“I think I do, and I mean it.”
“I know you do. I’m starting to have faith in that.”
“Good. Now go have some fun with your friend.”
“Thanks again.”
“You got it.”
Jeff grabbed the keys to his mother’s car, which he’d arranged earlier to borrow, and headed to Sweet Meadow Farm Road to pick up Kelsey at the house where she worked for Mac and Maddie McCarthy. As he drove, he was full of emotion over the kindness of his stepfather and what a balm it was on the festering wound on Jeff’s soul. How lucky they were to have Charlie in their lives.
As he went up the stairs to the deck, the sound of babies crying filled the air. He had joked to Kelsey that working there was the most effective birth control ever.
She saw him at the door and waved him in as she consoled one of the wailing babies while Maddie dealt with the other one. “Sorry. We thought we had them down, but they had other ideas.”
“No worries. Our reservation isn’t for an hour yet.”
“Hand her to me, Kelsey,” Maddie said. “You’re off duty.”
“I don’t mind staying a little longer to help get them settled.”
“They don’t seem to be having it today, and I hear baby Mac is up from his nap.”
“I’ll take her.” Jeff reached for the baby Maddie was holding. “Go get Mac.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, no problem,” he said, even though he had almost no experience with babies. He knew enough to hold her, support her head and not drop her, which seemed to be what was needed at the moment.
“Thank you so much,” Maddie said. “I’ll be right back.”
“That was very nice of you.” Kelsey smiled at him as they sat together on a sofa with the babies. “Poor Maddie hasn’t slept in days. These girls are running their mama ragged.”
“I can’t fathom having twins.”
“Me either, especially with three other little ones. Maddie’s sister, Tiffany, took Thomas and Hailey to the beach after school, which helped a lot today.”
“Five kids. Damn.”
Kelsey laughed, and he lost his heart a little more to the magical sound. He’d never liked a girl more than he liked her and was seriously torn about what he was going to do next month when he was supposed to report to his first real job in Tampa. He’d recently signed a lease on an apartment there and had to pick up the car he’d left with a friend in Orlando.
When he’d arrived on Gansett for his mom and Charlie’s housewarming party, he’d planned to spend a week, maybe two, before returning to Florida to hang with his college friends ahead of starting his job. Since he’d met Kelsey, all he wanted was to spend as much time with her as he could.
She wore her curly reddish-gold hair up in a bun when she was working and had warm hazel eyes that sparkled with amusement any time she was near the kids. Maddie referred to her as their “Disney princess” because she was so great with the children, who clearly loved her.
Jeff had known her for a couple of weeks now and had been waiting to see something in her he didn’t like. That’s what usually happened. A girl seemed so perfect for him at first, but after a while, he’d start to see her catty, jealous or mean side. Kelsey didn’t have any of those traits. While Maddie thought of her as a Disney princess, Jeff considered her a unicorn, that rare young woman who wasn’t all about her phone, her friends, her looks and chasing boys.
Kelsey had goals, such as owning her own daycare center someday, which was why she’d jumped at the chance to be a nanny. The job had given her experience that would be invaluable to her career goals. She hadn’t said much about her plans now that Mac McCarthy’s busiest season was winding down. Would the family want her to continue, or would she be free to pursue employment elsewhere? Like in Tampa, perhaps.
He almost laughed out loud at the direction his thoughts had taken. As if that was going to happen. She loved the kids and working for the McCarthys, and they were clearly in need of her help with two newborns, an eighteen-month-old, a four-year-old and a six-year-old. Besides, he hadn’t told her much about his past, which would probably be a deal breaker for whatever fictional plans he might be making that included her. She was way too good for him. Hell, she was too good for anyone.
Maddie returned with baby Mac and put him down on the floor with his toys while he had a drink and a snack. “I’ll take Miss Evie, Jeff.”
He handed the baby over to her mother.
“Thanks for the extra hands.”
“No problem.”