“Anna, honey.” My dad voice fully activates at her suspicious avoidance.
“Well, I-I mean we—” She stutters over her words.
I hear a delicate sigh, and I instantly know who it must belong to. “It’s okay, Anna. You can tell your father.”
“She can tell me what?” I ask as I make my way out of the pool and in search of my towel. I may not be close enough to get to her immediately, but my body knows it needs to move.
I hold the phone farther away from my body in a futile attempt to keep it from getting any more wet than it did when I abruptly leaped out of the pool.
“Hey,” Isabella—now taking up most of the space on the screen—says as she greets me while still giving my daughter a soft look. When she faces the camera and catches sight of me, I don’t miss her reaction.
I may have been concerned about what they need to tell me, but I’d be lying if my chest didn’t puff up a little by the shocked look on Isabella’s face.
And just like the night I caught her in my kitchen, it seems like she’s not keen on looking away from me any time soon.
Anna must whisper something I can’t hear, because Isabella shakes herself out of her daze and focuses on where I assume my eyes are on the screen.
Definitely not where she was looking before.
“So, yeah. Hi. Um, I already said that, didn’t I? Anyway…” She takes a deep breath, and I can’t deny that I find her incredibly cute when she fumbles her words. Makes me want to do it more often.
Stop it, you idiot.
“Spit it out, Isabella,” I say harshly, even though my tone was meant more for myself than her.
She visibly straightens as her eyes narrow slightly.
There she is.
I can’t deny that I love seeing her all fired up. I’ve only had a few glimpses of that backbone she possesses, and if it isn’t the sexiest thing about her…
“It’s really not a big deal,” she starts.
“Not a very promising way to start a sentence, Isa.”
The little minx rolls her eyes at me, and I fight the urge to smile. Can’t let her know what her insolence does to me. Fuck if I know what to do with it myself.
The fire in her eyes only burns deeper. “Look, I made an executive decision today as Anna’s nanny, that’s all.”
“And this executive decision consisted of what, exactly?”
“For the record, your mother was with us, and she signed off on the plan. And obviously, as you can see with your own eyes, Anna is perfectly fine. No need to worry. I’ve got it all under control.”
I take a calming breath. This woman is saying everything and nothing at the same time. And as much as I want her to get to the point, it’s also nice to have her on the phone. So with the same patience I reserve for Anna, I lower my voice and slowly ask, “Isabella, what aren’t you saying?”
She bites down on her thumbnail until she finally makes the decision to fess up. “We ditched her after-school activities today.”
“You what?” Those activities are some of the best in the city. Hell, probably the country. And I’m sure I’m probably paying an exorbitant amount for them. But I’d hand over every nickel for Anna.
“Cálmate, papa bear, and hear me out first,” she sasses. “Your daughter had an exhausting day at school because they played basketball during physical education, and apparently the whole class was having such a great time, they allowed them to keep playing throughout recess. Do you know how much cardio that is? You probably don’t remember, since you stand on that pitcher’s mound and beat everyone to a pulp with your fastballs.”
I’m no longer able to hide the amusement on my face. “Is that so? Is that what you think I do for a living?” I smirk. “You watch me play often, Isabella?” I mercilessly taunt.
“No,” she responds way too quickly.
“But we just watched his game,” Anna chimes in helpfully. I respond with a look that clearly shows I know she got caught bullshitting me.
Her cheeks turn a pretty shade of pink.
