“I don’t know why, but my grandmother always made sandwiches that way. It tastes really good, don’t you think?”
I smile, touched that she would put so much effort into making me some lunch. I know how close she was to her grandmother. “It does.”
“I’ll get Skyler ready to go.” Kiki leaves my office, and I stare down at the sandwich, my throat tight. Even though I messed everything up, she still took the time to think about me. It melts my heart.
I shake my head. I need to get a grip. All she did was make me a sandwich.
After finishing lunch, I head to the living room. Kiki and Skyler stand as I enter the room. Skyler runs to me. “Are we going to the marina now?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Can we take a boat tour?” Skyler pleads with her hands.
I look at Kiki. “Do you get seasick?”
She shrugs. “I don’t know. I’ve never been on a boat.”
“Never?” Skyler says, her eyes wide.
Kiki laughs. “Where I grew up, there was no seashore. Not even very many lakes. Just a lot of corn fields.”
“Wow,” Skyler says, like she’s amazed Kiki survived in that environment. It makes me smile, and I ruffle her hair.
I drive us to the marina and park the car. Once we’re out of the vehicle Skyler grabs Kiki’s hand and pulls her toward the boardwalk and the network of docks and piers where all the boats are moored. I follow closely behind them.
Skyler points to a boat that’s backing out of the marina. “Look, Kiki!”
“That’s cool. Can you read what it says on the side?”
“No.”
“It reads,Willow Breeze,” Kiki says, pointing. “That’s what they named their boat.”
“Willow Breeze,” Skyler repeats, like it’s the coolest thing in the world.
I leave them and walk over to the tour stand to talk to the man behind the counter. “When does your next tour boat leave?”
“In about ten minutes. You want to buy some tickets?”
“Sure.” I pull out my wallet and get us three tickets for the one-hour tour.
I motion to Kiki. “The tour starts in ten minutes.”
She brings Skyler over to me. “This will be fun,” she says and I can tell she’s trying to be lighthearted, but I still sense the tension between us that I created when I stepped out of line last night.
The man helps us climb into the boat. There are several other people on the boat already, and Kiki finds a space that will seat the three of us. We sit down, and Skyler climbs on Kiki’s lap.
I sit quietly and watch Kiki interacting with Skyler. I love how attentive Kiki is with my daughter. When Skyler is talking, Kiki’s full attention is on her. It’s like she’s mesmerized by her. I don’t know why, but this makes me even more attracted to her.
I shake my head and look away. What’s wrong with me? Why am I determined to mess things up? Kiki is a wonderful nanny. I need to keep myself in check because I’ll chase her away if I come on to her again.
Another couple climbs onto the boat, and I have to scoot closer to Kiki. I put my arm on the back of the seat without thinking about it. My hand brushes against Kiki’s bare shoulder and I freeze. I didn’t mean to touch her. I pull my arm down andlook away, embarrassed that I made such a stupid mistake. Kiki doesn’t say anything.
An older woman turns to Kiki. “How old is your little girl?”
Kiki’s cheeks turn pink. “She belongs to him.” Kiki points to me.
“Really?” The woman stares at Skyler. “She looks just like you.”
