“Let’s dance,” the guy said without even asking me.
“Um, no thank you.”
“Oh, come on, don’t be a cunt. Let’s dance,” he said as he grabbed my arm.
“No,” I screamed at him as Patrick came up to intercept the conversation.
But it wasn’t just Patrick that joined in. Standing next to him was Tyler. The two of them didn’t have to say a thing as they stared the guy down. He let go of my arm and toddled off to the other side of the club. He was obviously drunk, but it was still really scary because he had been so forceful and not interested in whether I wanted to dance with him or not.
“Thanks,” I said to both of them.
“I’m going to head home. I’ve got to get to work in the morning. Tyler says he can take you back to the apartment. Is that alright with you?”
I looked at Patrick with as evil of a stare as I could manage. Had he told Tyler where we were at? There was no way Tyler could have known we were out dancing at the club on a Monday night. I was going to give Patrick a serious piece of my mind the next time the two of us were alone.
“I guess,” I said as I went out to the dance floor, and Tyler came right behind me.
“We should talk.”
“I don’t want to talk. I want to dance.”
“Then let’s dance,” Tyler said as he grabbed me and pulled me close to him.
His hand stayed on my ass while he looked down at me with so much desire that I could hardly stand it. What the heck was he doing? I tried to fight it. I tried to pretend like I wasn’t attracted to him. But there was no denying it – I melted into his arms.
The music pounded in the background, and we moved sexually together. Our hips were finding their own soft rhythm within the bump of the music. At first, I kept my hands on his shoulders, ready to push him away at any moment, but then I gave in. I wrapped myself around him and let the energy between us welcome me into it.
We couldn’t exactly talk while in the club anyway. But our body energy was certainly telling a story without any words needed. Tyler put two fingers under my chin and tilted it up, so I had to look at him.
“I’m sorry,” he mouthed distinctively.
I licked my lips with anticipation as he moved in, and I thought he was going to kiss me. But instead of kissing me on the lips, he kissed my cheek and then pulled away. His hands were gentle with me as he let them glide up and down my back, and I slowly moved closer and closer to him.
For a good hour, we danced together slowly, even though the music in the club was upbeat and fast. Our body language softened, and I felt his compassion and his true feelings of being sorry for the argument we had. The longer I stayed pressed up against his body, the more my own desires for him started to creep up again.
I couldn’t take it any longer and pulled him down to kiss him. Whatever we had fought about was long gone as our mouths played together. I longed for more from him, but the dance floor certainly wasn’t the right place.
“Do you want to take me home?” I whispered in his ear.
“Yes.”
He grabbed my hand and walked out of the club with me right behind him. There was a confidence in his step that I hadn’t seen before when the two of us were around each other. Tyler walked me all the way to where his car was parked before he pulled me up against him and kissed me so passionately I nearly lost my footing.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered between kisses. “I’m a stupid, crazy, man who says stupid things, and I’d really love it if you’d forgive me.”
“Okay,” I said with a smile. “How could I refuse an apology like that?”
“Now here’s my problem. I know you don’t want to be the nanny and be the girl I take out on a date. I understand that. I personally would choose for you to date me and screw the whole nanny idea altogether. But I’ve got to put the kids first. And they love you. They need consistency, and I think I should ask you if you’ll come back and be their nanny, at least through my trip and through the process of finding a new one.”
“Okay.”
“Wait, did you say okay?” He asked totally stunned at my response.
“Yeah, I felt horrible about leaving like I did, and I don’t think I want to be a nanny for you anymore. But I will do it for the next couple of weeks so the kids don’t have to go through a huge transition while you’re gone. Deal?”
Tyler breathed a huge sigh of relief as he opened the car door for me to get in. He clearly had been worried about what I was going to say, and it felt good to put his mind at ease a little.
“So we can go back to my place?” he asked.
“Actually, I do need this week off. I’ll come back this weekend so you can leave for your trip, though. I’ve already scheduled some meetings for this week.”
“What kind of meetings?” he asked a little surprised.
“With a modeling agency. I think I’d really like to give that a go, and I found one that does a lot of work overseas. I sent them a message and some pictures, and they already asked me to come in and take some professional photos with them this week.”
“Okay, anything. If it means you’ll stick around with the kids while I’m gone, then I’m totally going to make it work.”
“I’m not staying around after that. I’ll stay until you hire another nanny, but that’s it. I have too many feelings for you, and it’s really not healthy for me to keep putting myself in that environment.”
“I understand,” Tyler said as he drove toward my apartment. “Do you think I could ask you out on a regular date sometime?”
“Let’s get through the next few weeks first and see how things turn out. I don’t want to make any promises I can’t keep,” I replied as I looked out the window and tried to avoid eye contact with Tyler.
I liked him. I had so many emotions about Tyler that I knew I would go out with him in a second. But things weren’t always that simple, and after the fight we had just had, I was concerned I’d always be thinking of how we met and never really be able to look past it. That wouldn’t be good for either of us.
“I’ll take what I can get for now.” He laughed.
“So I’ll come over on Saturday morning to give you time to get ready and say goodbye to the kids. Does eight o’clock sound okay?”
“Yes. My flight isn’t until early afternoon, so that will work. I’ll be gone exactly two weeks and should return the next Saturday around three o’clock.”
“Perfect. We will have two amazing weeks together doing all the things that you don’t like us doing.” I laughed. “We are going to mud wrestle. Stay up late. Eat lots of candy and probably sit really close to the television.”
“I trust your judgment.” Tyler gave me a little smirk. “Whatever you think is best.”
This was definitely a different guy than the one I knew. The Tyler I knew would have gotten mad about each and every idea I’d just listed off. But I was really happy we had settled this, and I was going to be there with the kids while he was gone. Even if I wasn’t dating him and wouldn’t work for him after this trip, it was the right thing to go back and take care of the kids for the two weeks he was gone.
Chapter 14
Tyler
“How did the send off go?” Rob asked as we boarded our flight.
“It was good. I’m so glad Summer came back to stay. I’m not worried at all with her there. The kids are happy, and they are going to have such a great time with Summer. I can totally concentrate on this pitch with you.”
“Good, because I’m going to let you do a lot of the talking. You’re a little more personable than I am.”
“That’s the truth.” I laughed with him as we sat down in our first class seats.
Neither of us got to enjoy much of the flight since we both fell asleep shortly after takeoff. It was as if the exhaustion from the last few weeks had caught up with us both at the same time.
I thought I was going to be really nervous about our pitch, but we were a good match for this hotel
chain. Obviously, I didn’t know who else was going to be at this pitch-fest, but I knew our company and the outcomes we had been able to deliver in the past. We could skyrocket this chain and make them even more popular among the younger crowd, which was what they were looking for.
***
The next week was a total blur. We were going to so many different parties to mingle and get to know the other people. Our pitch went fantastically, and it was just a matter of waiting out the next few days to see if we needed to go back in for a callback. The artwork for our advertising campaign samples turned out perfectly, and I even managed to make them laugh a little during my PowerPoint presentation.
This new kind of bidding on projects was insanely competitive, though, and as the second week went on and on, I was nearly going to lose my mind. I’m not going to lie – I was worried as hell.
“Let’s go have a drink,” Rob suggested while sitting in my room and talking about our pitch for the last hour of the evening. “You obviously need to get some energy out. I think you’ve paced a hole in the carpet.”
“Yeah, I could really use a drink.”
We made our way downstairs and to the nightclub across the street. The place was crawling with gorgeous women in their twenties who had likely come into town purely because of this pitch fest. Advertising CEOs from across the country were in town, and besides our conferences and meetings, we all had a lot of free time on our hands.
“Lord have mercy; I’ve died and gone to heaven,” Rob said as we walked into the bar.
“Keep it in the holster man; we just got here.” I laughed. “Let’s have a drink and relax. You can go hunting for a lady friend in a few minutes.”
“Dang, look at those ladies. Come on Tyler, be my wing man.”
“You still have a yellow tooth. You’ll never get one of these girls.” I gave a laugh as we found a couple of spots at the bar.
“I’m sure going to try.”
We ordered our drinks, and less than two minutes later, there was a woman standing next to me wanting to talk. She sipped her drink and looked playfully at me as she waited for me to hit on her. Normally, I would have done my duty and flirted with the beautiful woman, but on this night, all I could think about was how much I would have preferred Summer to be standing there flirting with me.
After about five minutes of me not talking to her, the girl turned away in a huff and went searching for a new man. It was rather freeing to realize that although there were dozens of beautiful women at the club, I had one particular one on my mind.
I stayed with Rob for a little bit and acted as his wing man as he flirted with many women and got turned down by most. He certainly shot for the stars when it came to women though and went after all the extremely young blondes in the club. Finally, after an hour or so, he found one that would actually stay and talk to him, and I was able to sneak off and go back to my hotel room.
It was late, but I still gave Summer a call to see how her day went with the kids. Every day right after school I called to talk to the kids, but I hadn’t really had a chance to just talk with Summer and see how she was doing.
“Hey,” she said softly as she answered the phone on the first ring.
“How was your day?”
“I’m getting really good at this. But I can’t wait for you to come home. How is it all going?”
“Good, our presentation went well. As good as could be expected, and now we just have to wait. Rob is at the bar trying to hit on women, but I’m exhausted and think I’m going to try and get some sleep.”
“Did he fix his tooth?”
“No.” I laughed. “But he was talking to a girl when I left, and she hadn’t run away from him yet. So maybe he will get lucky.”
It was nice talking to Summer. I was at ease around her. Even with things a little up in the air for the nanny position, it was still comforting to be able to have a conversation with her. My best hope was that when I got home, the two of us could talk things through and figure out what to do next.
“Seriously, I don’t see how any woman would keep talking to him with that tooth.”
“He’s got money. Need I say more?”
“Very true. Oh, so the kids and I actually did some mud wrestling in the backyard. And I’m pretty sure we ruined the carpet.”
“You’re kidding? Please tell me you’re kidding,” I said as I took a deep breath in.
“We were playing in the sprinkler for a little too long and got our feet muddy. I tried cleaning everyone up with the hose, but one of the kids left some adorable brown footprints from the kitchen to the bathroom. I’m going to get some carpet cleaner at the store tomorrow and try and clean it, but don’t get mad at them, please. It was totally my fault.”
Normally, this was where I’d freak out. I couldn’t tell if Summer was being serious, though. It sort of sounded like she was messing with me to see if she could get me worked up.
“Okay,” I said calmly.
“Okay? Are you sure you’re feeling alright? I said there are muddy footprints all through the hallway.”
“I know you’ll do your best to clean them up, and if I need to have a carpet cleaning service come in, then I can do that when I get home.”
“Okay, who is this and what have you done with Tyler English?” Summer asked dramatically. “If he’s been kidnapped, I’m not paying a ransom. I don’t have that kind of money, and to be honest, he’s sort of a pain in the butt.”
“Oh, you did not just say that.”
“Ah, there he is. That sounds like the Tyler I know,” Summer said as she started giggling so hard she could hardly talk. “Don’t worry, there are no muddy footprints. I was just teasing you.”
“Girl when I get home I swear to God I’m going to pay you back for that. I almost had a heart attack. How are the kids doing, though, really? Are they missing me? Are they having a hard week? It’s okay, just tell me the truth.”
There was a long pause, and for a moment, I thought the call had been disconnected. I waited to see what it was she was going to say. I could handle it. I knew the kids were going to miss me, and if they were having a rough time, I wanted to hear about it.
“Do you want me to really tell you the truth?” Summer asked.
“Yeah.”
“Of course they love you a lot. But you’re usually busy all week anyway, and they don’t see you much. The week has been pretty much normal for them, except for we have had some extra special fun nights. I don’t think they are missing you very much, but I’m sure they miss you … I mean, they just aren’t saying it.”
“Ouch.”
“No, I mean they love you, and they are happy. They are comfortable and happy. I’m sorry; I didn’t mean for that to sound mean. Yes, they miss you.”
“It’s okay. I know what you were trying to say. I’m glad they are having such a great time that they don’t have to miss me. That’s all because of you.”
“Thanks.”
“Okay, I’m going to rest and let you rest too. Are you taking care of yourself and eating properly?”
“Of course,” she said as if she hadn’t fainted twice in my presence.
“I’ll call tomorrow after school. Have a great night,” I said as I locked the hotel room door and got ready to go to sleep.
“You too. We can’t wait to see you.”
I had a huge grin on my face as I hung up the phone and started to brush my teeth. Talking to Summer just did that to me; there was no way around it. I couldn’t wait for this week to be over and to finally be able to figure out what was going on between the two of us. No matter if we got this client or not, I wanted to start dating Summer and see where things between the two of us went.
***
The flight home seemed to take twice as long because Rob and I were so exhausted. We had won the job and were up the previous night partying with some of the other advertising teams who had landed some big jobs at the pitch fest. I tried to sleep the best I could, but every time I
closed my eyes, my mind raced with everything we had ahead of us.
Not only would this job land us on the radar for other big named national jobs, but it was going to allow us to expand like we had always hoped to do. There were so many decisions about our future that the two of us were going to have to spend some serious time in the office working everything out.
But not in the next two weeks. For the next two weeks, Rob and I both promised we weren’t going to work a ton, and we were going to try and relax a little. We deserved some time off after the preparation we had put into with this client.
As I walked off the plane, I was excited to see the kids but also really excited to see Summer. I knew they were going to be waiting for me near the baggage claim, and I started searching the crowd as soon as I could see through the glass doors.
Sure enough, there was Summer, looking amazingly beautiful in her jeans and a black T-shirt. And my beautiful kids who ran straight toward me and nearly tackled me before I got my footing and lifted them both up.
“We missed you, Dad,” Faith said as she gave me a huge kiss and hug.
“You were gone so long, Dad. I missed you so much,” Thomas added.
Summer smiled and shrugged knowingly at me as I hugged them. It wasn’t as if I didn’t think they missed me at all. But it was nice to hear them say it because I missed them so much.
“Welcome home,” Summer said as she gave me a little hug. “Okay guys, let’s help Dad find his bag.”
The kids ran over to the luggage area while Summer and I were close behind. I had an overwhelming urge to grab her hand and hold onto it, but I resisted. There were still so many unknowns going on. I was really going to try and make better decisions where Summer was concerned.
On the ride home, I let the kids tell me all about their two weeks. At first, it didn’t seem like they had much to talk about, but the more they started talking, the more they started remembering. By the time we got back to the house, they had pretty much replayed every day since I’d been gone.
With downtown traffic, it was dinnertime by the time we got home. Instead of worrying about making something, I ordered pizza and played with the kids in the backyard to give Summer a few minutes of time to herself. She really didn’t look as exhausted as she had that first week she started working, but I knew she was going to need a break from the kids.
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