Page 30 of Always Be Mine
Craig nodded vaguely and reached for his phone again. There had been a series of emails and text messages from Chase about the short-term rental apartment. “I remember.” He didn’t sound convincing, even to his own ears. “That’s actually where Lucy is staying right now.”
“Lucy? As in the woman you just hired to be your nanny?”
Craig nodded and flipped the phone over. There was still no response from her. He glanced at the time. She should be on her way to pick Meri up from school soon.
“She can’t stay there, Craig.”
His fingers hovered over the keyboard, ready to text her again, but he decided against it.
“Craig.” Chase rapped on the table, drawing his attention back to his brother.
“What?”
“Did you hear me? She can’t stay at the apartment.”
Craig shook his head. “Right, you said something about offering it to the right candidate for the chocolate. But that’s all hypothetical. We didn’t really decide on any of that. And even if we did, that gives us some time to?—”
“Not really. I may have already found someone who will be a really good fit. But?—”
“You did?”
Chase shrugged. “I mean, I can still get out of it, but I don’t think I should.”
Craig dropped his head to the table and groaned. He knew hiring the chocolatier was the right move. Again, hisguttold him so, even if Chase’s projections hadn’t been as clear as they were.
“No. Don’t get out of it. But find a different place for them to stay.”
“I really don’t think that’s possible, Craig. She can’t stay there. Not past next week anyway.”
He sat upright and stared at his brother. “But she has to.”
Chase shook his head. “Not possible. If you want to move forward with this chocolatier idea, you need the space. Vacancy rates are at an all-time low in town. It’s the only way to attract the right candidate. She can’t stay there.”
“She has to. I just hired her, Chase. Six months starts today.”
For the first time all day, his brother was not offering any solutions or really any help at all.
Unable to sit any longer, Craig left his phone at the table and paced to the far side of the room. “Where is she going to stay? Here?” He waved his arm around the giant dining room. The big house wasbig.There were plenty of rooms that weren’t being used now that only Chase and Annie were staying there with Annie’s nephew, Grady.
“Don’t you have a spare room?”
“What?” He spun around to face his brother. “No!”
“It makes sense, Craig. She’s going to be taking care of Meri before and after school, right? And what about weekends when you’re at the shop? Having her live with you might just make it?—”
“Absolutely not.”
There was no way. Under no circumstances could Lucy live under the same roof as him. He’d never lived with a woman before. Not even Meri’s mother. It was a big enough change to have her helping him with his daughter. But he couldn’t have her as a roommate, too. What about his privacy? What about hers? He only had one bathroom. What if he saw her in only a towel? Or worse, walked in on her in the shower? No. It couldn’t happen.
“Don’t tell me you’re worried about living with a woman.”
Did Chase have mind-reading abilities?
“Of course not,” he lied. “That’s ridiculous. I just don’t want to have…what if she’s…just no.”
Chase laughed. “That’s right. Kat did mention that Lucy was pretty cute. This makes perfect sense now.”
“She’s not—okay, she is cute. But that has nothing to do with anything.”
