Lainey’s List Chapter Forty-six
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Nick
“You still mad at me?” Nate asks.
A cigar dangles between his fingers. He brought them with him when he came from California—Cuban contraband—as a sort of peace offering.
“Don’t screw it up, and I won’t be.” I take a long drag off mine, letting the smoke stream out in front of me.
“I don’t plan to.”
“Did you plan to break Charlotte’s heart originally?”
A plane roars overhead, giving Nate a momentary reprieve; but when the skies clear, he’s ready to talk. “I messed up, and I’m sorry. To you. To Charlotte. To our families. That thing back in high school made me question my judgment. I’d wanted to do something with my life other than being Noah Jackson’s son. I didn’t have your arm, and I had zero interest in building things or moving money from one account to another. I had to show you all that I was worth something. At least, that’s what I thought.”
That thing back in high school was Nate getting drunk and two girls taking advantage of him. It was sick and wrong, and Charlotte never would’ve held it against him. Just like I don’t hold anything that went on between Lainey and Chip against her.
“We love you, man; always have and always will.”
The corner of his mouth turns up. “Yeah, I know. I think the longer I was gone, the harder it was to come back, you know?”
“I know.” Because shame’s a powerful emotion. It drove Nate away from his family, and it prevents Lainey from accepting that she’s a person who can be loved. She can’t get over her past. But then, it took Nate nine years to face his family, so can I judge her?
“You come out here a lot?” My brother gestures toward the airfield.
“Nah, but I figured it’d be one place I could have a smoke with you in peace.” I push off the front bumper. “Should we get back? We’re supposed to take the ladies to the bar tonight.”
“Ladies?” He drops the cigar and grinds his boot into the lit end before picking it up and tucking it into the empty beer can.
“Lainey, Reese, and Charlie.”
“Reese know you call him a lady?”
“No way. He’d beat the shit out of me.”
We share a chuckle and climb into the truck, leaving behind all the antagonism that had built up in his years of absence.
——–
Dinner, predictably, doesn’t last long. I’m not sure if Lainey spots Chip and wants to leave before he arrives at our table, or if it’s truly because she has a babysitter problem. Whatever it is, I leave with her, throwing money down on the table and hurrying after her.
“Dani flaked out on you again? I told you not to hire her.”
Lainey scowls at me. “What are you talking about? You flirted nonstop with her when I was interviewing her.”
“Exactly. Cassidy shouldn’t be watched by some girl who’s got more interest in getting into my jock.”
“So that’s your test? If they want to sleep with you, then they’re not worthy to watch Cassidy?”
“That’s right.” How could she not see that? Did she actually think I was interested in that airhead? I hustle her out the front door of Stacks and into my truck. “So did you get a text from the girl or what?” I knew that chick was a flake from the moment she started eyeing my package.
Lainey nods and then sighs. “Yes, she said she wasn’t feeling well and did I mind coming home early. Maybe she expected you to be there tonight. That’s what you get for flirting with her.”
“It was a test. One she failed.”
When Lainey invited me to participate in the interviews, my main goal was to make sure she didn’t hire someone that Cassidy didn’t like. But as the interviews wore on, I realized the biggest danger was going to be someone who took the job in hopes that I’d sleep with them.
I plan to be around Cassidy a lot, and her nanny needs to be someone who is more interested in her development than what color my sheets are.
Back at the condo, Danielle is all smiles. Either she forgot she was supposed to be sick or figured I wouldn’t care.
“Where’s Cassidy?” Lainey asks, putting her bag aside.
“She’s taking a bath,” the nanny says. She gives me a little finger wave. “Hi, Nick.”
I don’t have to see Lainey’s face to know she’s rolling her eyes. “I’ll take care of paying the babysitter. Why don’t you get the peanut out of the tub before she turns into a prune.” Cassidy would live in the water if you allowed her to.
“I’m Dani,” the girl reminds me once Lainey’s disappeared into the bathroom. “So is Cassidy’s mom a friend of yours?”
“Lainey and Cassidy are the two most important girls in my life.” I can say that now because Nate’s back, and I can give over the care of Charlotte to him. It’s time for me to get on with my own plans.
“Oh, so how long have you known her?”
“Which one?” I hold out the fifty, which is overpaying this girl by a lot since I bet she did nothing but turn on the television for Cassidy while she spent the rest of the time texting her friends.
“Lainey. I mean…she said she’s not your girlfriend.” She fiddles with the bottom of her shirt instead of taking the money. Her skintight leggings don’t have pockets so I’m not sure where to stick the bill. In her waistband?
“Did she?” I cast my eyes around for her purse, which I finally spot over by the couch. I walk over and pick it up, sticking the payment in the outside pocket. “Well, Lainey doesn’t like to blab about things. Here you go. Thanks for coming.”
Reluctantly, she takes the purse and slings it over her shoulder. “Um, my car is downstairs, and I’m scared to go into the parking garage by myself.”
Really? I can’t believe this.
“Go and walk the girl down to her car,” Lainey says in an exasperated tone, appearing in the hallway with a wet Cassidy in her arms.
“Nick!” Cassidy exclaims and holds out her little hands in my direction.
“Hey, baby girl. I gotta run downstairs. I’ll be right back.”
“’kay!”
Dani gets a smug smile on her face. What does she think’s going to happen? That she can seduce me between the condo and the parking garage? Maybe a few years ago that would’ve worked. I was that easy at one time, but I’m not anymore.
“So off-season, huh?” she says as we walk down the hall toward the elevator. “What do you do? I hear a lot of you guys hang out at Stacks?”
“I spend time with my family.”
“Right. Your brother is in the Navy. A real hero.” She flashes her eyes at me.
These chicks know so much about me, sometimes it’s frightening. “He is.”
The elevator arrives. I gesture for her to step inside. She does but moves next to me as soon as the doors close.
“Have you ever been in an elevator when it’s just stopped? Wouldn’t that be crazy?”
I dig my hands into my pockets and stare at the numbers that are not dropping fast enough. “Crazy.”
“I’ve always wondered what it was like to be in a stranded elevator, haven’t you?” She moves closer until her tit is brushing my arm.
“No, can’t say that I have.” I move aside but find myself up against the wall.
“I’d like to, though.” She bats her eyelashes and runs a finger down my arm.
I’m rethinking the plan here. Originally, showing up and flirting with the nannies to weed out the undesirables seemed like a genius idea but now it’s coming back to bite me in the ass.
“Lainey and I are together,” I blurt out. Lainey’s not going to like this because I can tell the girl, who’s about five seconds away from pulling her pants off and humping my leg in the elevator, is exactly the type who’s going to spread this around the internet. But being cool and distant isn’t working.
“The mom?” The girl asks me, not backing off one bit.
“Yeah, the mom.” I push her hand away.
“But you’re not the father.”
“So?”
“So, don’t you want to be with a girl who doesn’t have kids?” She places a hand on her hip. Clearly, she’s referring to herself.
“I want to be with someone I can love. It doesn’t matter if she has no kids, five kids, or a football team of them. Besides, I love Cassidy like she’s my own.” The doors slide open, and I slip out before the girl can attach herself to me. “Which car is yours?” I ask and then notice she’s still in the elevator.
Her face is plastered with an unhappy expression.
“Well?” I prompt.
“I don’t have a car. I thought you could drive me home.”
Aw, hell no. I let the elevator doors close in her face and ring up the doorman. “Clark? This Nick Jackson. Lainey’s babysitter is coming to the lobby. Can you ring her a car?”
“Yes, no problem, sir.”
“Great. And if she gives you any problems, feel free to call the police.”
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