Falling for the Babysitter

Even though I try not to be, I’m jaded. It’s hard to let those past indiscretions go, no matter how hard I try to be bigger than that. After the divorce, I was certain I didn’t want anything more than a casual hookup once in a while, but there’s something different about Remy. I need to know if there’s something there.

“How did things go today?” I ask her.

She places Bailey back in her playpen, then looks up at me with a smile that lights me up from head to toe. “Perfect. It took a little while, but I think she’s warmed up to me.”

“Great,” I say. “The job is yours if you want it. Monday through Friday.”

“I would love it.” The way she says it, making eye contact, and softening her voice, causes chills to slide up my arms.

She starts to leave the room, sliding around me in the doorway, but I can’t let her leave. There’s this pull toward her that suffocates my good judgment. I should just let her go. Let this be nothing more than a babysitting job as it was intended.

I put my hands on her shoulders. She doesn’t try to escape from my grip. Instead, she looks up at me, open and curious. The hallway is dark, casting a shadow over her face, but I can see every single one of her lashes and the glimmer in her eyes. I lean over and smell her hair. Lavender and citrus. Clean, fresh. There’s nothing tainted about her. Not like there had been with my ex who always smelled faintly of cigarette smoke and male cologne; a scent that belongs to bars and clubs. Remy is nothing like her. I don’t know how I can say that for sure, but it’s a feeling I have that won’t let go.

hear. The air seems electrified. I don’t know if she can feel it too, but it seems

her shoulder, exposing the

far.

my voice a husky

before our lips can touch, the front door

past warnings come rushing back to me. He thinks Remy will break me like Karen did, but he’s wrong. There’s no telling Sam that, though. He warned me about Karen too and I hadn’t listened then either. When he learned that we’d

really. Though he tries, I will not let him rule my life, become some lonely sad sack like he is. I can’t even remember the last time he went out on a date. He probably tried being controlling with them, too. I bet he would even order for them at a restaurant. That sounds like something he would do. I’m tired of it. I’m a grown man and I’ll

when she hears his voice. She looks frazzled, like she’s just been snapped out of a dream, her eyes glossy, face flushed. I want to tell

upset. I grab her wrist, my