"Can I come? Patrick's daddy takes him to work on Saturdays. Patrick colors in the conference room. His daddy's a lawyer. He told me so."
"Unfortunately, your daddy doesn't have a conference room. And where I work isn't a good place for little girls. But I have someone super special coming to watch you later."
"Jenna?"
"Aunt Jenna and Uncle Reece already have plans. But Miss Elena is coming. Does that sound good?"
"She pulled me in the wagon when we were at Uncle Tyree's, and Eli told me she used to live by the beach."
"She did. In California."
"I've never seen a beach."
"Someday, kiddo." Right now, he was just happy that Elena's beach credentials apparently increased her appeal as a babysitter. "So you guys will have fun, right?"
Faith's head bobbed affirmatively, and for the millionth time, Brent wondered how he'd gotten so lucky to have such an amazing daughter. "She's funny." Faith smiled up at him. "And she's pretty, too. Do you think she's pretty, Daddy?"
His mouth went dry, his body kicking into that same state of hyperawareness he felt every time he was near her. "Very pretty," he said, and hoped his voice sounded normal.
"She's nice, too. I like her, Daddy," she said with a firm nod of her little head. "It's okay if you have her babysit me anytime."
He managed to keep a straight face. "Well, thank you for the permission. I'm happy you approve."
"Do you like her, too?"
He glanced down, looking into her earnest little face. Did she mean like? Or like?
Either way, the answer was yes. Although the answer to the second intonation was one he should keep to himself. "Yes, I do," he said. "I'd never let someone I didn't like watch my bestest girl. Would I?"
For a minute or two, they walked in silence. They were three houses away from home when she asked, "Do you like her the way Uncle Reece likes Aunt Jenna?"
For a second, Brent's heart stopped, and he quickly assured his daughter that Elena was only a friend.
But at the same time, he wondered how much Faith had seen. She'd only been around him and Elena a couple of times. Was she asking because she was five and kids asked all sorts of embarrassing questions? Or was she asking because she'd picked up on his vibes, and kids noticed all sorts of things you wish they wouldn't?
And if it was the latter, was she the only one who'd noticed his growing attraction to Elena? Or had his friends picked up on it, too? Jenna, maybe. She noticed everything related to her friends' love lives. But she hadn't said a word, so maybe he was in the clear.
Reece? Doubtful. Like himself, Reece was generally clueless about things like that. Tyree? Brent hoped his friend hadn't noticed. Almost as much as he hoped Elena herself had no clue. Because no matter how much he might be attracted to that stunning, fascinating woman, it wasn't going anywhere. And he was absolutely not having a sex-only fling with his good friend's daughter.
Not that he wasn't tempted. And not that he'd
been a monk since Olivia left. With Faith, of course, there wasn't much time for women, especially since he was damn sure not bringing a one-night stand back to the house. But there'd been a handful of times when he'd met a woman at the bar--usually a tourist so that he knew she wouldn't stay--and they'd hit it off enough to end up back in her hotel room.
Jenna was convinced that he was miserable and would shrivel up if he didn't get out and start dating, so he let her believe that not only was there some real interest with those sporadic women, but also that he saw more women than he really did. The truth was that he only hooked up when he was having a bad day, craving not only adult companionship, but physical release. Usually, though, he took care of that himself. He didn't like using women that way, and he didn't like the hollow feeling that inevitably settled over him once it was over.
Better to just be Faith's dad right now. Maybe someday he'd try for a relationship, but not until Faith was older. And definitely not until he was one hundred percent sure that any woman he brought into their life was in for the long haul.
"Daddy?" She tugged at his hand, and he looked down, startled out of his thoughts.
"Sorry, kiddo. Mind wandering."
"Can we watch a movie before you go?"
He did some mental calculations and started to say no. He needed to sit at his desk and pay some bills, and if they watched a movie, he'd have less than ten minutes to get changed and out the door once it ended.
"Of course, we can," he said. Screw the bills. He'd pay them when he got home. Easy to work at three in the morning, anyway. God knows he'd have peace and quiet. "How about Finding Nemo? That's almost like going to a beach."
She clapped her hands gleefully, then ran up the sidewalk to their front door, where she switched from clapping to bouncing. "Popcorn, too? With lots and lots of butter?"