I had to move. Her kindness was almost too much to take. “How about I show you around, and we can talk more about what I’m looking for?”
Hope flared in her gray eyes. It was the same expression I’d seen five years ago. Something about it slayed me.
I forced my gaze away from her and headed deeper into the house. As I showed her the kitchen, living room, bedrooms, and even the gym in the basement, I told her more about each of my boys. Hallie asked insightful questions but mostly listened.
“Do you need housekeeping help?” she asked as we headed back upstairs.
I barked out a laugh. “What gave that away?”
Hallie flushed. “I didn’t mean—”
I held up a hand. “I’m not insulted. We’re drowning. I’ll take any help you feel comfortable offering. If you’re willing to do some cooking and laundry, I’d be happy to adjust your salary.”
She quickly shook her head, her hair covering her face again. “The pay is more than generous. Since the boys are in school for most of the day, I’m happy to clean or run errands for you.” She worried her bottom lip, bringing my gaze there. “I’m not the world’s best cook, but I’m happy to try.”
“I make three things well, so I’m sure just having a little variety would make the boys happy,” I told her. Charlie, Drew, and Luke were beyond sick of steak, pasta with meat sauce, and chili.
Hallie interwove her fingers with one another again and squeezed hard. “I’ll do my best.”
I had no doubt.
“Do you want to see the guest cabin?”
“I’d like that.” A flicker of excitement passed over her expression. It lit all her features, making her even more beautiful somehow.
I tamped that down in a flash. Hallie’s attractiveness wasn’t something I needed to be thinking about. The woman was a potential nanny and someone with whom I’d witnessed her worst moments. Not to mention, she was thirteen years my junior.
I forced my gaze away from her face and headed for the door.
Hallie followed silently behind me.
The bite of winter air helped, shocking my system and forcing me back to reality. “The place is furnished, but you’re welcome to make it yours. I’m happy to put anything you don’t want in storage.”
I pulled my keys from my pocket and unlocked the door, stepping inside. The cabin was small. A bedroom area with a tiny bathroom and then a living and kitchen space with a large window that overlooked the lake below. There were bookshelves and cabinets for storage and a wardrobe that could serve as a closet. But there definitely wasn’t space for a ton of belongings.
Hallie didn’t make a sound as she explored the guest house. Her fingers ran over a quilt on the end of the bed, one my grandmother had made before she passed. Her gaze tracked over every inch of the space, stilling on the large picture window.
“It’s perfect,” she breathed. Her eyes shone, unshed tears glistening in them.
The reverence in her tone and the emotions running over her face were more than I could take. And it had me doing something reckless.
“Do you want the job?”
6
HALLIE
My stomach did a seriouslyimpressive series of acrobatics as I zipped up my suitcase. Pulling it off the bed, I set it near the door. My belly did another dip and roll.
“It’s a new beginning,” I whispered to the walls.
One somehow tied to my past.
As the morning light streamed in my motel window, Lawson’s face filled my mind. His strong jaw and kind eyes had been a staple in my brain for the past twenty-four hours.
I’d never known his name. He’d always only beenBlueto me. I’d begged my parents to find him so I could thank him, but they’d never understood what his kindness had meant to me that night. They’d simply wanted to forget the whole ugly thing ever happened. When I was finally well enough to call, the county told me they couldn’t release the information.
Everyone else wanted to move on. But I couldn’t forget.
