“I already told him you don’t babysit anymore,” my dad says. “He insisted.”
“Your dad told me your last few attempts at babysitting didn’t turn out so well, but I promise Brianna won’t try and light anything on fire, or sneak up on you and cut your hair with scissors. She’s very calm and respectful, especially for her age.
I think back about how I promised myself I’d never even consider making an attempt to babysit again.
Not only did I promise myself, but I also told my dad.
Once I make a decision I stick with it, and my dad knows it too. I can only imagine how much effort Joshua must have put in just to get my dad to call me downstairs. My dad knows I’ll say no.
And in any other case he’d be right.
“I’d love to,” I say.
I see my dad’s eyebrow raise out of the corner of my eye, and I know I’m going to have some explaining to do.
CHAPTER 5
Joshua
I turn the stereo knob, and the music kicks even louder through the speakers. Take Me Home Tonight, by Eddie Money plays inside my car at a volume much too loud to be considered safe for my ears. That’s exactly how I feel right now…like money. About two billion dollars worth.
The meeting went better than I could have imagined. I quickly found out why the gentleman wanted a face-to-face. He was none other than the legendary Satoshi Nakamoto, the original creator of Bitcoin. He, or at least the face of the group if rumors were correct, wanted to buy all my computer hardware and my Bitcoin. Two billion for the entire thing. Okay, two point one billion to be precise, but what’s a hundred million between new friends?
Brianna was going to be set for life. Me too. Everything I ever wanted would now be within reach. Not that I wanted much though, and the things I always wanted were the things you couldn’t put a price tag on. Honesty. Commitment. Loyalty. All three both given and received. And of course the woman of my dreams.
Although extremely rare, the first three could be traits of anyone, a man or a woman. The last could only be one. By definition there’s only one woman of my dreams, and up to this point I’d never met her. Not even close.
I’d never admit to it, but I’m a romantic at heart. It’s just that being as old as I am, I’ve tempered my thoughts about it. But I haven’t given up. I never met Miss Right, and was starting to think it wasn’t in the cards for me.
Truth be told I didn’t think much about it at all anymore. I was already a hair over 40, and now I had a different kind of woman in my life. A young girl to watch over and raise as my own.
But ever since Diana rang on that bell yesterday, things have been totally different.
Months and months of trying to connect with Brianna and I couldn’t succeed. Diana reached her on a level I couldn’t, and only in a matter of seconds.
And Diana’s magic touch didn’t end there. Brianna seemed happier today, especially when I told her Diana would be spending some time with her tonight.
And if that wasn’t enough, now I have an agreement to complete the sale of the company and my Bitcoin. Just another thing that I’d been working on, without much luck, until suddenly Diana walked into my life.
Was she my good luck charm? I believe more in hard work than luck, but the saying is true…sometimes it’s better to be lucky.
Diana texted me about thirty minutes into watching Brianna and told me everything was going great.
I thought to check up on them after I finished the meeting, but it would only take me ten minutes to get home. I’d rather save my enthusiasm for the face-to-face, than to give the good news over the phone. Call me old-fashioned, but nothing beats the enjoyment of sharing good news the good ol’ way…in the flesh.
I was out of the car almost before I had it stopped. A couple seconds later and I’m on my doorstep, turning the key.
“Hey girls!”
I lock the door behind me and put the keys in the bowl on the table.
“I’m home.”
Nothing. That’s strange. Did they fall asleep already?
My enthusiasm carries me right into the living room at breakneck speeds, expecting to find them curled up on the couch watching a movie in the dark.
Nope.
I run upstairs and knock on Brianna’s door.
Nothing.
I’m concerned, and I don’t like this one bit.
I call Diana’s number and it rings, and rings, and rings. No answer.
I feel my temperature rise and my hair stand on end.
Where are my girls?
CHAPTER 6
Diana
“One second, Brianna,” I say. I get up and look at my phone.
One missed call from Joshua.
I hit redial and he picks up before it even rings.
“Where are you?”
“Hi Joshua.”
“Is everything okay? What happened?”
“Sorry. I was going to call you earlier, but I didn’t want to interrupt your meeting. We’re over at my place.”
“Is Brianna okay?”
“She’s more than okay. Right Brianna?”
“You mean Princess Brianna?” she says, and I know Joshua can hear it.
“I’ll be right over.”
I run downstairs. Joshua is already at the door, just as I open it.
“What happened? Where’s Brianna?”
“She’s upstairs in my room.”
Joshua runs up the stairs, taking two at a time. At first I feel like I’ve let him down, but I know everything will be okay once he gets the full story.
What I like the most is how concerned he is about Brianna. Besides my dad I don’t know anyone who’s that concerned about my welfare. Brianna definitely experienced tragedy, but if I had to pick someone to step up to the plate and try and do everything they can for that little girl it would definitely be Joshua.
It melts my heart how committed he is to her. I think with a little help in areas Joshua might not be familiar with, Brianna could be on her way to moving forward with her life. I wouldn’t ever expect her to move on…you only have one mom and dad, but with a little yen to balance out the yang, I think she could come to see her future can be bright.
And just as much as I think Brianna needs that help, it’s Joshua that needs the help first so that it can carry thorough to Brianna. I’m not saying I’m the one that has to be there to provide the feminine touch, and someone Brianna can talk to about girl issues, but I’m also not saying that it couldn’t be me. At least for now. If that’s what Brianna and Joshua want.
I grab some chocolate chip cookies and milk from the kitchen and set them on a serving tray. I make my way up the stairs and see the most precious sight. Joshua is combing Brianna’s hair with a Hello Kitty brush.
“Can I offer you a seat?” I ask.
Joshua looks down at the tiny chairs and smiled.
“Can we stack about three of those?”
I laugh so hard I almost drop the serving tray.
“I can get you a bigger—“
“It’s okay,” he says. “I want to fit in. I’ll make it work.”
“Are you sure?”
“I won’t put any weight on it. It will be a good leg workout. I’ll see how long I can hold a squat position.”
I smile at his commitment to joining our little party.
“And then we made cookies,” Brianna says. “And then we came upstairs and I put on makeup and a princess crown, and Diana made me a princess.”
“You already were a princess, honey,” I say. “And don’t forget that it’s called a tiara. Remember? It’s your alter ego. Brianna Tiara.”
“Right, and from now on I’m Brianna Tiara, Joshua.”
“Okay, Brianna Tiara. Is that all the time or just during playtime?”
“Bill St. Pierre says the world is a stage, so it’s always playtime.”
“Bill St. Pierre?” Joshua says.
I cup one hand to the side of my mouth and whisper loudly. “William
Shakespeare was a little much to remember and pronounce, so we kind of gave him a nickname too.”
“I see,” Joshua says. He shakes his head side-to-side, but can’t contain his laughter. He laughs a good three or four seconds with his head facing the carpet before looking back up at me. “Is there anything you two didn’t do tonight?”
“Well, there is one thing that needs some work.”
“Which is?”
“I asked her who the prince would be who came in and rescued her from the dragon.”
“And?” Josh asks as his face shows his anticipation for the answer.
“She said, and I quote, boys are icky. She said she doesn’t need any boy to save her from the dragon. She can do it herself.”
“Atta girl!” Joshua says.
Joshua has show me so much commitment to Brianna already, but nothing speaks louder than knowing this big strong man is in her corner, for life, cheering her on and showing her she can do it. She can be anything she wants to be and do anything she sets her mind to, and even some things she might not think she can. And it’s all because she has the love, support, and positive encouragement from Joshua. He’s going to build her self-esteem and ensure she feels good about herself for as long into he future as I can imagine. What an amazing man for a little girl to have in her life.
It’s so beautiful it makes me want to have him in my life too.
My emotions are running wild right now. I’m so attracted to Joshua that I just want to jump into his arms and feel the same kind of security.
I laugh a little bit.
“What’s so funny?”
Truth be told I imagined jumping into Joshua’s arms as he hovered over that tiny chair. I’m sure if he caught me it would send us both tumbling to the ground, and I’m sure we’d both be rolling on the floor laughing. Not ROTFL the expression, but the real thing. The thing we really want. To feel those magical life moments, and as much as I know that would be the case I have to restrain myself, for now at least.
“You’re not going to tell me?” Joshua asks.
“Sorry. I was just thinking about…boys being icky.”
“They are. She’s not dating until she’s married.”
I laugh again.
“You don’t think boys are icky?” Joshua jokes.
“Well…not all boys.”
“Do you have a boyfriend?”
“Um…well…that was direct.”
“Sorry. I thought it went with the conversation. And I was just wondering…”
Wondering what? Wondering if I had a boyfriend? Wondering about us? Wondering about the global import tariffs on Japanese Matcha Tea?
“Yeah, I wonder sometimes too.” What am I saying?
“About?”
“Stuff.”
“Me too. It’s normal,” he says. Clearly our conversation isn’t normal, and I like it. We’re like two teenagers at a high school dance playing a cat-and-mouse game trying to figure out what the other thinks without revealing what we think first.
I grab one of the chairs and swing it around, sitting down next to Brianna. Josh is just inches from me, and I can feel the heat from his body. I can smell his scent. It’s musky. Part cologne and part natural. A mix that couldn’t be duplicated in a million years.
I feel the tension in the room, and as much as I want to break it in a way that’s not really appropriate with Brianna right there, I’m just about to.
But I can’t. I have to contain myself.
“Let me help you,” I say. I grab a handful of Brianna’s hair and comb it out straight, but I’ve moved too fast causing her tiara to fall back.
I reach for it, and just as I grab it I feel Joshua’s hand over the top of mine.
His hand feels almost twice as big as mine, but mine must be taking up the same amount of space as his right now because it’s trembling so much.
“Are you okay?” Joshua asks.
“Yeah, I just…didn’t want the tiara to drop.”
“We caught it. Together,” he says, with his hand still resting over the top of mine.
He hasn’t moved it an inch, but my shaking has slowed down quite a bit, as the tension has moved from my hand to my chest. I can feel my heart pounding inside my chest. He’s got me and he’s got me good.
Brianna is faced away from both of us, as she plays with two dolls, one in each hand. His gaze moves from my eyes to my lips, and I feel the butterflies flutter and my lady bits do things they shouldn’t right now.
I want him to kiss me, just as much as I know he wants to.
We just both know it’s so wrong…so, so, wrong.
Brianna’s right here. We’ve got our hands touching her hair for Pete’s sake.
And if that wasn’t enough he’s my neighbor, a lot older, and my dad’s best friend.
And right now I don’t even care about that.
All I see is an amazing man that I want unlike any man, or thing, I’ve ever wanted so much in my entire life.
Him. He’s the one. They say you know when it’s the one. He is the one.
His head moves an inch towards mine. My eyes start to close. The last things I see are his lips.
Boing!
The door swings open and hits the door stop that’s attached to one of those cylinder Slinky type things.
“Joshua.”
“Dave.”
“What…what are you doing in here?”
“Dad, I can explain.” Oh no. I already sound guilty.
“Diana was watching Brianna. She brought her over here instead of watching her at my house.”
“Oh. Right. That was tonight. But…why are you here now? In her room?”
“There are only board games at Joshua’s house, dad. I wanted to do girl things with Brianna.”
“But that doesn’t answer my question.”
“I brought Brianna over here without telling him. When he got home he couldn’t find us and got worried. He called and I told him we were over here. He came running over and wanted to check up on Brianna, to make sure she was okay.”
“I didn’t hear him come in…and it looks like everyone is more than okay right now. I think babysitting time is finished.”
“Okay.”
“Sorry, Dave. It was my fault.”
“You came in the front?”
“Right through the front.”
“Hmmm,” my dad says. “I must have been in the bathroom…or maybe out back feeding the dog.”
“Yeah, we missed each other somehow.”
“Beer downstairs before you go, Joshua?”
“Sure.”
“Good. We need to talk.”
CHAPTER 7
Joshua
I put Brianna to bed before going to bed myself. But I’m not in the mood to sleep. I sit in bed with my back against the headboard. I flip on the reading lamp on the end table and try to settle in with a copy of The Economist.
It’s not working.
All I can think about is her. And if just the thought of her has such a tight grasp on me, there’s no way her dad can’t see it.
I tried to pound my beer and get out of there, but he nursed his. He wanted to take his time and talk. His questions were a little too obvious, and a little too out of left field.
Suddenly my buddy, who’d always lived somewhat vicariously through me, recommends I settle down…with someone who’s age appropriate. I almost felt like I was getting lectured by a parent, but I wasn’t about to push back. Better to just let him get what’s on his chest off, and hope that it will calm him down a little.
Hope.
Just like I hope to see Diana again. But hope only goes so far. With the sale of the business imminent, I can reasonably ask her to watch Brianna one more time. After that I don’t have an easy reason to contact her.
Not that I need a reason, for anybody else at least.
I know what I want and I want her. I’m willing to deal with whatever consequences may come my way. Life is too short not to go after wh
at you want.
Bitcoin Billionaire's Babysitter: A Single Dad Next Door, Older Man Younger Woman Romance (A Man Who Knows What He Wants Book 28) Page 3
