to his seat.

“She didn’t bother me. She’s adorable. I miss that age.”

Nate’s brows ticked up as if he couldn’t understand my response.

“I also wanted to apologize for the other day,” I began, moving closer. “I don’t know if what I said insulted you, about creeps being everywhere. I know it sounded like I was alluding to them being here, and I didn’t mean it like that. Ever since my son turned eight, he’s been adamant about not going into the women’s room with me, and I just…well, you get it. You’re a parent.”

Nate stared at me, his face expressionless.

Okay, maybe he didn’t get it yet.

“It’s just hard to turn off the side of me that panics whenever I don’t have eyes on my kid,” I explained. “Your restaurant is really nice. I’m sure perverts don’t gather here.”

His mouth twitched. “That’s a relief to hear. Putting security in the men’s room might’ve caused some alarm.” Leaning back in his chair, he adjusted his glasses and looked ready to say something else, but turned his head when Marley started whining again.

She was standing at the gate now, gripping it and giving it a good shake.

I watched Nate get to his feet and drop nearly every toy she had into the play yard. He spoke under his breath, too low for me to hear, but I could tell from his tone how exasperated he felt.

Marley kept whining. She stomped her foot and shook her head at him when he held out a stuffed giraffe. He swapped it out for a book, turning to a page and pointing at one of the pictures. She wasn’t interested. Marley fell back onto her butt as tears hit her cheeks. Her legs kicked against the floor with fury.

Nate pinched his eyes shut, ran a hand through his hair, and looked down at her. He appeared lost, and possibly on the brink of a meltdown himself.

He was overwhelmed; that was clear.

“Has she eaten dinner? Maybe she’s hungry,” I said, walking over to the play yard. On instinct, I bent over the gate and held out my arms. I wanted to soothe her somehow. I at least wanted to try. I hated seeing this sweet thing so upset.

Marley immediately stood up and came to me. When I got her on my hip, she settled down and played with the chain around my neck again.

“I don’t know what she is,” Nate replied. He held up his glasses and rubbed at his eyes. “I guess she could be hungry.”

“If you want, I can take her out there and she can eat with us. It’s just me and my kids.”

“Really?”

“Sure. What does she like off the menu?”

He looked at Marley, thinking hard on that question. “Normal two-year-old stuff?” Our gazes met. I saw the embarrassment in his eyes before he looked down and away. “Sorry. I really don’t know what she likes. I haven’t spent much time with her.” He gripped the back of his neck, mumbling, “I’m sure that’s obvious right now.”

His shame was palpable.

Something about the way Nate spoke, the humiliation in his voice, the rejection—he wanted to know his daughter. He wanted to have the answer to any question I could ask him about her, and he didn’t know how.

Impulse loosened my tongue and pushed the words out of my mouth before I had the chance to really think on them. Although, even if I had paused, I wasn’t sure I wouldn’t have spoken my next words.

Everything inside me that made me who I was wanted to help him.

“Tori mentioned something about your sitter situation changing?”

His gaze came up.

“I know you don’t know me, but I could watch her for you. I work from home during the summer…”

“Are you serious?” he asked on a rush, his shoulders pulling back as he stood taller.

“Yeah. I wouldn’t mind. Honestly, I’d probably really enjoy it. I love kids.”

“Yes.”

A laugh bubbled in my throat. I waited for his expression to relax and shift out of serious. It didn’t.

“Oh, okay. Um…well, if you need references or anything, you can ask any of the girls about me. Sydney is practically my sister-in-law. She’s dating my brother, Brian. I’m sure you’ve seen him around here. And I hang out with Tori, Shay, and Kali all the time. You can trust me with your daughter.”

“Okay,” he said easily.

I wanted to smile at him—I was happy to do this for Nate. But I couldn’t help wondering how desperate he might’ve been feeling. He wasn’t hesitating at all to accept my offer, or even taking a minute to consider it. I felt sad for him. Nate clearly wanted to do better by his daughter. He couldn’t even tell me what she liked to eat.