by Harlow James
“Yeah, he seemed like a stand-up guy—a little rough around the edges, but secretly a teddy bear. Unfortunately though, bartending isn’t going to help pass the time quickly. Money isn’t the issue, although I’ve always had some form of income of my own. But I’d love to get some hands-on experience working with kids, you know? Is there a daycare or preschool hiring that you know of?”
Pfeiffer shakes her head back and forth as Cash glances in her direction, raising one eyebrow. “Not that I know of, but I could always call Olivia, right, babe? She might know of something…”
Cash clears his throat before moving closer to me as I rest in my seat at the counter on a stool. “Um, I actually may know of a nanny gig, if you’re interested in something like that?”
That makes my ears perk up, especially after the few hours I spent with the little boy at the college today. God, I couldn’t help the instant love I had for that child. He was such a ball of energy and inquisitiveness. It amazed me at how intelligent he was, yet still so naïve and innocent. I laughed so hard chasing him around and then listening to him tell me all of these facts about the human body. Grayson stole a piece of my heart today, and I don’t care if I never get it back—it’s his for all eternity.
So, I can’t lie and say that the idea of forming a bond with a child like him for a few months or even longer doesn’t instantly brighten my future prospects.
“Oh, my God. Are you serious? I would love that!”
“Are you talking about…” Pfeiffer starts before Cash cuts her off.
“Yeah. A good friend of mine was thinking about hiring someone to help with his son. The kid is great and he’s one of the best guys you’ll ever meet. Want me to call him?”
“Absolutely! Oh, Cash! Thank you!” I jump from my seat and make my way around the counter, pulling Cash in for a hug. His torso is bare and he has on nothing but a pair of grey sweatpants. But I’m so excited right now, I don’t even notice he’s half naked.
“I think you’d be perfect for something like that,” Pfeiffer says when we part. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of that…”
“It’s because you were too busy thinking about my dick, babe,” Cash whispers in her ear, making Pfeiffer’s cheeks turn pink again before she playfully swats him away.
“You know, I might have just hugged you, Cash, but don’t think I’m not above smacking you around too. Seriously, can you tone down the dirty talk around me, please? My poor dried up vagina can’t take it!”
Cash chuckles as he opens the fridge, peering inside. “Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been hit upside the head, or smacked across the face.. right, babe?”
“I’m not even sorry. You deserve every smack and slap thrown your way, Cash Williams,” she replies with an amused grin as he turns to her slowly.
“I’ll remember that the next time you’re bent over in front of me,” he challenges with a lift of his brow.
“And… I’m out of here,” I say, grabbing my water and making my way back to the guest room in Cash’s house, throwing myself onto the bed so I can stare up at the ceiling while I contemplate how to move forward from here.
When Pfeiffer came back out here, she moved in with Cash immediately. He owns this beautiful home in a small neighborhood in the town, perfect for when they have a family one day, which might be soon, given they are planning on getting married in April. That detail just further reminds me that I need to find my own place. I know my father told me he would pay my way, and I appreciate that so much. But I kind of want to see if I can make it on my own.
Growing up, my family didn’t have money. I was actually raised in a rundown house in the Bronx. My father worked for a construction company that his father worked for, barely making enough to survive some months while my mother stayed home with me and my three older brothers. But our lack of money was never a concern for me because I came from a family that valued love and good character over everything else. I never felt like we went without because we had each other, and my grandfather was always around to help as well. My father taught us the value of hard work and how to survive on next to nothing, so even when the owner of the company he worked for died and left it to my dad, we never forgot where we came from. Overnight, my father inherited a multi-million dollar business since the owner had no children and never married. He had dedicated his life to his work and his employees and rewarded my father for his loyalty and dedication by handing him the company upon his death.
It was a whirlwind of a change, transforming our lives from next to nothing to extravagance in the blink of an eye. We moved to a better part of town and started living differently, but always gave back to those less fortunate. I insisted on volunteering back in the neighborhood I grew up in, assisting in food banks and the schools that my family once used and attended.
If there was one thing that stood out to me from our life there, it was my teachers—the unsung heroes of a young child’s life. There were days when I went to school and didn’t know if the lights would be on at home that night, yet my teachers always made me feel safe. They provided a consistency that young children like myself needed, something to expect and count on when so many other aspects of their lives were uncertain. Those women and a handful of men made me feel safe and seen when sometimes it was easy to feel trivial. And they are the reason that I want to be that for my own group of students one day.
“Rach?” Pfeiffer knocks on my door, pulling me from my thoughts. Stepping into the guest room I’ve made my own in the last few weeks, she stands there waiting for me to notice her.
“Yeah?”
“Wanna meet Cash’s friend tomorrow? Seems something happened and he needs help sooner rather than later…”
That bit of information makes me snap up. “Yes!”
“I’m really excited for you! I think this could be perfect! Grayson is the sweetest boy…”
Tilting my head to the side, I contemplate whether I heard her correctly. “Grayson? Did you say the kid’s name was Grayson?”
“Uh, yeah? Is that a problem?” She watches me intently, surely concerned at how fast my mouth tips up in a smile.
“No! Oh my gosh, Pfeiffer. I think I met that little boy today!”
She shakes her head, clearly confused. “What? How?” I usher her inside as she takes a seat next to me, and then I fill her in on my afternoon.
“Yup. That’s Luke, Cash’s friend. He used to be a sheriff with Cash, but left the department to teach.”
“Wow. That sure is a career change.”
“Yeah, but he seems to love it.”
“What time are we meeting them tomorrow?”
She looks up at the ceiling for a moment before focusing back on me. “I believe Cash said ten. We’re going to meet at Skye’s Creations…”
“Is that the coffee shop you’re addicted to?”
“Yup. And that’s all Cash’s fault.”
“There are a lot of things that are Cash’s fault, apparently,” I joke, and Pfeiffer just blushes.
“Yeah, but you can’t stay mad at him for too long.”
Reaching for Pfeiffer’s hand, I rub my thumb back and forth along her skin. “I’m so happy for you, girl. I can tell how much you love him and vice versa. And I know I’ve already told you this, but thank you for taking me in. Thank you for supporting me when I said I was moving out here. I don’t want you to feel like I’m following you….”
Pfeiffer cuts me off. “Not at all, Rach! I’m so glad you’re here! Not only do I think you’re going to love this place as much as I do, but now I get to be with the love of my life and my best friend… it’s everything I could have asked for. This move will be good for you. You know how exhausting those people are back home. The people I’ve met here are so genuine and real. I finally feel like I belong, and I know you will too.” Her smile is so infectious, my cheeks start to sting from my own.
“Thank you. So, are you and Cash done boning for the night?”
Pfeiffer bites her lip
and then looks away from me. “Probably not. But I’ll try to keep it down for you, okay? It’s just… when he gets going… my God…” She closes her eyes, her entire body shuddering from her dirty thoughts. Lucky bitch.
I can’t stifle my laugh, but she doesn’t notice. “I’m happy for you. But until I’m getting it regularly, I’m just going to be insanely jealous, okay?”
“That’s fair. Let’s go get some dinner. There’s so many great restaurants to try here. You’ve barely scratched the surface.”
We both stand as she turns to leave. “Sounds good. Be out in a few.”
Once Pfeiffer shuts my door, I change my outfit, knowing the one I have on probably smells like bird and is muddy from running around with Grayson. The thought of being that little boy’s nanny squeezes my heart in my chest and ignites this sense of importance, the same feeling I get when I think about being a teacher one day.
I wonder if Luke knows that I am the person Cash suggested and he’ll put two and two together that we’ve already met? Either way, I have a feeling this job could potentially change my life—which is exactly why I came here in the first place.
Chapter 3
Luke
“Clara, are you sure you’re alright with watching Grayson for a few hours?”
She scoffs and then I hear something drop in the background of the phone call. “Luke, it’s fine. I’m working a lot from home right now anyway, trying to prepare to take time off once the baby arrives. It’s only for a few hours and besides, that little boy is the cutest and it will give us practice. Right, Coop?”
I can barely make out the muffled response through my Bluetooth speaker in my car, but it sounds like Cooper tells me to stop being dramatic and get my kid over there ASAP.
“Okay, we’re on our way,” I say before hanging up and checking on Grayson in the rearview mirror, his legs swinging happily as we cruise to Clara and Cooper’s house on the other side of town.
When Cash called me yesterday and asked if I was still thinking about hiring a nanny, his timing couldn’t have been more perfect. Once I got home last night, my dad called and filled me in on my mom. She did in fact break her hip, which means surgery and recovery that will take months before she’s normal again. I feel helpless and guilty that it happened while she was watching Grayson, but she assured me on the phone last night it was her own clumsiness.
Still. Now I am out of childcare for the foreseeable future and in desperate need to hire someone immediately. My dad said he can watch Grayson tonight during my evening classes, but most of his time in the next few weeks will be at the hospital and home with my mom. Her surgery is scheduled for tomorrow, so until then he’s helping the best way he can. However, he was there late with her last night, so the last thing I wanted to do was ask him for his help this morning to watch Grayson for a few hours while I met with the person Cash said would be perfect for the job of looking after my son.
All he mentioned was that she was a friend of Piper’s, which seems kind of odd seeing as how she just moved back out here from her home back east. But I guess she must have made some friends while she was living out here before all of that shit went down with her two identities. And even though Cash doesn’t have kids of his own, I trust his judgment and know he wouldn’t recommend someone lightly.
After dropping Grayson off at Clara and Cooper’s, I rush across town to Skye’s Creations, a local organic coffee shop that is known for gourmet coffee drinks and baked goods made fresh each morning. Ask anyone in Emerson Falls and they will have a favorite drink from Skye’s, my personal favorite being the peppermint mocha.
Once I arrive and park, I rush inside out of the cold. The weather calls for snow tonight, which will make for a fun drive to the college tomorrow, but apparently the flakes decided to fall early. As long as the snowfall is below a certain number of inches, classes stay in session. We’ve had one week of classes cancelled so far since the start of the semester, an interesting event for me since my work as a deputy was never cancelled. You reported in snow, or a hurricane—didn’t matter.
“Hey, Skye,” I greet the owner as soon as I step inside and unwrap my burgundy scarf from my neck, the smell of chocolate, coffee, and sugar hitting my nose instantly. One look in the mirror behind the counter and I realize my dark hair looks like I have dandruff in it from the snowflakes that attached themselves to it during my small trek from the car to the shop. My black peacoat is covered too, so I shake my entire body like a dog while Skye chuckles at me from behind the counter.
“Hey, Luke. Peppermint mocha for you?” She asks, reaching for a light blue cup and writing my order on the outside.
“You know it. Can I get a raspberry scone too, please?”
“Absolutely.”
I pay for my order and then find a table for four tucked away in the corner. Cash and Piper said they would tag along to introduce me to their friend so it wasn’t terribly awkward at first, so I know I need to save seats for them too.
As I take a sip of my drink, trying not to burn my lips or tongue on the scalding liquid, the door chimes, alerting the arrival of a customer. The sight of Cash and Piper walking in makes my pulse start to race, particularly when I see the woman trailing them and recognition spikes.
“Hey, man!” Cash raises his hand in greeting, Piper waves, and then Rachel looks up, locking eyes with me.
You’ve got to be kidding me? The woman who I let watch my kid for two hours yesterday is a friend of Cash and Piper’s? How the hell did I not know this?
And more importantly, why is my stomach fluttering with nerves? All of a sudden, I’m extremely uneasy and can’t stop staring, especially as Rachel smiles at me and then gives me a small wave. As she turns her head back to the menu and her ponytail swishes with the movement, my heart beat quickens, my throat feels like it’s closing in on itself, and my head is telling me that my reaction to this woman is dangerous.
This is the first woman since my late wife that has my body responding to another female and I’m stunned. Maybe because it’s been almost five years and my manhood is finally starting to rebel at the fact that I’ve haven’t touched a woman since? Or maybe it's her, which is equally exhilarating and terrifying, especially since I need her help desperately.
Once Cash orders for all three of them, they find their way over to the table as I stand to greet them.
“Cash. Piper. Rachel,” I reach to shake her hand as Cash’s head bounces back and forth between us and Piper just grins.
“Wait. You know each other already?” Cash is flabbergasted and I can’t help but shake my head at the irony of the situation.
“Yeah. Funny story. You want to fill them in, Rachel?”
Her eyes veer up at mine beneath dark lashes, and that green hue hypnotizes me again.
“I actually told Pfeiffer last night when she told me Grayson’s name.”
“You told her his name? Where was I? I’m so fucking confused right now.” Cash looks over at Piper as she straightens in her seat. I call his fiancé Piper still, since that’s who she is to me, but it’s clear that Rachel still calls her by her actual name.
“Does it matter? She was going to find out, eventually. And it just happened in conversation. But yes, it seems you two had already met, which makes this even more perfect.”
“Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on? I haven’t seen you in weeks, man. And now, suddenly, you met Rachel before I even got the chance to tell you who she is or the fact that she’s living with us?”
My eyes flick over to Rachel, who’s just chuckling at Cash. “He’s quite dramatic, apparently,” she says with a grin.
“You have no idea,” Piper adds, rolling her eyes. “Anyway, Luke, this is my best friend Rachel from back home in New York. Rachel, it seems you’ve already met Luke. And Grayson,” she exclaims.
“Nice to meet you again.” I reach out to shake her hand, and even though we did this yesterday, she was wearing gloves, so I didn’t get to feel the soft
ness and warmth of her skin. But now that our palms are touching, tiny flurries of electricity scurry up my arm from my fingertips to my brain, igniting an alarming response to how right her hand feels in mine.
Fuck, this isn’t good.
“Likewise. Although, after yesterday, I have to say I’m really excited about this opportunity. I had the best time with Grayson.” Her cheeks fill out as she smiles over at me.
“Yeah, the kid is a hoot.”
“I’ll say. He was so sweet and fun. And I’m not going to lie… leaving him yesterday made me incredibly sad at the idea that I’d never see him again.”
I can’t help the corner of my mouth lifting slightly at her words. “Yeah, he was bummed too. After we left, he kept asking if he’d see you again, and of course, I gave him a vague answer. I honestly never imagined you would be the person Cash said could help me out.”
I turn back over to look at Cash and Piper, both of them watching us interact with shit-eating grins on their faces.
“What?” I ask a little too harshly as Cash takes a sip from his coffee. Apparently while Rachel and I were speaking, he picked up their order from the counter.
“Nothing. Look…” He sits forward in his chair, dispersing the drinks to the girls before he continues. “Luke, you need help right now. And Rachel is free, not to mention, obviously already loves your son.”
“It’s easy to fall in love with Grayson,” Piper interjects as Rachel nods in agreement.
“So, let her help you, man. I know you have a lot on your plate, especially after what happened with your mom yesterday…”
“How’s she doing by the way?” Rachel interrupts him, pulling my attention back to her.
“She’s having surgery tomorrow.”
“Where is Grayson right now?” Piper asks before taking a bite of her blueberry muffin.
“He’s with Clara and Cooper.”
Cash starts laughing beside me. “Oh, I bet Cooper was coerced into that one.”
