SWNOVELS If You Give a Single Dad a Nanny: Chapter 16
LOLA SLEPT IN YESTERDAY, BUT by late afternoon, she was back to running around in her favorite unicorn dress, asking when she could play with Waffles. She wasn’t happy when I wouldn’t let her go to Marlow’s.
The plan had been to give Marlow the day off, but it took every ounce of willpower not to go over and see her.
I regret not doing more to comfort her after we shared what was the best kiss I’ve ever had. Instead, I stood by and watched her leave. It’s been a long time since I’ve dated, and it’s clear, I’m out of practice where women are concerned.
I wish I had the courage to tell Marlow that I’m incredibly attracted to her, and if our situation was different, I wouldn’t hesitate to take things further. As it stands, my life is overly complicated, with juggling being a single dad, working a high-pressure job, and wrestling with my feelings toward my daughter’s nanny.
After having time to unpack my own emotions, I’ve come to the conclusion that my fear of being hurt is the underlying issue. The last time I put my heart on the line, I was left alone to mend the shattered fragments.
Honestly, I don’t think I could survive that again.
What terrifies me the most is now that I know what it’s like to kiss Marlow, I’m consumed by an insatiable longing to do it again. And whether or not I’m ready to admit it, she has the power to alter the course of my life. For better or worse.
It’s Friday morning, and once again, I’m pacing the entryway. I have no idea what I’m going to say when she gets here, but I guess I’ll come up with something when I see her.
I look at my watch, frowning when I see that it’s already 6:10 a.m. Marlow’s never been late. I text her and follow up with a call that goes straight to voicemail.
Now that I think about it, yesterday was abnormally quiet at her place, and she wasn’t in her studio last night. Yeah, I noticed. A sense of unease takes hold of me, fueling the pressing need to make sure she’s okay.
First, I check on Lola, who’s fast asleep, snuggling with her plush unicorn. I turn on her old baby monitor that I haven’t gotten around to getting rid of, just in case she wakes up while I’m gone.
It’s freezing outside, and as I approach Marlow’s house, I can hear Waffles barking inside. I knock on the door, and when there’s no response, I check the handle, not surprised to find the house is unlocked. Marlow and I really need to have a serious chat about her safety.
I stick my head inside and all the lights are off.
“Marlow, it’s Dylan. Are you home?” I call out.
I tentatively step inside when there’s no answer. The second I cross the threshold, Waffles leaps into my arms, yipping with excitement. I try pushing him off, but I give him a good scratch behind the ear when that doesn’t work.
“Where’s Marlow, boy?”
He beelines for the stairs, and I follow him up to the second floor, to what I presume is Marlow’s bedroom. He stands in the hallway, wagging his tail, waiting for me to make the next move.
The door is wide open, and the room is dark, with the curtains drawn.
“Hello?”
I step inside when there’s no reply. This is such a bad idea. Marlow probably slept through her alarm and is going to be startled when she finds me in her bedroom.
I move cautiously across the room and find her curled up in her bed. There’s a trashcan on the floor nearby and a box of tissues on her nightstand.
Shit, she’s sick.
Leaning over, I switch on the bedside lamp to bring light into the room. She doesn’t stir as I sit on the edge of the bed. Beads of sweat glisten on her forehead, and her features are contorted in a grimace. I gently caress her cheek, noticing that she’s unusually warm.
“Sunshine, can you open your eyes for me?” I coax her.
She grumbles as she opens one eye, squinting up at me with confusion. “Dylan?” Her voice comes out hoarse. “What are you doing here? Am I dreaming?”
I chuckle. “No, I’m real.” I brush a piece of stray hair away from her face. “I tried calling when you didn’t come over this morning and got worried when you didn’t answer.”
Her eyes widen in disbelief. “Oh no, what time is it?” She jolts upright in bed, groaning in pain. “I’m so sorry I’m late. Let me get dressed, and I’ll be right over.” She scoots to the other side of the bed and attempts to stand up, nearly losing her balance.
“Whoa there. You’re not going anywhere.” I rush over to help her back into bed and adjust her bedding so she’s more comfortable.
“What about Lola? You’ll be late for work if you don’t leave soon.”
“Don’t worry about that. You need to get some more rest. Is there anyone I can call to come take care of you?” I ask.
She leans back against the pillows, sighing in relief. “No, thanks. I’ll be fine on my own. I’m sure after a few more hours of sleep, I’ll be good as new.” She reaches out, cupping my cheek with her hand, accompanied by a feeble smile. “I appreciate you checking on me, though. That was sweet of you.”
Leave it to Marlow to maintain her cheerful disposition, even when she’s under the weather. There’s a tightness in my chest at the thought of her being home alone today.
“Of course,” I say as I sit back down on the bed next to her, brushing her hair back from her flushed face. A soft moan escapes her lips as I run my hand along her brow.
“I have to make a phone call, but I’ll be right back, okay?”
“You can go. I promise I’ll be fine.”
I rise from the bed. “I’ll be back.”
I go out into the hall to call Harrison, closing the door behind me. When I had to leave New York early, I called him in a panic. Even though he’s in Las Vegas for meetings with the Stafford Holdings board, he was a sound of reason when I needed him most.
He answers on the second ring. “Hey, brother. How’s Lola doing?”
“I’d say she’s doing very well. Last night, she was dancing through the house in her rainbow tutu, singing ‘Girls Just Want to Have Fun’ at the top of her lungs.”
“Interesting song choice for a six-year-old, don’t you think?”
“Don’t get me started,” I mumble.
Lola has quickly fallen in love with Marlow’s ’80s pop hits playlist, and to say my daughter is now obsessed is an understatement.
“Are you going into the office today?”
“No, that’s why I’m calling. I’m taking the day off,” I inform him. “I’ve already texted Max to have him reschedule my meetings.”
“You’ll be out the whole day?” He sounds shocked. “You want to tell me what this is about? Because I can count on one hand the number of days you’ve had off in the past three years. And most of those, you ended up working from home.”
That’s accurate. Yesterday, I answered emails and worked on a financial report while Lola slept in. I don’t like sitting around and figured I might as well work, since something always needs my attention.
“Marlow caught whatever bug Lola had, and I don’t want to leave her alone in this condition,” I explain quickly.
“Wait, are you referring to Lola’s nanny? The same Marlow, who is also your next-door neighbor?” he goads me. “Mom will be ecstatic when she hears about this.”
“I thought you were above gossip?”
“Oh, I have no intention of telling her. But we both know once Cash catches wind of this, he’ll call Presley, and she’ll inevitably spill the beans to Mom. Haven’t you heard? There are no secrets in this family,” he says with a hint of sarcasm.
“Yeah, I know,” I mutter. I’m grateful for my close-knit relationship with my family, but I wish they’d be a little less invested in my personal matters. At least I can count on my dad and Harrison to be voices of logic when everyone else gets carried away.
“I guess I should have seen this coming,” Harrison says.
I rest my shoulder against the wall. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’re a caregiver by nature, Dylan. You can’t help but lend a hand when someone you care about could use support.” He pauses briefly. “Wait a second, isn’t Marlow younger than you? Weren’t you the one who gave Jack a hard time for being too old to date Presley?”
“Presley is my kid sister; of course, I’m going to be protective.” I don’t mention the ten-year age gap between Marlow and me. It’s not relevant. “And for the record, nothing is happening between Marlow and me. She’s been incredibly helpful with Lola, and I’d like to return the favor.”
It’s nobody’s business that we’ve kissed or that all I can think about is doing it again, even though I shouldn’t.
“Mm-hmm. Sure.” I roll my eyes at his playful skepticism. “Listen, I’m walking into a board meeting, so I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Yeah, sounds good,” I say.
I hang up the phone and tuck it into my back pocket.
I’m glad we were able to chat. It was nice to catch a glimpse of his fun-loving side. Our conversations are usually strictly about work since he’s too busy for anything else these days.
When I check on Marlow, she’s fast asleep.
I head downstairs and spend a good five minutes scouring her kitchen for a pad of sticky notes and a pen. I leave her a note in case she wakes up before I get back from taking Lola to school.
Waffles follows me around the house and lets out a low whine when I’m about to leave.
“What is it, boy?”
He looks longingly at the front door, and it occurs to me that he most likely hasn’t been let out since last night. He should probably go on a walk this morning, too, and Marlow’s in no condition to take him.
I let out a heavy sigh. “Fine, you win. You can come over to see Lola, but just this once, and you’re not allowed on the furniture, got it?”
He scratches at the door impatiently. I search for his leash, finding it wedged under a pair of Marlow’s sneakers in the living room. I have no clue how she finds anything in this mess.
I make the mistake of opening the front door before putting Waffles’ leash on, and he bolts outside.
“Waffles, wait,” I shout.
He completely ignores me, hightailing it to my yard. At least I know where he’s going, avoiding a high-speed chase. His behavior further proves my point that he needs to be trained. Starting today.