“Here you go.” He sat next to me and handed me the check.
I put my phone on the table and took the check, noting a full week’s pay even though I wasn’t working a full day today. “I didn’t work all day today.”
“No, but you deserve it. Thank you for taking care of Maisie’s packing.”
“Of course.” I watched him as he lay his head back on the couch. “You okay?”
“Not really. I mean, I know she’ll be fine, but I hate being away from her, you know?”
“Yes.”
He turned his head to me. “Do you think it was over the top to buy her a phone?”
I smiled. “No, not really.”
“You do. You think I’m an overprotective father.” He said it with amusement.
“I think it told Maisie that you understood she might be apprehensive and gave her a link to you. And you did it to help you feel better about it.”
“You should be a shrink, not a teacher.”
I shrugged. “I thought about it, but more school means more money.”
He straightened. “Is money really a problem? You can get loans. I had a few when I went to college.”
“I have some already. I plan to be a teacher, which doesn’t pay well, and so I don’t want to get into a situation in which I can’t live because all my pay goes to loan payments.”
“Good point. I’d hate to lose you. Maisie will too.”
His words warmed me. I knew he appreciated my work, but there was something more personal. Like he and Maisie liked me as a person.
His smile fell. “I hope Veronica doesn’t get any ideas.”
I wasn’t sure how we got to my babysitting to his ex. “About what?”
“About taking Maisie.” He shook his head. “Nah, she’ll see that Maisie still takes a lot of time and send her home.”
“You think she’d try to keep her?” My heart stalled in my chest. It was hard enough to think about leaving them in the fall, but to have her plucked out from under me now––I wasn’t ready.
“She said something about wanting to settle down. Don’t get me wrong, I want her to be a part of Maisie’s life, but Maisie is mine.” He looked at me. “Does that sound selfish?”
“Maybe a little, but I understand. I’d feel the same in your shoes.”
He sighed and rolled his shoulders. He still looked a bit agitated. I reached out and rubbed his shoulder.
“You’re tight and tense. I can give you a massage.”
He arched a brow. “Babysitter and masseuse?”
“It will make up for the extra you paid me. I’m good at it. Just ask my roommates. I give them shoulder massages all the time.”
He shrugged and turned his body so that his back was to me. I moved to my knees behind him and pressed my hands on his shoulders. They were thick and hard and hot. His scent was warm and manly. Immediately, I felt adrenaline surge through me.
Working to distract myself from the excitement of touching him, I said, “Now you have time for yourself. What are going to do this weekend?”
He laughed. “I don’t know.”
“Do you have a hobby? Maybe a potential hot date?” I hoped he didn’t have the latter.