“Mommy, I’m hungry,” Peter yanked on her arm, one step away from a full-blown whine.
“I know, honey, one moment,” she told him, then glanced back to Blake as if looking for answers.
Garwood’s cool blue eyes flickered to Blake’s face, and he guffawed. “You’re taking her money? Having her pay you? She’s a single mom of three with limited means for Pete’s sake.”
Blake noted the second the words struck and Mel bristled.
She swallowed, and her back straightened. Pushing her shoulders back, she said, “I’m capable of paying for childcare. Why on earth should he do it for free? Just because I’m single and have kids? I’m not cha—”
“I interviewed for the job just like everyone else,” Blake said, interrupting her before she could tell him she wasn’t charity. Who knew what Garwood would say to that? Oh, really? How about you visit the Section 8 housing booth? We have someone who will help you find a suitable place? Or the free hearing screenings? Need your blood pressure checked? Let’s do that for free, too.
The fact of the matter was that it had crossed Blake’s mind to refuse payment for watching the kids, but then he decided against it. Mel worked hard to earn a living. Even the suggestion would’ve been either an insult or suspect.
He turned his hard gaze to Garwood, but instead of shirking, Garwood sized him up like he always did with those icy eyes. The twist of his lips told him he found Blake lacking. That was okay. Blake was used to it, as long as he didn’t look at Mel and her kids that way—like they were less than because they didn’t vacation in the Hamptons and shop at Barneys or Bergdorf.
Garwood tilted his head and scoffed. “You were the best that she could find? I thought for sure you offered added incentive.” His eyes lit up like firecrackers at the insult, waiting for a reaction.
“Daddy,” Jen admonished beside them. It was the same old thing. Garwood insulted him, and later, Jen would apologize while insisting he was joking. You know how he is, she’d say. He has such a dry sense of humor.
“He’s actually quite amazing.” Mel’s voice eased the tension, slicing through it like butter, allowing him to look away from Garwood, back to her with relief. “I’m serious,” she said at Garwood’s dubious expression. “I’ve had a few these last weeks, and I can tell you that Blake is a natural with kids. Mine were struggling to adjust to life without a very important family figure, and they desperately needed structure, order, and someone to be strong while letting them be kids, and Blake has managed it flawlessly. In fact . . .” She glanced at Blake, the apples of her cheeks flushing, then averted her gaze again. “I’m not sure what we’ll do once he’s gone.” She placed a hand on Brady and Peter’s shoulders, glancing at them with affection. “The kids, well, let’s just say, even in such a short amount of time, he’ll absolutely be missed. So hold him to your bargain, because we’re not ready for him to go.”
Blake stared at her—this woman whom he had only gotten to know in fleeting glimpses inside her home. In one short conversation, she had managed to stand up to Garwood and subtly put him in his place.
“I will certainly do that.” Garwood cleared his throat.
“Mom,” Kinsley whispered, tugging on her shirt and pointing to the candy apple booth across the room. “They have red and blue.”
All the adults laughed, and Blake turned to Jen, feeling lighter than he had moments before. “Do you mind if I take them to eat? They’ve waited long enough. I think they earned it.”
“No. Go. I have a few more things to check on.” Jen beamed and knelt down to the kids. “Make sure you have him take you to the cotton candy stand. You get to pick your flavor, and they make it right in front of you.”
Brady’s eyes widened. “What kind of flavors?”
“All kinds. Any kind you can imagine.” Jen grinned.
Brady and Peter’s attention whipped to the cotton candy booth. “Then make sure you come back over here when you’re done,” she added. “There’s some more adult stuff on this side of the ballroom Mommy might be interested in.”
Mel nodded her thanks to Jen, as Blake quickly took Kinsley’s hand and whisked them away, having no intention of returning to “this side of the ballroom.”
“So what do we want first?” he asked as he stared down at three smiling faces.
“SO THAT WAS INTERESTING.” Mel picked at a funnel cake while the kids rode the carousel for what felt like the millionth time.
Blake sighed. “Yeah. Sorry about that. As I guess you’ve gathered, her father can be a little . . . intense,” he said, choosing to be nicer than he felt.
Mel waved at Kinsley as she road by, beaming on a pink and white pony. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, given who he is. Besides, any father who makes his daughter’s boyfriend leave his job to prove himself capable with kids must be pretty demanding.”
Blake snorted. Demanding. That was one way to describe him. “I think he means well. I mean, he’s a pretentious jerk, but he cares about Jen. That part of his concern comes from a genuine place.” As he said her name, he glanced back to the other side of the hall, feeling the slightest bit of guilt at his relief for the excuse not to stick around when her father was there.
Jen stood, clipboard in front of her, nodding as she spoke to one of the vendors.
“She’s beautiful,” Mel whispered beside him.
Blake’s attention shifted back to Mel, who had also glanced back to watch Jen. A soft, almost sad smile touched Mel’s lips, and her eyes held a kind of longing he wasn’t sure he could decipher—one that hurt to look at.
He swallowed. Something about the way she sounded and looked just now made his chest ache. Like her saying Jen was beautiful wasn’t only an observation but an acknowledgment of sorts. That Jen was beautiful, while she was not. He knew what she saw when he looked at her. It was the first thing he saw when he first met her, and the secret reason he worried he’d never be enough. Jen was like a polished crystal vase—beautiful, regal, more vibrant than glass, and shining in a way only money could buy—meant to be admired from afar.
“She is,” he said, but what he really wanted to say was that it wasn’t hard to be anything you wanted when you had the world at your disposal. But to say that would be an injustice to Jen, a betrayal, so he kept his mouth shut. After all, Jen was his girlfriend, and it wasn’t his job to defend Mel against her, even if it was only from Mel’s own inner thoughts.