Lost to You: the Seaside Chronicles, #3, page 2
Those hazel eyes of his were back on me with a soft smile. “Are you able to grab just one quick drink?”
Knowing I had to decline his invitation even though everything in me said to go have the drink, I was about to respond when Sutton spoke up as she gave me a little nudge closer to Mason.
“She’d love to have a drink and talk about it more. She was just talking about this opportunity as we were walking to the elevator.”
Mason’s expression went from unsure to happy as a clam. I was going to kill my sister. Kill. Her.
“Great. Just one drink. I know you said you were tired, and I don’t want to leave your mom with Charlie for too long. I’m sure she’s exhausted.”
Attempting to keep my voice calm and a smile on my face, I said, “How kind of her to offer to watch him for you while we chat.” Clearly one of my sisters egged my mother on with this nanny position. Traitors.
Brody took Sutton’s arm as he pulled his wife toward the elevator.
“You two enjoy your drink,” Sutton called out.
Mason and I both stood there for a moment and watched as the elevator doors shut. I could feel him turn and look at me. A strange, warm sensation ran down my back.
I closed my eyes and chanted, Men. Are. Jerks.
“Shall we? I won’t keep you longer than thirty minutes, I promise.”
My eyes snapped open, and I swallowed the lump in my throat as I nodded. I really liked Mason—that was the real problem here. The next thirty minutes were going to be the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, but I knew there was no way I would make a good nanny for Charlie.
Not when I was lusting after his father night and day.
Mason
Late November
I sat at my office desk and tried not to let my head fall forward onto the wood as Jennifer Hall said her goodbyes and closed the door.
I’d met Jennifer at the Bradleys’ house on Thanksgiving Day when they’d invited me and Charlie over. She was Braxton’s date and she’d told me about her degree in elementary education. She was unemployed at the moment and looking for something that involved children. I’d really wanted Palmer to take the job, but she had flat-out refused when I’d asked her at her sister’s wedding.
It was strange because the first time I’d ever met Palmer at the Seaside Grill, she really seemed to hit it off with Charlie. She was super friendly, and I felt like we’d made a connection in some way. If I was being honest, I felt a lot more than that…but I was trying not to think too hard on it. Since then, though, she’d been distant with me. Not Charlie, but me. It was clear she didn’t like me, and I wasn’t sure why.
She’d made it even more clear that she wasn’t fond of me at Thanksgiving when she’d avoided me like the plague.
I sighed and pushed my fingers though my hair. Clearly I’d messed things up with Palmer, though I wasn’t sure what I’d done. Sure, I was attracted to her, but I thought I’d been professional and had kept my feelings hidden.
The night of Addie’s wedding, she told me that she couldn’t be Charlie’s nanny. When I’d asked why, she’d stared at me like I should have known the answer. Then she’d looked down at my mouth…and that’s when it happened. Something sparked, and I knew we’d both felt it.
She’d leaned in, and before I knew it, we were kissing.
The shock of how her kiss made me feel had me pulling back and staring at her. It wasn’t because I hadn’t enjoyed the kiss. It was the opposite. It had stirred something inside of me that I’d buried a long time ago.
I’d softly said Palmer’s name, and that seemed to pull her out of her daze. She’d quickly slid off the barstool and had taken a few steps away from me. Her cheeks went red, and I knew she had misunderstood why I’d pulled away from the kiss.
My mind drifted back to the moment.
Shocked by the kiss, I drew back. Palmer looked around as if she was searching for a way to escape. When she finally looked back at me, she said, “I didn’t mean to do that. I drank too much, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay, I wasn’t…I wasn’t expecting it, that’s all.”
Her eyes went wide with horror. “I don’t normally kiss men like that, I…” She frantically shook her head. Before I had time to explain how I felt when she’d kissed me, Palmer turned and started to walk away. She stopped and looked back at me.
“Thank you for thinking of me, but I really can’t be Charlie’s nanny. I’m sorry.”
Then she practically ran out of the bar.
A light knock sounded on my office door, pulling me from the memory. Clearing my throat, I said, “Come on in.”
Adelaide poked her head in and smiled. “How did the interview go?”
I closed my eyes and ran my hand down my face.
“That good, huh?” she asked as she sat in the opposite chair.
Dropping my hand, I slowly shook my head. “It started out fine. She told me about herself, how she taught second grade for the last four years and before that, she taught kindergarten. I thought for sure she was the right person for the job.”
“What happened?” Adelaide asked.
It was a dick thing to do, but I replied, “She kept talking. The more she talked, the more I wanted to push her out the door.”
Adelaide brought a hand up to her mouth to keep from laughing. I liked Adelaide. She was an incredibly talented nurse who ran the office like a pro. I had hired her as the office manager, and boy, did she manage it. Everything ran smoothly. And the fact that she was a nurse and could help when things got busy was a bonus.
“She focused on Charlie at first, but then she said if I hired her, she would also be more than willing to provide other services.”
Adelaide’s face went white. “Oh no.”
“Oh yes,” I replied. “She told me I was hot, that she knew how to be quiet during sex, and that she wouldn’t expect anything in return.”
Adelaide closed her eyes and slowly shook her head. After opening them again, her gaze met mine. “I’m so sorry, Dr.— er, Mason.”
I smiled. I had told Adelaide a dozen or so times to call me Mason. “Why are you apologizing?” I asked.
She gave me a small shrug. “You wouldn’t have asked her to interview if you hadn’t met her at my parents’ house.”
“She seemed like a nice person.”
Adelaide raised one brow but didn’t elaborate on what she was thinking.
“Does your brother know she’s, um, willing to cheat on him?” I asked.
Adelaide let out a bubble of laughter. “Trust me, my brother could care less what she does. They’re not dating. They’re just…” Her voice trailed off, and from the blush on her cheeks, I quickly figured out what their relationship consisted of.
I brought my hand to the back of my neck. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. I’m running out of time. I have to find someone soon.”
She chewed on her lower lip. “Let me talk to Palmer again.”
“I don’t think Palmer likes me, Adelaide.”
Her eyes went wide and something moved across her face, but I couldn’t read it. “She likes you, Mason. She’s just not good with…change.”
Shaking my head, I said, “She made it clear she wasn’t interested.”
Adelaide tapped her finger on her chin, obviously in thought.
I stood and closed my laptop. “I’ll figure it out. I may have to look outside of Seaside, maybe find someone who can be a live-in nanny. The house I’m interested in buying has a smaller guesthouse in the back. It was originally the carriage house.”
Her brows rose. “Really? Where is it located?”
I nodded as I slipped the computer into my bag. “Down on Bay Street. Dr. James mentioned that his brother was selling his house. They want to downsize. They do have a renter in the carriage house though, so I’d have to give them time to vacate.”
Adelaide covered her mouth with her hand.
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing,” she said, trying to hide the fact that the house clearly meant something to her. “Nothing at all.”
Slipping the backpack over my shoulder, I smiled. “Thank you for coming in today. I know we have Fridays off, and you don’t normally work today. But I wasn’t comfortable having Jennifer alone here with me in the office.”
She returned my smile with one of her own. “It was my pleasure, Mason. Where are you off to?”
“There’s an art show in town at the community center. Charlie is fascinated by art, and I promised I’d take him.”
This time, Adelaide couldn’t hide the fact that she was grinning from ear to ear.
“What?” I asked with a slight laugh.
“Nothing. Enjoy your weekend.”
“You’re acting weird.”
Pointing to herself, she replied, “Me? Nah. Have a good weekend!”
And with that, she turned and headed out of my office.
“Over here, Daddy!” Charlie called out as he pulled me to an area that was set up for kids to draw and paint.
A woman about my age bent down to speak to Charlie. “Hi there, what’s your name?”
“Charlie. This is my daddy.”
The woman looked up at me and smiled. “Hi there. Does Dad have a name?”
Smiling, I said, “Yes, Mason Bryan.”
She stood up. “The new doctor in town? That Mason Bryan?”
“That would be me.”
“Ms. Kelsey Roberts. It’s nice to meet you and Charlie. I teach art at Seaside Middle School.”
“Really?” I asked.
She nodded and looked at Charlie. “But after the holidays, I’m moving to the elementary school.”
My son smiled brightly and jumped up and down. Ms. Kelsey Roberts was a very pretty woman, and clearly my son noticed as well.
“What about Mrs. Dobson?” I asked.
“Mrs. Dobson is having a baby, and I’m going to take over her position. She decided she wants to be a stay-at-home mom.”
“Oh, that’s nice.”
Ms. Roberts nodded.
I placed my hand on Charlie’s head. “Charlie here loves art.”
She smiled. “Is that so? Would you like to come paint me a picture, Charlie?”
“Yes! Yes!”
As soon as Ms. Roberts took Charlie’s hand, he let out a gasp and cried out, “Palmer!”
My head snapped to the right and for a moment I forgot how to breathe. Palmer stood there dressed in overalls and a long-sleeve black shirt. Her dark blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail and her blue eyes bounced from me to Ms. Roberts before landing back on me.
“Palmer?” I said, feeling myself smile.
“Do you two know one another?” Ms. Roberts asked.
Palmer nodded before she dropped down and let Charlie practically throw himself into her arms.
Clearing my throat, I turned to Ms. Roberts. “Yes. Um, her sister Adelaide is my office manager, and I’ve come to know the family.”
“Daddy asked Palmer to be my nanny!” Charlie stated.
“Nanny?” Ms. Roberts said to Palmer, as the two women exchanged a look. I couldn’t tell if they were friends or not.
When Ms. Roberts laughed and then looked back at me, I saw Palmer shoot her a dirty look. “Palmer as a nanny? That’s funny.”
Palmer stood, gave Ms. Roberts one last look, and then took Charlie’s hand. “Come on, Charlie, I’ll help you get set up with some paints.”
I watched Palmer and Charlie head over to an empty table. She took out some paper for him and then set up three different colors of paint.
Turning to Ms. Roberts, I asked, “You seem to know Palmer well, Ms. Roberts. Are you friends?”
She stared at Palmer with a blank expression before turning her entire body toward me. “Please, call me Kelsey.”
I nodded. “Call me Mason.”
“Well, to answer your question, Mason, we went to school together. I wouldn’t say we were best friends, but I do know her. She’s always been a bit of an odd duck, if you will. Never really knowing what she wants to do with her life. It’s a shame, really.”
I felt myself frown. “Why is that a shame?”
She blinked a few times. “No, I mean, she’s talented with painting, very talented. I would even go so far as to say she’s better than me. She simply chooses not to let people see her talent, for whatever reason. I guess she likes working multiple jobs.” She shrugged. “To each his own.”
I glanced back over at Palmer. Something inside me tightened as I watched her laugh at whatever Charlie said to her. She was teaching him the proper way to hold a paint brush.
“I agree,” I said. “Some of us take longer to figure things out in life, and there’s nothing wrong with that.”
She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Where’s Charlie’s mother? Is she here?”
Subtle. Everyone in town knew I wasn’t married and that there was no mother in the picture.
“She isn’t in his life.”
For a moment, Kelsey looked embarrassed, almost horrified she had asked the question. “I’m so sorry, I forgot that. Small-town gossip and all. I try not to pay attention to it, but yes, I do remember hearing that.”
“No worries,” I said with a smile.
“So, you’re looking for a nanny for Charlie?”
I looked over at where he sat. He was chewing on his lip as he carefully moved the brush over the paper, and the look of concentration on his face nearly made me laugh. Palmer glanced over at him every so often since she was dividing her time between Charlie and a little girl around his age.
I focused back on Kelsey. “I am. With my schedule, it’s hard for me to pick Charlie up from school. Getting him there isn’t an issue—unless the clinic has early appointments, which is normally only once a week.”
“Have you looked into the after-school care? It’s a wonderful program.”
I smiled. “I have, yes. But after spending all day in school, I really don’t want him to have to spend another few hours there. And most of the afternoon programs are already filled up, so that isn’t an option anyway. They book up fast.”
She nodded. “They do. This may seem out of left field, but I could always watch him for you.”
“You?”
Laughing, she said, “I do have experience with children.”
My face grew hot. “I’m sorry, Kelsey, I didn’t mean for that to come out like it did. It’s just, you’re a teacher there, and I assumed you were busy working even after school gets out.”
“You would assume correctly. I do stay and work about thirty minutes to an hour after school lets out. But I try to do most of my lesson plans over the weekend, so I could rearrange some things. I don’t mean permanently, of course, just until you can find someone to help you. A temporary thing.”
I smiled while my shoulders lost some of their tension for the first time in months. “That could possibly work. I have a high school student who watches him now. She’s been a huge help, but she’s graduating early this semester and will be heading off to travel around Europe before she starts school next fall.”
“Must be nice,” Kelsey mused with a wicked gleam in her eye. “Seriously though, Dr.—I mean, Mason. I don’t mind helping at all. I truly do love kids.”
“I may not need you at all if I can find someone permanently.”
She shrugged. “That’s fine too.”
A thought occurred to me. If I was going to have this woman possibly watch my son, Charlie and I both needed to get to know her better. “What are you doing for lunch tomorrow? I’d love for you to come over so you and Charlie can get better acquainted.”
Her face lit up with excitement. “I’m free! Here, let’s exchange numbers. And who knows, if things don’t work out with Charlie, maybe you and I can strike up a friendship.”
“Maybe,” I say with a forced smile. I really wasn’t in the market to start dating right now, and besides, if I was, there was only one woman I’d be interested in…and she was currently helping my son learn how to paint.
“Dad! Dad! Look at what Palmer helped me wif.” The toothless lisp strikes again.
Looking up from my phone after saving Kelsey’s number, I grinned.
Palmer stood next to Charlie with a tight smile on her face. “Are we interrupting?” she asked, looking over at Kelsey.
“Not at all,” Kelsey said. “We were exchanging numbers since I’m having lunch with Mason and Charlie tomorrow.”
One of Palmer’s brows rose as she glanced at me but didn’t say anything. It bugged the hell out of me that I couldn’t read her. Was she angry I was having lunch with Kelsey? Jealous? Happy? What in the hell was she thinking?
Kelsey smiled, then looked down at Charlie. “What did you make?”
He ignored Kelsey and grabbed my hand to pull me toward the table. “Look! Look!”
I picked up the paper on the table, and I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was a horse. A very well-done horse.
“Charlie, this is amazing.”
He beamed up at me with so much pride on his face that my heart squeezed in my chest.
I felt Palmer next to me before I saw her. “How?” I asked, turning toward her.
She shrugged. “He asked me how to draw a horse, so I showed him. He followed along and this was what we got. He’s very talented, Mason. And really seems to love art.”
Kelsey walked up and looked down at it. “Nice job, Charlie.” She turned to me. “We can totally work on technique if I end up watching him for you.”
“What?” Palmer and Charlie both asked at the same time. Although, I wasn’t sure what they were asking about: Kelsey watching Charlie, or Kelsey degrading my son’s work right in front of him.
Before I could reply, Palmer leaned into Kelsey and whispered, “Did you just say that to him? He’s five, Kelsey, and you’re worried about technique?”
Kelsey blinked a few times, then shook her head. “No, I…I didn’t mean…”
Her voice trailed off when Palmer looked at me and asked, “Is Kelsey going to watch Charlie for you now? Are you going around asking every available single woman in Seaside?”
