Nodding, I made a mental note to drop them off when I was next here with their deliveries. “The only issue is my kitchen can only hold so much, so I may need to do some inventive juggling with it all.”
Canon looked up from the notes he was writing on a piece of paper. “Why don’t you just use ours? We have a walk-in fridge at the back that’s not in use just now. I thought we’d need the extra space—”
“I told him we wouldn’t because we serve food that’s as fresh as possible,” Bond interrupted, shooting a smug smile at his brother and getting the middle finger back.
Rolling his eyes at me, Canon continued, “And we have a freezer with hardly anything in it, too.”
“That’s great, but I’ve got to think of Nemi.”
Bond pointed at a stack of books and kids' stuff in the corner. “On the days she’s with you, and you want to use the kitchen, she can stay in here or go to Mom’s. On the days she’s in daycare, you can come straight here after you drop her off.” Leaning back, he frowned as something occurred to him. “When does she start pre-school? Is that still a thing?”
His astuteness and consideration for my daughter continuously blew me away. The quintessential bachelor was more observant and thoughtful about a small child than I’d ever have thought he could be.
“It’s still a thing, and she starts there in August.” And I was dreading it.
His frown deepened. “Okay, then, that means you’ll have extra hours during the day. If you get caught on a cake, one of us can pick her up so long as you trust us to do that. It’s your call on all of it. We’re just here to help out.”
“Yeah,” Canon agreed, drawing my attention away from his brother. “I can be the cool uncle, rocking up to pick up my niece with tunes blasting.”
It was strange, but both of them looked more excited at the prospect than I’d expected.
Turning back to Bond, I pointed out, “You’re amazingly good with her.”
Looking vulnerable and unsure for a moment, he mumbled, “I just look at her as a small adult and go from there. If I was to keep thinking of her as a kid, I wouldn’t have a clue what to do, but she can talk and think, so she basically steers the ship with me along for a ride.”
That sounded a lot like my daughter.
“Mom’s been talking to us about what three-year-olds can and can’t do,” Canon added. “When we looked like we were about to freak out—Dad and Reid included, FYI—she dropped it. I think Bond’s approach is the most sensible one.”
I don’t know how it happened, but I was glad I had the Klein family in my life. Kids needed interaction with people who could be trusted around them, and I trusted that family—Bond especially—with her safety and well-being.
Maybe our different personalities would suit each other? I was more of a homebody who didn’t go out and lived a boring life. He was more exciting and liked action and adventure and having fun. In a way, I’d help him settle while he helped me open up. I was kind of excited at the prospect, too, if I was honest.
Seeing he was watching me, I shot him a smile, getting a wink in return.
“I’ll take you up on that offer, if you don’t mind.”
“We wouldn’t have offered if we did,” Bond pointed out, getting a noise of agreement from his brother.
This opened up a whole new world for my business, but it also opened up a whole new world for me, too. One where I’d be around people instead of at home on my own while I worked. I’d never been overly social, even before Nemi was born, but I’d locked myself away more since she’d come along. Getting back out around people was daunting, but I’m sure it would be a blast.
Especially with all of the guys from Kleins keeping me company. Change was good, and this one looked like it was going to be great.
That sentiment was hammered home by what Canon said next. “By the way, Jenny’s been a fantastic addition to Kleins. She shows initiative and is meticulous and precise with everything she does, plus she picks up jobs for other people when she’s in and helps us stay on track. We’re giving her a bonus this month.”
I knew from Sol how much it meant to her that Jenny’d been offered the job here and how much of a difference it’d made to her personality and behavior. I wasn’t sure how I’d do it, but one day I’d find a way to thank them—which I said out loud to them.
Both brothers looked at me like I’d lost my mind.
“You’ve helped us expand our menu and create delicious bespoke desserts for us, baby,” Bond replied, shaking his head. “If anything, we owe you. Those shards with the logo on it for Kleins are unique and amazing, which is what we’d aimed for when we’d opened the business. With Cason and Casy both coming up with ways to add them to cocktail glasses, we have a niche no one else has.”