"You could do the same."
"I'm hoping she doesn't do that." I drank the rest of my wine and set the glass aside. "Now that Lilliana will be at Oakley's, we can focus on our relationship."
Blake angled her body so that she was facing me. "How so?"
"We can spend some time together in public acting like boyfriend and girlfriend." I was more than a little worried about living with Blake without Lilliana as a buffer. Would I be able to keep my hands to myself?
"We'll go on dates," Blake said, and I couldn't read her tone. "Let everyone know we're together."
"Have you had a chance to explore the island?" I asked her.
"I was living in Ft. Myers and commuting here to nanny for Cooper and Ivy, so I didn't have the time to do much more."
I nodded. "We'll rectify that then."
"That would be nice."
I stretched my neck and asked, "When are you going back to school?"
Her forehead wrinkled. "I'm not sure. I've done a lot of interning in various therapy offices. I enjoy it, but we're not always allowed to use whatever methods we want. We're usually stuck with whatever the owner of the practice wants to offer."
"What methods would you want to use?" I asked, genuinely interested.
"I really want to offer art therapy, and I worked in one practice in New England that provided it. It was amazing, but they didn't have any permanent positions. So I returned to Florida to continue the program. But I haven't been able to find anything similar."
"Do you need to finish your doctorate to open an art-therapy office?"
Blake's eyes widened. "I'd have to go back and take more art classes too. I don't have enough."
"You have a lot to consider."
"Right now, I needed a break to think about what I wanted to do, and I love nannying."
"If you need anything, let me know. I'm happy to help."
Her shoulders drew close to her ears. "I've actually thought about offering classes. I have to do more research. And what if no one is interested? What if no one signs up?"
"I guess that's a possibility, but I have a feeling if you wanted to teach an art class, you'd get people who were interested. Were you thinking of offering it to kids or adults?"
"I think I'd start with kids and see how it goes. My main concern is that I don't have an art degree."
"What do you want to do? I've always enjoyed working in the construction business with my family. I can't imagine doing anything else."
She leaned back slightly and said, "I want to reach people with art. I've seen the results with kids I nanny, but I wonder how much I can do."
"Have you thought about where you'd do these classes?"
She shook her head. "I don't have a space, and with these school loans hanging over my head, I won't have money for that. I should go back to school, finish my degree, work for a while, and then think about opening a business. It's just whenever I think about waiting, I die a little inside."
"I think you have your answer about what you want to do."
Blake nodded. "I want to teach art to kids. It's the how I don't know yet."
I felt good that I was able to help her reach that conclusion. I might have been able to see it more easily than her, but I guided her to the right solution. There were logistical issues, but at least she knew what she wanted to do going forward.
"Right now, I'm happy helping you with Lilliana. I feel like it's where I'm supposed to be."
"I'm happy you're here. I don't know if I'd be doing as good without your guidance." The way she handled Oakley when she came to the door was masterful. I was so used to doing everything on my own. My family supported me, but they weren't here when I had to deal with Oakley.
