Heatherly Bell - This Baby Business

“A grandma type?”

“Sure, if that’s what you want.”

“I want someone who really likes kids. Someone who will stick around for a while. I don’t need a whole lot of help, except for when I’m at work. But maybe she needs a woman’s touch.”

When he threw another one of those protective glances at Grace, and this time rubbed his jaw against her little semibald head, Carly’s knees went weak. “Yes,” she managed to squeak out. “Good idea.”

“There’s another problem.” Levi shifted Grace in his arms. “I can’t pay you much right now. That seemed to be an issue for Annie.”

“No worries. Pay me what you can, when you can.” In fact, any money at all would be welcome.

Maybe she should pay him.

“Are there any grandparents nearby?” she asked conversationally and got herself a beer.

“No one nearby. My parents are out of the country right now, working with the World Health Organization.”

“Impressive. How long have they been doing that?”

“All my life, really, but there’s more time for it now that they’re retired.”

“If I can ask, how did you lose your wife?”

He cleared his throat. “You must mean Grace’s mother. Car accident. And we were never married.”

“Oh. I guess I...misunderstood.” Not a sad widower, then.

“No more than most people do. I guess I should wear a sign or something.”

She laughed and brought her hands together. Mentally cracked her knuckles. Maybe she’d asked enough questions, and it was time to move in for the pitch. “So here’s my offer to you. I’ll watch her for you during the week and a few nights, too, if you’d like.”

“Really?” His eyebrows went up on that one.

“Sure. Why not?” She set her beer down. “I just want most of the nights free so I can catch up on any work I can’t get done during the day. But maybe you want to go out sometime with the guys. Or your girlfriend.”

He smiled. “Are you sure? She’s kind of a...handful.”

“She’s adorable.” She threw what she hoped was a loving look in Grace’s direction. At least she seemed to be happier in her father’s arms. He didn’t even have to walk around the house and pace and jiggle to keep her quiet.

“What about your husband? Will he be cool with a baby around some of the time?”

She caught Levi staring at her lucky ring. Oh, damn. She’d nearly forgotten. She’d had the ring all through high school and design school and wore it as much as a week before a major test for the extra good juju. It wasn’t anything fancy, a simple gold ring that she liked rubbing and twisting around her finger like a worry stone. But these days it fit on only the ring finger of her left hand.

“I’m not married. This is just my lucky ring.” And lately, she needed the extra luck.

He set his half-finished beer on the counter. “I’ll tell you what. Why don’t we both take the weekend to think about it?”

Seriously? He didn’t want to jump on this opportunity to have the owner of RockYourBaby babysit his daughter? How had she failed to sell this to a desperate man?

You have to apply yourself, Carly. Try a little harder. I know you’re not stupid.

The words of every teacher she’d ever had growing up reverberated in her mind. This was a challenge, like RockYourBaby was a challenge. Like reading and writing had been for so many years when it felt like no one understood how hard she did try. All she had to do was work harder. Smarter. It might take her twice as long as someone else, but she’d get it done.

“Sure, sure. I understand. Why don’t you check out my website over the weekend and tell me what you think?”

“It’s a deal.” Levi smiled one last time, then he and Grace were out the door.

CHAPTER FIVE

THAT EVENING LEVI fed Grace dinner, cleaned up her mashed potatoes and high chair mess, bathed and powder-puffed her, dressed her in one of those so-called sleepers with a bazillion snaps, then laid her on a baby blanket in the living room. It was eight o’clock and he had no delusions Grace would be ready for bedtime, but at least she wasn’t wailing.

He took a seat on the floor near Grace and pulled out his laptop. He was about eighty percent sure he would take Carly up on her offer to babysit, because he had no other choice. She seemed determined to look after Grace until they could find someone else and it made sense. But this time he hadn’t wanted to jump as quickly, because he’d been in reactive mode since he arrived in Fortune. And frankly, he’d been a little too intrigued by Carly to just accept outright. More curious and drawn to her than felt comfortable despite her being single.

If she ever got it in her head that she wanted a date with him, it wouldn’t be as easy to turn her away. And it probably wasn’t a good idea to date his babysitter, anyway, whether under twenty or someone like Carly, who definitely appeared to be his age. While he couldn’t put his finger on what it was about her, she drew him in with those soulful hazel eyes. And they had something in common, too.

They were both desperate.

He did a Google search for Carly Gilmore and came up with a Facebook profile, mostly filled with photos of her with friends. She was linked to a business page and the RockYourBaby website. He clicked on the link and a busy website came up with the slogan The Place Where Babies Come First. A buddy of his had started a paddleboard business a while back, and Levi had firsthand knowledge of the cost of a professional-looking website. Carly’s looked like a top tier–priced website, and he noticed several popular baby product companies advertised prominently on the landing page. There were several photos of Pearl Gilmore, obviously the image behind the company. A grandma type if there ever was one, she had short salt-and-pepper hair, a wide and toothy smile, and a regal and distinguished air about her that said, “You can trust me with your baby.”

And he would trust this grandma type. Carly, he wasn’t so sure about. She had the baby company, so he didn’t understand why she’d take on Grace, too. He wanted to believe she was simply being kind and neighborly, but that didn’t ring true on some level. She wanted something from him.

There were a few photos of Carly on the website, and a clear indication that she had taken over in Pearl’s place. What would it feel like to be called a baby expert and have no children of your own? His guess was that she might feel like a bit of a fraud.

It takes one to know one.

He’d been the only child of parents who were overachievers and had instilled the same values in him. Study hard, work hard and give back. He’d spent summers at his grandfather’s ranch in Texas because Levi’s own parents didn’t seem to have time for him if it didn’t involve quizzing him on his studies. He’d had to make the honor roll every semester or suffer a long sermon about wasted opportunities. Pop’s ranch had been the only place Levi could be himself and unwind. Have fun for a change.

He’d gone straight to the Air Force Academy after high school and received his degree, going into the service as an officer. His good friends, his AF brothers, were the only ones who understood Levi Lambert could be impulsive at times. Wild. He’d carefully compartmentalized his life to be two people: the officer and the playboy. A bit of a cliché, but hey, he’d paid his dues.

Then Grace had come along. She had brought out the very best in him, but he’d had such a wild past that anyone who could see him now would be stunned. Spending nights alone with his daughter, looking forward to nothing more than a full night’s sleep. If he got lucky. There again, getting lucky had taken on a whole new meaning. It used to mean a night of uninhibited, balls-to-the-wall sex with a woman who didn’t want much in return other than a couple of orgasms. He could give her that but not a whole lot more. The whole love, marriage and kid thing had never been on the agenda.