“Lighten up, Baby Daddy.” She takes a casual sip of her coffee—or rather her chai tea latte per the tag on her paper cup.
“Don’t call me that.”
“I had a beer to celebrate me quitting my job this morning. You’re acting like I was doing lines of coke off the handrails in the elevator, which yeah, now that I’m saying that out loud, I realize sounds oddly specific, but I promise I’ve never done that.”
I turn back to Monty. “This your kid?”
“The one and only,” he says with pride.
“How old are you?”
“Twenty-five.”
I didn’t realize Monty became a dad at such a young age. That’d put him at . . . twenty years old when she was born? Damn. I thought this was hard at thirty-two.
“How old are you?” she asks.
“I’m asking the questions here. I’m trying to figure out if it’s worth risking my kid’s safety just to hire you and get your dad off my back.”
“And I’m trying to figure out if it’s worth ruining my summer by spending the next two months working for a guy with a giant stick up his ass.”
“I’m being responsible. I don’t have a stick up my ass.”
“Probably been lodged so far up there and for so damn long that you forgot it was even inside of you.”
“Miller,” Monty interjects. “You’re not helping.”
“Do you have any childcare experience?”
“Adult children, yes.”
I shoot a pointed glance towards Monty. “We don’t know if Max will even like her. You know how he is with women.”
“He was practically throwing himself at me in the elevator. I think we’re fine in that department.”
“I’m pretty sure he was going for your bottles. They look a lot like his.”
“You’re not going to get over the beers, are you?”
“No.”
“Okay.” Monty claps his hands together. “This is going to be interesting.”
“Do you smoke?” That voice of hers suggests she might.
“No, but it seems you might drive me to if this is how the rest of the summer is going to go.”
“Miller,” Monty interrupts like a stern dad breaking up a fight between his kids. “Thanks for the coffee. Can you give me a minute with Kai?”
Miller sighs, quickly tying her long brown hair up in a knot on top of her head, giving me a better view of the artwork on her arms and shoulders. It’s mostly intricate line-work making up a sleeve of florals. Almost like the outlines of a coloring page.
Max will like those.
“Fine.” She stands from her seat, taking her chai with her, that sweet scent of dessert wafting from her again before she turns to me. “But so you know, I’m doing this as a favor. So, try to be less of a dick about it, yeah? See you later, Baby Daddy.” She stops at the door, her hand on the knob as she cocks her head in contemplation. “Or should I say, Baseball Daddy? Oh yeah. Much better. Baseball Daddy, it is!”
She leaves us alone with that.
I shake my head in disbelief. “Your daughter is unhinged.”
“She’s the best, right?” Monty’s chest rumbles at my annoyance.
“You can’t be serious about this. There’s no way she’s the right person to take care of Max.”
He leans back in his chair, tattooed hands crossed over his stomach. “I’m not just saying this because I’m biased, but you’d be lucky to have her. She might be my wild child and not know what the hell a filter is, but when it comes to work, she’s the most driven person I know. She will do everything for your boy.”
I toss my head back. “Come on, man. Let’s be serious about this.”
“I am being serious. Trust me on this, Kai. I know my daughter. If for some reason, she ever gives you a valid reason to fire her, I’ll even offer to be the one to do it. That’s how much faith I have in this situation.”
Staying silent, I eye him, searching for any sign of bullshit.
I might not know Miller, might not trust her, but I do trust Monty with both my life and my kid’s. And I know he’d never put Max at risk, even if this situation benefits him.
I can’t believe I’m even considering letting him talk me into this, but I owe him. “She gets one strike,” I say, holding a single finger to reiterate.
“Baseball puns, Ace? You’re better than that.”
“Shut up.”
He puts his hand out to shake mine. “One strike, and she’s outta here!”