“Okay, okay,” she squeals as I squeeze her a bit too tight and press a kiss into her damp hair. I relax my grip and let her breathe again just in time to say, “I still think now would be a perfect time for you to get a girlfriend.”
“Why? You and Hilow want to double date?” I deadpan.
“Daaad,” she groans with embarrassment, and I smile for the first time since Cassandra left my house yesterday morning.
“You know what’s better than hugging?” I ask, moving up off the couch and dragging my daughter with me. “Dancing.”
“Here?” She looks around, looking shy all of the sudden.
“Come on, I’ve seen you do it with Cassandra.” I laugh and tell Alexa to play “My Girl by the Temptations”。 The punchy music wafts through the house sound system as I point to my feet. “Stand on my feet like you used to when you were little. That would make me really happy.”
She rolls her eyes like I’m a big dork but does it anyways as I wrap one arm around her back and hold her hand out with the other. I move us around the living room, relishing in her giggles. This is time I need to cherish with my daughter who’s growing up way too fast.
I don’t know what I’m going to do about the nanny who has somehow managed to turn my world upside down. But I know I’m not going to sit here and be sad in front of my kid anymore.
“Cozy, is it okay if we read for a bit before we swim?” Everly asks as I rub sunscreen on her back, careful to avoid her adorable little tankini with flowers all over it. “I want to get sweaty before I dive in.”
“That sounds like a fabulous idea. Plus, your sunscreen needs to dry anyway,” I reply, wiping my hands off on the towel before grabbing my Kindle out of my tote bag. It’s another one of Everly’s and my pool days, but this one is going to be a little different than all the others. “We have some time to relax before the guy gets here anyway.”
“Perfect.” Everly settles in the chair beside me, and I pop open a new dark mafia romance on my Kindle when a notification pings on my phone.
Dakota: Well? How was it this morning?
Me: Fine. He ran out of the house right when I walked in. So it’s back to Awkward City just like that.
Dakota: You only have yourself to blame.
Me: I know. But it’s for the best. He lives a life I am not interested in being a part of. Better to end it before I start catching feelings.
Dakota: Mmmkay. ;）
I’m staring down at my phone, trying to figure out what Dakota means with that winky face when Everly shakes my shoulder. “Cozy, he’s here!”
“He is?” I jerk my head around and spot a young guy who looks fresh out of high school strolling into the backyard dressed in red swim trunks and a white T-shirt with the sleeves cut out all the way to the bottom hem. Honestly, it’s a pointless shirt, but the kid can pull it off.
I wave him over. “Heyo!”
“Are you Cozy?” he asks, pulling his hat down over his shaggy brown hair to block the blistering afternoon sun.
“Yes, you’re Ryne, right? It is Ryne, not Ryan?” I reach out, and he looks confused when I shake his hand.
“Yeah, Ryne.”
“That’s a cool name.”
He shoots me a crooked smile and nods. “It used to be Ryan, but Ryne has more swagger, don’t you think?”
My lips thin as I try not to laugh. “Totally. Anyway…thank you for coming.”
“No sweat. I love the private gigs.” He pulls his sunglasses off and looks over at Everly. “You ready to learn how to swim, little one?”
A peal of laughter erupts out of Everly as she leans against me for balance. Ryne looks confused.
“Sorry, I thought I explained on the phone. The lesson isn’t for her. It’s for me.”
“You?”
“Yeah,” I reply, and Everly holds my hand in solidarity. “I, um…don’t know how to swim, and this one is a fish. I would love to just learn the basics so I can be a better nanny.”
“Nanny?” Ryne looks me up and down, clearly assessing my age. “You’re not this one’s mom?”
“No.” My lip pops out into a childish pout. I would have had to be a teen mom to be Everly’s mother, thank you very much…Ryne. “Can you just do the swimming lesson?”
A slow smile spreads across Ryne’s face. “Bet! Let’s get started.”
Over an hour later, Everly is cheering me on from the side of the pool as I stand on the edge of the diving board hunched over with my hands pointed down at the water. The board dips when Ryne’s weight comes out to join me.