Damaged Goods: A Single Dad & Nanny Romance

by Rye Hart

  “Why do you say that?” she said, looking at me with an expression of pure indignation.

  “Because it would be too easy to sneak your boyfriend in, and they're not cool with that,” I said. “Dad would have sealed up the patio door with cement before he let you stay down there.”

  Riley sighed. “It's frustrating,” she said. “They forget that I'm almost eighteen. It's only a few months away, and they still treat me like a child.”

  “Because you live under their roof, Riley,” I said. “But you'll be graduating soon and can go away to college somewhere far away. Or not. Whatever you want to do.”

  “I don't think we can both live in the basement after high school, can we?” she teased.

  It wasn't much, but it was the first time she'd joked with me since I'd been back. Back in the day, we'd cut up with each other, hurling insults and going back and forth with one another. It was a fun time and we'd gotten along really well. I was happy to see my sister starting to come back to me.

  “Be like old times?” I said with a laugh. “Nah, I hope I can figure out my life and eventually move out on my own again anyway. I just have no idea where to start yet, but I'm working on it.”

  “At least the surf shop is a start,” she said. “You always did love surfing.”

  “Yeah, and I get to work with kids,” I said. “And since I have some early childhood education credits and child CPR under my belt, that's a plus.”

  “You always did like kids,” Riley said, rolling her eyes. “Which I don't understand. At all.”

  “Yeah, I know,” I said, raising an eyebrow. “So, I hear you've been watching the Pratt kids next door sometimes. How'd that go?”

  “Terrible,’ she said. “They hated me. Kept asking when you'd come back.”

  “So, you don't mind if I maybe start watching them again?”

  “No, of course not,” she said. “Have at it. I'm going to get a job at the movie theater with Seth anyway.”

  I wanted to ask if perhaps that would be spending a little too much time with him, especially since they spent just about every other waking moment together, but, that wasn't any of my business. If she was happy, so be it. High school romances hardly lasted very long anyway. And with college coming up for her, and the possibility of her going away somewhere, there was a shelf life on her romance with Seth.

  Not that I was the expert on any of that. I'd never liked any of the guys I'd gone to high school with; they were always too immature. My parents always said I was more mature than any of them, and they were probably right. Fact of the matter was, I still didn't care for guys my age.

  Now Marcus Pratt next door? That was a man I could see myself dating, at least, if my father didn't murder us both first.

  “Well, I'm always here to talk if you need to, sis,” I said. “I'm just downstairs now. A lot closer than San Diego.”

  I had to get ready for work, so I went downstairs. It was warm day, so I opened the slider in the family room and could hear Zoey and Zack laughing together in the backyard. Marcus was such a devoted father, it impressed me so much. I loved listening to the sound of their laughter as I got ready for work.

  There was a knock on the screen door and I jumped nearly jumped out of my skin. I turned and saw Marcus standing there, looking in at me.

  “Sorry, didn't mean to frighten you,” he said.

  “It's okay,” I replied. “I was just kind of off in my own little world. Wasn't expecting anybody to knock. What's up?”

  “Yeah, sorry about that,” he said sheepishly. “I was just wondering if you'd watch the kids for me tomorrow night?

  “Sure,” I said, smiling brightly. “I'd love to. What time do you need me?”

  “Maybe around six?” he said. “I might be out late, so you could sleep over in the spare room if you like.”

  “It's not far to walk,” I said with a laugh.

  “Yeah, but it could be really late and you might want to go to bed before I get home.”

  Marcus was never one to be out late. I cocked my head to the side and stared at him carefully, a laugh erupting from my mouth before I could stop myself.

  “Do you have a date, Mr. Pratt?”

  His face turned a bright shade of red and he looked away from me. “Maybe? I don't know if I'd call it a date, but – yeah, I guess it's a date. Sort of.”

  A twinge of misplaced jealousy simmered inside of me, but I pushed it away. “Where are you taking the lucky lady?”

  “To a concert at the Hollywood Bowl,” he said. “Her idea. Not mine. She's a big fan of Train, and I guess they're playing tomorrow night. Her friend cancelled on her, so it’s a last minute sort of thing.”

  “Sounds like a good time,” I said.

  “Suppose so.” He scratched his head and didn't look entirely interested in talking about it. As long as I'd lived next door to him, I couldn't recall him going out a whole lot, especially late at night. “Anyway, thank you. I know the kids will be very excited to have you watching them again.”

  “Always love spending time with the little misfits.”

  He turned to leave, and my eyes followed him. I couldn't help myself. I watched his ass as he walked out the door and back through the gate to his place. Whoever he was dating was one lucky woman, that was for sure.

  ooo000ooo

  The next evening, I popped over to the Pratt household at six on the dot, as promised. Zoey was just getting out of the bath when I arrived. Her hair was wet as she ran up to me, hugging me close.

  “Yay! I'm so glad you're here with us tonight, Emma,” she said.

  “Gosh, I missed you! You're getting so big, Zoey,” I said.

  Zack stood off to the side, looking bashful. He'd always been a little more introverted than his sister. He was also freshly bathed and was already in his Superman pajamas.

  Marcus came rushing into the foyer, wearing black dress pants and a dark blue button up shirt. He looked nice. Really nice. Freshly shaven and everything. When he stepped close, I caught a subtle whiff of his cologne and felt my heart doing cartwheels in my chest.

  “The kids have been fed and bathed,” Marcus said. “I told them they could stay up until eight to watch one movie with you – just one though – and then it's bedtime. No arguments, right guys?”

  Zoey and Zack exchanged a mischievous look that said, “what Dad doesn't know won't hurt him.” Then, they turned to him with wide eyes, the picture of pure innocence, and nodded.

  Marcus looked at them skeptically. “One movie and then bed,” he repeated. “Period. Don't even try to convince Emma to let you stay up later. It's my rule, not hers. Got it?”

  The kids looked crushed, but nodded. He turned to me, giving me a small grin.

  “There's some lasagna in the fridge if you get hungry,” he said. “As always, help yourself to anything in the kitchen. The spare bedroom is made up for you in case you get tired.”

  “It's all good, Marcus,” I said with a laugh. “Go, enjoy your date. I got this.”

  He flashed me a crooked smile. “Thanks again, Emma. You're the best with the kids and I'm glad you're back.”

  “You know I love these munchkins,” I said with a laugh. “Now go. Don't keep your date waiting.”

  “She's actually picking me up here,” he said.

  I raised an eyebrow. “A modern woman? I approve already.”

  “It's not like that,” he said. “She works nearby and it's just easier – hell, why am I explaining myself?”

  “I don't know,” I said with a shrug and a laugh. “Because I'm not judging you. Whatever works these days.”

  Not that I had a lot of experience with dating. The problem with being raised by such a strict father was that he had high standards for who could date his daughters. Seth really didn't pass that test, but Riley didn't care all that much. Being the firstborn, I was exceptionally close to our father and always wanted to impress him – including with my choice in men. So, if a boy I was interested in didn't meet my father
's standards, he didn't meet mine either.

  There was a knock on the door and I ushered the kids out of the foyer and into the living room. I figured with it being a first date and all, it was going to be awkward enough. I didn't want to add to the awkwardness of having those two munchkins hanging around. I let them pick out a movie, but I wasn't paying attention to their selection.

  My gaze was on the foyer where a beautiful leggy redhead stepped inside with a wide smile on her face. She was stunning, a classic beauty, just the type of woman I could see him being with honestly. There was a knot in the pit of my stomach when I saw her. Yes, I was jealous. Even though I knew it was silly, I was still jealous that she would be going on a date with someone as amazing as Marcus. Somebody I'd been crushing on for so long.

  They popped their heads in the living room to wave goodbye.

  “Emma, this is Stacey,” he said. “Stacey, this is Emma. She lives next door.”

  “It's nice to meet you, Stacey,” I said.

  I shook her hand, but her gaze wasn't on me. She was staring at the kids with a look of absolute fear in her eyes. In that instant, I could see that she didn't like kids, which was kind of a big deal. But I wasn't going to call her out or make a scene; that wasn't my place.

  “Daddy, before you go – I love you!” Zoey said, rushing for her father and nearly knocking Stacey down in the process.

  Stacey backed away, scowling at the girl in disgust. She quickly changed her expression, however, when Marcus turned to her.

  “Ready to go?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she said eagerly – almost too eagerly, if you asked me – and quickly turned toward the door.

  “It was nice meeting you!” I shouted to her as she briskly walked away, but received no response. Oh well.

  “She doesn't like kids, does she?” Zoey asked me, smart and intuitive beyond her years.

  “Oh, I don't know,” I said. “Maybe she's just shy around new people.”

  I was lying through my teeth. The look she had given Zoey was clear; she was not fond of children. Why date a man with two kids if you didn't like them then?

  “Well, I didn't like her,” Zoey said, sitting down on the sofa facing the television.

  “Me neither,” Zack piped in.

  Poor Marcus. Even if he did decide he liked Stacey, his kids were going to veto the girl, which, knowing him, meant he'd veto the girl. And I couldn't say that I blamed them, not one little bit.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  MARCUS

  Stacey was beautiful and, according to her dating profile, we had a lot in common. She worked in the financial industry, as did I. She listened to the same kinds of music I did, we liked the same movies and books. On paper, we were a perfect match. But when we met in person, there was nothing between us. No spark, no connection, no nothing.

  No, I didn't expect love at first sight, but I expected something. If we had so much in common, like our dating profiles suggested, we should have had lots to talk about.

  But talking didn't come naturally, for either of us. There were a lot of long, awkward silences and pauses in the conversation. It was strained.

  “So, you played football in college?” she asked over dinner.

  “I did,” I responded. “UCLA.”

  “Really? I went to UCLA.” she said.

  Yet another thing we had in common.

  “Oh yeah?” I asked. “What did you major in?”

  “Business,” she said. “Obviously. You?”

  “After changing my major a few times, the same,” I said. “What year did you graduate?”

  She'd gone to school a few years after I'd graduated, so we were probably never on campus at the same time. Still, it was kind of neat that we were both Bruins. But that's where that line of conversation ended.

  I saw how she'd responded to Zoey earlier, even though she'd tried to hide it. I wanted to bring it up, to ask her about her comfort level around kids since that was pretty damn important if she wanted to date me. My kids were my world and I wouldn't sacrifice their comfort or happiness for anybody. I hoped that maybe she was just nervous or shy around kids. I couldn't blame her for that. If it was just a matter of her getting comfortable on her own terms, that was something I could work with.

  “Do you have any kids?” I asked knowing full well that her online profile hadn't mentioned any.

  “Oh, no,” she said with a laugh and wide eyes. “No, no way. No kids.”

  That response drew a raised eyebrow from me as the red flags in my head started waving.

  “I mean, I like kids just fine,” she said quickly. “Other people's kids. I just never wanted to have any of my own. Never met the right guy either, but I've been too focused on my career, honestly kids were the last thing on my mind.”

  “I see,” I said. “Well, I obviously have two.”

  She was quiet and stared down at her hands. This was going to be a problem, I could tell.

  “So, you were married before?”

  “Yes, I was,” I said, stiffening up. I hated telling my story to new people, especially dates.

  “Divorced then, I take it?”

  “Uhh no, actually, she died about four years ago.”

  Stacey's eyes grew wide. “I'm so sorry, Marcus. I didn't mean to – ”

  “It's fine,” I said.

  Though in all honesty, it was far from fine. I never stopped loving my wife, and yes, every single date felt like I was cheating on her somehow. It was an issue I was going to have to work through with Dr. Miller, but that would come in time. But I was smart enough to know that mentioning that little fun fact about myself wouldn't go over too well. It was my ‘get out of jail free’ card.

  “How did she – I mean, if you don't mind me asking?”

  “Car accident,” I said, my jaw clenching. “She was hit by a drunk driver. The kids weren't with her, thankfully. Zack was only a baby, Zoey was a toddler. She was out with friends, a much needed girl's night out, and well – ”

  I trailed off. I could tell it made Stacey uncomfortable to hear about my dead wife. Anger, dark and abiding started to bubble up inside of me. If she didn't want to hear about it, she damn well shouldn't have asked in the first place. The awkward silence that had enveloped us earlier returned, and we ate our dinner quickly, avoiding one another's eyes.

  I knew this wasn't going to work out, but I also felt bad backing out and making her go to the concert alone. As we walked to her car, she stopped and turned to me, an awkward look on her face.

  “Listen, Marcus, you seem like a great guy – ”

  “But it's not going to work out,” I finished for her with a smile. “I was actually thinking the same thing.”

  “So, if you want to – I dunno, go home to your kids? I can probably get one of my friends to go to the concert with me,” she said. “It's no big deal.”

  I got myself dumped before the date officially got started. That was a new one. But I couldn't deny that I was relieved.

  “Yeah, that works. I'll just call an Uber,” I said.

  “You sure? I could drive you home?”

  “Nah, you go ahead,” I said. “I wouldn't want you to be late for the concert.”

  She left me there, in the parking lot of the restaurant, and I called an Uber to come pick me up. Talk about a terrible first date, but hell, at least I didn't waste my time with her.

  ooo000ooo

  The television was on when I stepped inside, and Emma, who was sitting on the couch, nearly jumped out of her skin.

  “Jesus! You scared me!” she said with a laugh.

  She was already in pajamas – a spaghetti strap tank top and boy shorts. It was hard not to notice how fit she'd gotten in the last few years. She had curves in all the right places and her tank top really accentuated her breasts. Her legs were smooth and muscular, yet lean . And yes, I was staring.

  “I'm sorry, I should have called first,” I said.

  Emma looked at the clock, then at me. “That was either
the shortest concert in the history of concerts or you don't trust me with your babies anymore. Which is it?”

  “Neither,” I said with a laugh as I took a seat across from her. She stretched those lean legs out on the couch and pushed her bust out as she stretched – not openly gawking was incredibly difficult. “We knew it wasn't going to work out pretty quickly and decided to just part ways. No need to spend the next few hours together if we hated every minute of it, right?”

  “That bad?” she said, crunching up her face as she said it. Damn, she was cute.

  “Yeah, it was bad,” I said and chuckled.

  “I'm sorry,” she said. “To be honest, I didn't like her from the get go. Neither did your kids. I think you made the right choice.”

  “Yeah, me too,” I said.

  “The right woman is out there for you, Mr. Pratt,” she said reassuringly. “You'll find her, and when you do, all these misadventures will be hilarious stories for you to tell.”

  I didn't ask her the question that was rattling around in my head, the question that had been rattling around in my head for the last five years. What if I'd already found my soul mate, the one woman I was meant to be with, and now she was dead? Instead, I teased her.

  “Wise words for someone your age,” I said. “Sounds like you have years and years of dating experience under your belt to draw from.”

  “Or maybe I'm just wise beyond my years?” she said, smiling. “That's what my dad says at least. I honestly haven't dated too many guys. They're all just obnoxious and immature.”

  I laughed. The thought of someone as beautiful as Emma not dating, was funny. She could have her pick of men, and now that she was in her early twenties, she didn't have to stay home all the time or follow her parent's rules like she did before. She could do what she wanted and no doubt, had a line of guys salivating at the chance to date her.

  But I could see what her father meant about her. She actually was wise beyond her years.

  “I would like to say that the older you get, the less obnoxious they get, but that would be a lie,” I said.

  “See? Even you admit your gender kinda sucks,” she said. “I'm pretty sure I'm going to be alone forever.”