I punched the pillow. “Not helpful, asshole,” I murmured out loud.
Chapter 4
“Are you even listening?” Xander asked me, his nose wrinkling as he stared at me via Skype.
I wasn’t. “Of course, I’m listening. Best Holiday Outfits for under fifty dollars. I’m on it.” I wasn’t. Not really. It wasn’t a hard assignment. I could do it in two hours. Normally, I jumped on something easy like that as a way to round out the afternoon and feel accomplished.
But I sat at my desk in my living room, gaze going back to the couch where Maddox had carefully folded his blanket and set his pillow on top of it. There had been something very comforting having him there in the middle of the night, easing my anxiety about Sully’s crying jag.
He had been a good kid who had clearly grown into a good man.
He’d left early, waving off my offer of coffee. He’d been dressed all in black, with lots of metal lining his wrists, a skull hanging around his neck. The women who watched the reality show were going to love him. He was easy to look at, that was for sure. Especially without a shirt on. Not that any of them would see him without a shirt on. Right?
“I need your next clothing capsule video by Friday,” Xander said. “And Chloe needs a consult on her subscription box series.”
I nodded, forcing myself to focus on the content editor. Xander Billings had hired me three years ago, and had been an easy boss, and helpful mentor. He was about ten years older than me, with impeccable style, and a brilliant British accent. His father was English, his mother Pakistani, and he’d been raised in London, but came to New York for a relationship.
The boyfriend hadn’t worked out, but he’d carved himself a life in New York and had no plans to return to London.
“Anything else?” I asked.
“Yes. Are you going to explain to me why you’re so distracted? Don’t make me question letting you work at home. You know I’m a huge advocate for childcare.”
I rolled my eyes. “I know you are. Don’t worry. I’m going to be working primarily at night because I have a friend from my hometown staying with me for a few months. He works during the day but at night he’ll be watching Sully so I can knock out my workload. He got here yesterday.”
Xander’s eyebrows rose. “He? Interesting.”
“He’s my little brother’s best friend.” I thought that would make Xander lose interest, and it somewhat did.
“Is he attractive?”
“Very. But he’s covered in ink and looks like he belongs in a motorcycle club.”
Xander shook his head. “Oh, that’s not your type at all. Good. You already having an infant demanding your attention. You don’t need a man doing the same. We have deadlines and the constant threat of competition chomping at our heels.”
Then I would keep Operation Fix Up Savannah to myself.
And the fact that I had every intention of taking Sully to the park that afternoon. It was seventy degrees in October. I had to take advantage of the weather while I still could. It would basically be a crime not to.
“Think of my nanny as a positive, not a negative.” That was how I was going to approach it. If Maddox could help me regain an ounce or two of my sanity, it was worth the occasional discomfort when my body felt the need to betray me and have a sexy response to him.
“I will assume, then, that I’ll have that video in my inbox tomorrow.”
Shit. “Of course. Absolutely. By the end of the day.”
We ended our call and I swiveled my chair around, sighing. Fall in Barcelona. I needed to pull that video out of my butt in twenty-four hours. Time to pack up Sully and hit the stores for some affordable inspiration. The concept of the capsule wardrobe was key pieces that you packed for a vacation that could be readily mixed and matched. I gave all the links to online purchase sources, obviously, but most of the features had me wearing the combination of outfits, so I usually shopped at a handful of standard stores in a variety of price points.
The company comped me, so it was something I usually loved doing. Free clothes are never a bad thing.
But it was a different story shopping with a six-month-old.
As I worked on the holiday outfits article, I got a text from Leah.
Grant’s cousin.
She followed that up with a picture of a good-looking guy standing in front of a sailboat. I zoomed in. Yep. Definitely attractive. He was wearing shorts, boat shoes, and a button up shirt in a pastel plaid. Caramel-colored hair, casually tousled. The smile of a man who has the world by the balls but isn’t a prick about it.
Oooh, he’s cute.