Penthouse Prince(14)

I keep glancing at her, and then get paranoid I’m being too obvious and drop my gaze again. But I can’t help it.

And if I’m not mistaken, ever since we met at the park yesterday, she’s also been sneaking the occasional peek at me too. I’m so aware of how close she is, how emotionally charged the air between us feels, and I can’t stop myself overthinking what it means every time I feel her gaze on me.

Just breathe, dude.

I pour and serve the coffee, then sit down across the small table from her. For a minute, we just sip our drinks, only Grier’s happy babbling breaking the silence.

Finally, Corrigan quietly murmurs, “This is good.”

I nod. “I’m glad.”

She sets down her empty demitasse cup with a harsh clink and raises her eyebrows in impatient prodding. “So . . .”

Come on, Lex. You asked her here for a reason. Get your shit together.

I clear my throat. “Right. I guess I should start by telling you why I’m here.” I take a deep breath. “Mom’s health has gotten pretty bad.” I hesitate, then decide to bite the bullet. “She’s dying.”

Corrigan’s eyes grow wide. “What? When? What’s wrong?”

“Pancreatic cancer. The kind that’s on the rare side. The early symptoms are subtle, so by the time they caught it . . . well, I got her the best treatment I could, but . . .” I realize I’m clenching my hands and force them open. “She’s only got a few months left.” Every time I say the words, it becomes more real.

“Oh God. Lexington,” Corrigan says softly. “I’m so sorry to hear that. Poor Bonnie. I always liked your mom.”

I look away under the pretext of checking on Grier. She’s chewing on G.I. Joe’s leg while crashing Flapflap repeatedly into a pile of blocks. “Anyway, I decided we needed to be closer, to be with her. We should have come a long time ago, honestly, but I screwed up.”

“What about . . . after? Will you move back to New York?” Corrigan asks, one eyebrow cocked.

I wonder whether she’d prefer a yes or a no. “I figured we’d stay. I can’t keep uprooting Grier, and besides, this seems like a better place to raise a child.”

“I see,” is all she says.

Corrigan keeps her eyes on mine, and I’m curious what she sees when she looks at me like that. A fuckup? A son trying to stop being so selfish and make amends? Maybe that second one is just wishful thinking.

There’s only silence again. Feeling awkward, I drain the last of my espresso.

Soon, I can’t take it anymore. “Well? Say something.”

“I was more curious about why I’m here, Lexington. We’re not exactly friends.”

“We used to be,” I say in a low voice. The words just pop out, but the second they do, I wish I could take them back, because her features harden and her eyes narrow on mine.

“We used to be a lot more than that.”

A memory flashes across my mind’s eye, playing as vividly as a movie.

Corrigan and me on a warm summer night, sitting on the porch swing behind my house, listening to the cicadas shrill out their love songs, and watching the hunting bats swoop against the bright stars. Holding hands, my other arm around her waist, her head resting on my shoulder. She turned her lovely face up to mine, her eyes shining in anticipation. I bent to her, and for the first time, I pressed my mouth against those full, soft lips. The perfect kiss. And we shared so many firsts after that.

“Did you hear me?” she says, crashing me back to reality. “Tell me what I’m doing here, Lexington. What’s this favor Dak was talking about?”

Well, fine then.

Part of me was desperately hoping to catch up, to find out where we stand with each other and where the last ten years have taken her. But if she wants to keep it all business, I guess I have no choice but to manage that. It’s probably for the best, anyway.

I swallow and rub a hand over the stubble on my jaw. “Well, you’re here because Grier needs a nanny, and when I talked to Dak, he suggested you.”

“You . . . want me to be your nanny,” Corrigan says slowly. “To work for you. In your home. Taking care of your child?”

Shit. I can tell she’s not pleased. Actually, that’s an understatement. If she could, Corrigan would be shooting laser beams out of her eyes right now. She looks that ticked off.

“It wouldn’t be full time or anything,” I say quickly, backpedaling. “I just need someone to look after her while I’m working. And sometimes when I take Mom to appointments.”

She blinks at me as if I’ve grown another head. “How on earth could I possibly do that?”

I’m starting to get irritated despite myself. This hostile reaction isn’t what I expected. Dak made it seem like the obvious solution. But the only thing obvious is that I’m an idiot.

“What do you mean? It works just like any other job. I’d give you money, and you’d—”

“Seriously, Lexington? Do I have to spell it out for you? We have a history, and not a good one,” she says, glaring at me.

Dammit, I’m going about this all wrong. I take a deep breath to compose myself.

“You’re right. We do, and I owe you an apology. Can we start over, please?”

With a slow exhale, Corrigan averts her gaze. “I don’t know. Can we?”