Extensive (A Single Dad Box Set)

by Claire Adams

  “I don’t remember my mom,” Gina said. “So, I think it’s okay for Daddy to meet a new mom.”

  That was a touchy subject to discuss with her. Kids this age were like sponges, and I’d hate for Gina to repeat anything to Noah that I said about the topic, so I avoided it for the time being.

  While making our lunch, I thought about how Gina’s life was going to turn out without a mother. As much as me and my mom had issues, I wouldn’t be the woman I was without her. Gina would have to rely on her nannies to give her advice for growing up. But what happened when she no longer needed a nanny? The thought made my heart hurt. I wondered if Noah ever made time to date. Though with his schedule, I doubted it. If he barely had time to see Gina, I bet he never made time to look for a girlfriend, let alone a wife.

  I was sure he was still affected by his wife’s death, but it had been three years. It was time to move on. And Gina needed a mother. I knew he would be less stressed out if he had a consistent woman in their lives.

  Gina cared so much for Noah. I hoped he would do this little thing for her so she could grow up with two loving parents.

  Around five, Gina and I were playing outside in her huge backyard on the massive wooden playset when I heard a car come up the driveway. I brought her over with me to peer through the fence to see Noah coming up the walkway.

  I had to check my phone again to make sure I had the right time.

  “Your dad is home,” I said.

  Gina bolted to the sliding doors, and I sprinted to keep up. They opened as she approached and she flung herself into Noah’s arms.

  “Hey, honey,” he said, lifting her into the air.

  Her little face scrunched up as she hugged him tight against her.

  “Hey, Jess,” he said.

  “Hi. How was your day?” I asked.

  He placed Gina on the ground, and she took off toward the swings again. We both walked over.

  “Busy as usual. How was Gina?”

  “She was great,” I said. “I took the car out to this local bakery that I love, and we picked up some bread. Then we did a few errands. That car drives nice.”

  He nodded. “It has the best safety rating.”

  During Gina’s nap, I had checked the MSRP on the car, out of curiosity. The car was worth over eighty grand. Even though his house was massive and I knew he made a ton of money, the sticker value still shocked me. I could do a lot with that kind of money.

  He stood behind Gina on the swing and started to push her.

  “Higher!” she cried, giggling as he obeyed her request.

  I stood next to him, watching them interact. If someone were to take a picture of this moment, no one would guess that Noah was a single father who barely had time for a home life. They loved each other so much. The thought brought heat to my eyes.

  “She loves to swing,” I said.

  “She certainly does,” he said. “When she was younger, the only way I could get her to stop crying was in one of those mechanical swings. And then she’d sit there all day, looking around and smiling.”

  “That’s a beautiful memory,” I said.

  He nodded.

  I didn’t want to interrupt any of their bonding time, so I said, “I’ll make you two a quick dinner before I go if you want? I can whip up some pasta. It pairs with that bread—”

  “On Fridays, we order pizza,” he said.

  “With cannoodles!” Gina said.

  Noah chuckled. “With cannolis.”

  “Oh, okay,” I said. “I guess I’ll see—”

  “You’re welcome to stay,” he interrupted.

  “Please stay!” Gina begged.

  I didn’t have any plans. I rarely made plans the nights I worked in case parents came home late. But none ever asked me to stay for dinner. “I would love to. As long as I’m not intruding.”

  “Not at all,” he said. “It should be here around five-thirty. I ordered on the way home.”

  The pizza and dessert arrived right on time. Noah insisted we use paper plates since they were easier to clean up. Even though he was rarely home, he knew his way around a kitchen. It was almost cute.

  We all sat at the kitchen table together.

  “So, tell me more about yourself,” Noah said. “This hiring process moved along a lot quicker than I expected and I didn’t get to ask many personal questions.”

  “I’m an open book. What do you want to know?” I said.

  “When did you move to the States?”

  “About four years ago,” I said. “After graduating college, I moved out here on a whim, and I haven’t looked back.

  “I bet your family misses you,” he said.

  “I only have my mom out there,” I said, and I hoped he didn’t delve deeper into the subject. History with my family wasn’t something I shared with anyone, especially my employer.

  “We don’t have much family around either,” Noah said and then ruffled Gina’s hair. She swatted at his hand. “My wife had been an only child, and her parents had passed away before we were married. I have a brother who lives in Texas with his family, but we don’t see each other much.”

  “On the phone we do!” Gina said.

  Noah smiled. “We do video chat on occasion with her cousins.”

  “That’s really sweet,” I said. I hoped Mom never figured out video chatting or else I was sure I’d have to keep my apartment much cleaner for her inspecting eyes.

  We chatted more about our personal lives, keeping the subjects lighter on a professional level. This was the most I’d talked to Noah since knowing him, and I liked him even more after the conversation. In addition to being attractive, he was funny and absolutely adorable with Gina. He spoke to her like another person instead of a child, a trait that I admired in anyone who did it.

  After pizza, Noah brought out the box of cannolis.

  “I hate to admit I’ve never had one of these before,” I said.

  “What?” Gina asked.

  “You have no idea what you’re missing,” Noah said, reaching across the table to place the dessert on my plate.

  “So yummy,” Gina said while licking the end of hers.

  I took a bite, acutely aware that their attention was on me. The sweet, creamy filling had a unique taste and mixed with the crunch of the shell and the powdered sugar on top. I was in heaven.

  “Oh my God,” I said with my mouth full.

  Gina giggled. “Told you it was good.”

  “You were right,” I said. I finished off the dessert in two bites.

  Noah handed me the box. “This is why we get more than enough.”

  I took another one and thanked him.

  Gina opened her mouth in a wide yawn.

  “All right,” Noah said, standing up from the table. “I think it’s time for you to get going to bed.”

  “Do I have to?” Gina whined.

  “Yes,” he said.

  He turned to me, and I held up a hand. “I’ll clean up.”

  “Thank you,” he said.

  When they left, I finished off my second cannoli and eyed the box. I decided not to take another one and started picking up the plates. It didn’t take me long to finish, and I would have left, but I wasn’t sure if Noah needed me for the weekend. For as much as we talked at dinner, we hadn’t spoken about logistics.

  While waiting for him to come back downstairs, I went outside and cleaned up the outdoor toys Gina and I had played with earlier. Then I picked up around the kitchen and living room. As much as I tried to keep tidy during the day, it was tough when Gina went from activity to activity in a matter of minutes.

  About ten minutes later, I heard movement from the stairs.

  “You’re still here,” he said. His tie was gone, and the top two buttons of his shirt were open.

  “Yes, I wanted to talk to you about this weekend. If you wanted me to come in regular time or later? I wasn’t sure of your schedule.”

  “You’re off this weekend. I made sure I had it free to s
pend time with Gina.”

  “Oh, that’s good,” I said. Then I thought of Gina’s conversation with me earlier. “Gina does miss you. She talks about all the time you spend together.”

  He sighed. “I wish it could be more.”

  “You’re a busy single father, she understands,” I said. “At least I try and remind her of that when I can.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Speaking of busy,” I said. “She did mention today that she thinks you would be happy with another woman in your life.”

  “She did?”

  “Yeah,” I said. “I wanted you to know what she thought of the idea, in case you were dating anyone.”

  He chuckled. “I’m not dating anyone.”

  “Well, so that you know,” I said. “I don’t mind working weekends or weekend nights if you need a sitter.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” he said and glanced at the clock.

  I took that as a sign to leave. “Have a good night, and thanks for the pizza.”

  “See you Monday.”

  “See you.” I walked out of the house feeling quite flushed. Thankfully, the air had cooled, and it felt amazing against my heated cheeks. Even if Noah wasn’t willing to move forward with dating, I wondered what I could do to help Gina and Noah in finding him a wife.

  Chapter Nine

  Noah

  The transition from Layla to Jess went smoother than I anticipated. Two weeks after hiring her, my life had completely reverted to the time before Layla quit. I was able to leave for work on time every morning and not worry about Gina all day. Sure, I thought about her, but I didn’t worry that her nanny couldn’t keep up with her. And as if Jess knew I thought about Gina often, she sent me at least one photo a day of Gina doing some activity. I wanted to tell Jess that she didn’t need to check-in, but I didn’t want the pictures to stop either.

  Sometimes the photos would have Jess and Gina together, and if anyone else didn’t know their relationship, the two could have been mother and daughter.

  The highlight of my day was getting home to both of them each night. How did I ever get so lucky?

  My office phone rang. Allison’s name scrolled across the caller ID. I picked it up.

  “Noah, Brandon is here to see you,” she said.

  “Send him in,” I said. I stood and buttoned my suit jacket to greet my best friend.

  Brandon walked in. He was bundled up in a heavy coat and scarf.

  I crossed the room and shook his hand. “It’s not that cold out.”

  “Dude,” Brandon said. “I was near the equator for a month. This weather is taking a little getting used to.”

  “Do you want me to turn up the heat in here?” I asked.

  He pulled a face and stripped off his jacket, but left the scarf. “I think I’ll be fine.” He went over to the window and sat on the couch. “Dude, this vacation was one of our best ones.”

  Brandon and his wife, Amelia, took at least one big trip every year. Last year, they toured Europe for two months. The idea of that was fun, but with my job and Gina, I’d never be able to swing it.

  “We laid by the water almost every single day.”

  “You look it.” His face was much darker than it had been the last time I’d saw him. What I wouldn’t give to be on a beach in the middle of winter.

  “You should try and come with us next time,” he said.

  “And be your third wheel?” I asked and shook my head.

  “Since when do you have a problem being a third wheel with us?”

  He was right. Brandon and I met in high school, and he met Amelia in college, so we’d all known each other a long time.

  “I couldn’t leave Gina for a month,” I said. “Unless you plan a child-friendly vacation.”

  Brandon paled.

  “That was a joke,” I said.

  Brandon clicked his tongue. “These vacations are definite perks of not having children. No offense.”

  “None taken.” I wouldn’t trade Gina for any vacation. I’d rather be shackled at home and have her then go on fancy vacations each year. Brandon and I had different priorities.

  “We drank and ate so much on the cruise,” Brandon said, patting his flat stomach for emphasis. “I need to get back to the gym as soon as possible.”

  I sat down next to him and prodded for him to tell me more about the vacation. At least I could live vicariously through him. Eventually, I’d go on vacations again, when Gina was older. But for now, I liked hearing all of the places that Brandon visited. He somehow always managed to find really great local restaurants or shops or new places off the beaten path to explore. Something that wouldn’t be possible with a toddler.

  “Did you find a new nanny?” he asked when he finished talking about the trip. I wasn’t sure if he sensed my attention fading away. I had a million things to do before getting home to Gina and Jess.

  “I did,” I said. “It’s funny how it worked out.” I recapped the hiring process for Jess. “Gina loves her. Jess is a sweet girl. She’s Australian, and Gina always has a new slang word to tell me each day. Jess has been taking Gina to all of these different places around the city to keep busy. I’m glad to have scooped her up when I could. She’s fantastic. She’s a lifesaver, and I’m not sure what I would have done without her.”

  Brandon furrowed his eyebrows.

  Had I said something wrong? “What?”

  “Are you talking about a nanny or your next girlfriend?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Dude, you’re grinning like a man in love.”

  “I’m not in love with her,” I said. “She’s my kid’s nanny.”

  “Are you sure?” he asked.

  “Of course I’m sure,” I said. I thought back on how I described Jess. I didn’t see anything wrong with complimenting the way she was with Gina. That was Brandon though. He and Amelia were always scheming to get me together with any single female they knew.

  While Brandon was away, I’d had a nice break from their obsession with my single status. I knew they meant well, but they were happily in love and married, I was happily in love with my daughter and married to my work. And for Brandon to think that I liked Jess was ludicrous. What was so wrong with being happy with my nanny? Was it because she was younger? I hated that stigma. Sure, Jess was attractive, but there were plenty of attractive women that I employed, and I never expressed any favor towards them.

  Sometimes my best friend had blinders on. Or maybe Amelia was talking about me behind my back on how I needed to have a woman in my life. As much as I loved the two of them, I wished they would stop meddling. I was perfectly happy in my life. It wasn’t the typical 2.5 kids and a white picket fence, but I’d had a wife before. And she died. I didn’t need to get married again to have my life fulfilled.

  “She’s just the nanny,” I said. “And nothing more.”

  “I don’t believe you,” he said with a smirk.

  Now he was getting on my nerves. “I’m not sure what else I could say to convince you.”

  “Have you been on a date since hiring her?” Brandon asked.

  What the hell did that have to do with anything? “I haven’t been on a date since that last woman you tried to hook me up with. Hillary, I think?”

  Brandon made a face. “That was Amelia’s choice.”

  “Well, I wish you would allow me to make my own choices when it comes to dating.”

  Brandon held up his hands in a surrendering motion. “I get it, bro. I’ll stop. But I can’t guarantee you that Amelia will end her search for your next soul mate.”

  “I’ll be sure to avoid her from now on then.”

  Brandon chuckled. “You can try, but she knows where you live.”

  When I got home later that night, Brandon’s comments still weighed on my mind. If he saw something in the way I described Jess, then I’d have to make an effort for no one else to see whatever expression or thought had tipped him off. I wouldn’t want Jess to feel uncomfortab
le with me and quit after thinking I had feelings for her.

  I hated how Brandon got in my head about this.

  Inside the house, I heard Jess giving Gina a bath. Tonight was one of my late working nights, but ever since Jess came into our lives, I’d managed to put Gina to bed most nights.

  Walking up to the bathroom door, I heard Jess singing the alphabet song to Gina. Gina sang along with her, but I stopped and listened anyway. I closed my eyes and imagined Wendy doing that with Gina. When Wendy was pregnant with Gina, she used to sing to her growing belly all the time.

  I shoved the thoughts away and knocked on the door.

  The singing immediately stopped as I walked through into the bathroom.

  Jess knelt by the tub while Gina held a rubber ducky in her hand and was pretending to make it fly.

  “Hey,” Jess said.

  “Daddy!” Gina exclaimed.

  “I wanted to let you know I was home,” I said. “I’ll let you finish up.”

  Jess picked up a towel from behind her. “We’re finished.”

  Jess pulled Gina from the tub and dried her off. Gina jumped up and down, and her little teeth were chattering.

  “Cold, cold, cold,” she chanted.

  “Let’s get you into PJs, okay?” Jess said.

  “I want to pick!” Gina said, running from the room, leaving the towel behind.

  Jess stood up and gathered all of the bath toys into the small plastic storage container. “How was your day?”

  I enjoyed our little catch-ups at the end of each day. “A friend of mine came to visit. He was on vacation for a month.”

  “Wow,” she said, turning on the water to clean out the tub. “That must be nice.”

  I noticed myself smiling. Had that been what Brandon saw? I wiped my hand across my face and ended up with a more neutral expression. “Brandon and his wife seem always to be traveling.”

  “Have you and Gina gone anywhere with them before?” I asked.

  “No,” I said, even though it wasn’t for lack of want. “With the business and taking care of her, there isn’t much time.”

  “You keep saying that,” she said with a small smile.

  I narrowed my eyes. “My business is important to me.”