“Okay, okay,” she squeals as I squeeze her a bit too tight and press a kiss into her damp hair. I relax my grip and let her breathe again just in time to say, “I still think now would be a perfect time for you to get a girlfriend.”
“Why? You and Hilow want to double date?” I deadpan.
“Daaad,” she groans with embarrassment, and I smile for the first time since Cassandra left my house yesterday morning.
“You know what’s better than hugging?” I ask, moving up off the couch and dragging my daughter with me. “Dancing.”
“Here?” She looks around, looking shy all of the sudden.
“Come on, I’ve seen you do it with Cassandra.” I laugh and tell Alexa to play “My Girl by the Temptations”. The punchy music wafts through the house sound system as I point to my feet. “Stand on my feet like you used to when you were little. That would make me really happy.”
She rolls her eyes like I’m a big dork but does it anyways as I wrap one arm around her back and hold her hand out with the other. I move us around the living room, relishing in her giggles. This is time I need to cherish with my daughter who’s growing up way too fast.
I don’t know what I’m going to do about the nanny who has somehow managed to turn my world upside down. But I know I’m not going to sit here and be sad in front of my kid anymore.
“Cozy, is it okay if we read for a bit before we swim?” Everly asks as I rub sunscreen on her back, careful to avoid her adorable little tankini with flowers all over it. “I want to get sweaty before I dive in.”
“That sounds like a fabulous idea. Plus, your sunscreen needs to dry anyway,” I reply, wiping my hands off on the towel before grabbing my Kindle out of my tote bag. It’s another one of Everly’s and my pool days, but this one is going to be a little different than all the others. “We have some time to relax before the guy gets here anyway.”
“Perfect.” Everly settles in the chair beside me, and I pop open a new dark mafia romance on my Kindle when a notification pings on my phone.
Dakota: Well? How was it this morning?
Me: Fine. He ran out of the house right when I walked in. So it’s back to Awkward City just like that.
Dakota: You only have yourself to blame.
Me: I know. But it’s for the best. He lives a life I am not interested in being a part of. Better to end it before I start catching feelings.
Dakota: Mmmkay. ;)
I’m staring down at my phone, trying to figure out what Dakota means with that winky face when Everly shakes my shoulder. “Cozy, he’s here!”
“He is?” I jerk my head around and spot a young guy who looks fresh out of high school strolling into the backyard dressed in red swim trunks and a white T-shirt with the sleeves cut out all the way to the bottom hem. Honestly, it’s a pointless shirt, but the kid can pull it off.
I wave him over. “Heyo!”
“Are you Cozy?” he asks, pulling his hat down over his shaggy brown hair to block the blistering afternoon sun.
“Yes, you’re Ryne, right? It is Ryne, not Ryan?” I reach out, and he looks confused when I shake his hand.
“Yeah, Ryne.”
“That’s a cool name.”
He shoots me a crooked smile and nods. “It used to be Ryan, but Ryne has more swagger, don’t you think?”
My lips thin as I try not to laugh. “Totally. Anyway…thank you for coming.”
“No sweat. I love the private gigs.” He pulls his sunglasses off and looks over at Everly. “You ready to learn how to swim, little one?”
A peal of laughter erupts out of Everly as she leans against me for balance. Ryne looks confused.
“Sorry, I thought I explained on the phone. The lesson isn’t for her. It’s for me.”
“You?”
“Yeah,” I reply, and Everly holds my hand in solidarity. “I, um…don’t know how to swim, and this one is a fish. I would love to just learn the basics so I can be a better nanny.”
“Nanny?” Ryne looks me up and down, clearly assessing my age. “You’re not this one’s mom?”
“No.” My lip pops out into a childish pout. I would have had to be a teen mom to be Everly’s mother, thank you very much…Ryne. “Can you just do the swimming lesson?”
A slow smile spreads across Ryne’s face. “Bet! Let’s get started.”
Over an hour later, Everly is cheering me on from the side of the pool as I stand on the edge of the diving board hunched over with my hands pointed down at the water. The board dips when Ryne’s weight comes out to join me.
“You need to have your arms up over your ears.” He reaches around me to adjust my arms to the proper place. His hands linger on my waist for a moment, and I cringe at the close contact. Ryne’s honestly a great swim instructor, but this is maybe a bit too hands-on.
“I think I got it,” I announce, shaking him off.
“All right, Cozy…let’s see your dive.”
He steps back, and I roll forward, plunging hands first into the water. That one felt good! I’ve been belly flopping for the better part of twenty minutes, and that was the first dive that didn’t sting!
I practice the breaststroke up to the surface because that was also one of the lessons Ryne taught me. When I wipe the water out of my eyes, my face falls when I see a suited figure standing at the side of the pool.
“Daddy!” Everly peals, running over to embrace Max. She leaves a wet Everly imprint on his perfectly tailored suit, and he can’t even crack her a pleasant smile.
“What are you doing home already?” she asks, holding his hand.
Max’s face is twitchy as he tries to smile down at her. “Oh, I had some things here to take care of, so I got off work early. Why don’t you go inside and get changed and you and me can go get some ice cream when I’m done here.”
“OMG, bet!” Everly says, repeating Ryne’s youthful term of “let’s do it” and takes off toward the house, and I do my best to swim with my newly learned crawl stroke over to the steps. When I climb out, Max is there to greet me with a towel.
“Mind telling me what’s going on?” he seethes, his nostrils flaring angrily.
I wipe my face off, certain my makeup is running all over. I wasn’t worried about it when it was just Everly and Ryne…but my hot boss that I just had condomless sex with a few days ago…I am suddenly acutely aware of my entire appearance.
I huddle under the towel at Max’s lethal eyes. “Ryne’s a swim instructor my sister recommended. Today was my first lesson.”
“You think you should do a swim lesson when you’re on the clock?” Max snaps.
My head jerks at his comment that was made to make me feel like his employee, not the woman he just had sex with less than seventy-two hours ago. Guess we really are done banging it out then. Which means I don’t need to stand for his shit right now.
I square my shoulders and try to stand straight. “Considering he’s a trained lifeguard, I can’t honestly see how you’d be upset about this. If anything, Everly is safer when he’s here.”
“Why didn’t you mention it to me?”