Levi picked up the car seat and diaper bag from the foyer. “Thanks again. We should get going.”
“Wait!”
She’d pretty much shouted the word, but rather than appear startled, he seemed slightly amused by her, his mouth twitching in a half smile. “Right. Sorry, I forgot to pay you.” He set the car seat down and, impressively juggling Grace, pulled a wallet from his back pocket.
“No.” She put out her hand to stop him. “Today was a freebie.”
Slow down, you don’t need to scare the man off. Take your time and do this right.
“Freebie?”
“How about... How about a drink of water before you go?”
“I’m just next door.” Levi tucked his wallet away.
“This will only take a minute. How about a beer?” She led the way to the kitchen, hoping with any luck he’d follow.
He did. And stood in the framed opening of the kitchen entryway, holding Grace with an easy assurance she envied. Like a real pro. “Actually, do you know any babysitters you could recommend?”
Sometimes, when opportunity knocks, you shouldn’t just open the door. Open the door, go make a pot of coffee and bake some cookies. Maybe it will stay awhile.
She swallowed and gave him what she hoped was her best, most dependable babysitter smile. “Me.” She twisted off the top, then handed the beer to him.
He accepted it. “But you said just for today.”
She waved a hand in the air, in a pay-no-attention-to-me-before-noon move. “That was before. Okay, here’s the thing. I can help you, and let’s be honest here, you need me.”
He studied Carly, took a swig of his beer, but didn’t say a word. Maybe Rookie Daddy had finally wised up and decided he shouldn’t leave his baby with a complete stranger. He got points for that.
Carly chose her next words carefully. “I kind of have this baby advice website.”
“I heard.”
Of course. If he worked at the airport, he worked with Cassie. And Cassie was an old friend of the family. Carly let out a breath. “I’m running the baby website RockYourBaby, but I don’t have any kids of my own.”
“Heard that, too.” He quirked an eyebrow, and in that single move Carly realized he was less than thrilled with the fact that she hadn’t come out with the whole truth this morning.
But she hadn’t exactly lied. What did her mom’s accountant say? Emphasize the positive, ignore the negative. Sell it! “But I’m still a baby expert.”
“Uh-huh.” He didn’t sound too convinced.
“Look, all I’m saying is that I can watch Grace until you find a new sitter. If you’re not sure about me, I’d be happy to give you references. I’ve lived here in Fortune all my life, and I’m extremely reliable. I’m always home. Besides, I’m right next door.”
“And how will you watch her and run your company?”
This suddenly felt like an interview, and she wished she’d prepared better. She’d done too much assuming that Levi would immediately take her up on this idea. But she’d become better at selling in the past few months, out of sheer necessity. If she told a little white lie every now and again, no one was the wiser.
Balance. It was all about balance. She’d do it as mothers all over the country did. Like the readers of her blog did. Like her mother had.
“I can handle her. I’m great at time management.” Boy, the lies kept coming, didn’t they? Getting easier, too. “And also, Grace—and babies everywhere, in fact—happens to be a big part of my career. Because babies are my business.”
She did a chin lift on that one, as she’d noticed Jill do on a number of occasions when she wanted to make the point that she was hot shit.
Levi seemed to notice and maybe even appreciate the new confidence. His shoulders lowered, and he gave her another one of those slow, sexy smiles. “It would be a big help to me. I’m out of the air force recently. Originally from Texas.”
Hence the drawl. She pictured hot and humid plains, oil, ranches and cowboys. Levi didn’t look like a cowboy, even if he sort of sounded like one. And something told her that it was just a matter of time before Levi knew a lot of people in the area—mainly those of the female persuasion.
“I know a lot of people in Fortune,” Carly said. “I’m practically a fixture here. And I can try to find you the perfect babysitter.”
“A grandma type?”
“Sure, if that’s what you want.”
“I want someone who really likes kids. Someone who will stick around for a while. I don’t need a whole lot of help, except for when I’m at work. But maybe she needs a woman’s touch.”
When he threw another one of those protective glances at Grace, and this time rubbed his jaw against her little semibald head, Carly’s knees went weak. “Yes,” she managed to squeak out. “Good idea.”
“There’s another problem.” Levi shifted Grace in his arms. “I can’t pay you much right now. That seemed to be an issue for Annie.”
“No worries. Pay me what you can, when you can.” In fact, any money at all would be welcome.
Maybe she should pay him.
“Are there any grandparents nearby?” she asked conversationally and got herself a beer.
“No one nearby. My parents are out of the country right now, working with the World Health Organization.”
“Impressive. How long have they been doing that?”
“All my life, really, but there’s more time for it now that they’re retired.”
“If I can ask, how did you lose your wife?”
He cleared his throat. “You must mean Grace’s mother. Car accident. And we were never married.”
“Oh. I guess I...misunderstood.” Not a sad widower, then.
“No more than most people do. I guess I should wear a sign or something.”
She laughed and brought her hands together. Mentally cracked her knuckles. Maybe she’d asked enough questions, and it was time to move in for the pitch. “So here’s my offer to you. I’ll watch her for you during the week and a few nights, too, if you’d like.”
“Really?” His eyebrows went up on that one.
“Sure. Why not?” She set her beer down. “I just want most of the nights free so I can catch up on any work I can’t get done during the day. But maybe you want to go out sometime with the guys. Or your girlfriend.”
He smiled. “Are you sure? She’s kind of a...handful.”
“She’s adorable.” She threw what she hoped was a loving look in Grace’s direction. At least she seemed to be happier in her father’s arms. He didn’t even have to walk around the house and pace and jiggle to keep her quiet.
“What about your husband? Will he be cool with a baby around some of the time?”
She caught Levi staring at her lucky ring. Oh, damn. She’d nearly forgotten. She’d had the ring all through high school and design school and wore it as much as a week before a major test for the extra good juju. It wasn’t anything fancy, a simple gold ring that she liked rubbing and twisting around her finger like a worry stone. But these days it fit on only the ring finger of her left hand.
“I’m not married. This is just my lucky ring.” And lately, she needed the extra luck.
He