“You’re a bit blind if you didn’t see it.”
“If he was so in love with me, then he wouldn’t have fired me. It was just a fling.”
“This was what I was worried about, love,” she said.
“I know. This all got so screwed up.”
“Do you want to hear what I think you should do?”
“It took you long enough,” I said.
Mom laughed on the other end of the phone. And I missed that sound already. “I was hoping you’d work it out on your own, but it looks like you need a push.”
“What is your idea?” I asked, even though I knew what she was going to say.
“Love, I think it’s time for you to come back down here. At least for a little while. There are plenty of open jobs down here, and I believe that you need to get some space.”
As much as I fought her in the past about coming down there, this was the first time it sounded like a good idea. And going down there last week made me miss being there even more.
“That’s a lot of space,” I said.
“It will keep you from wondering what they’re doing and the good possibility of running into them.”
She was completely right. Noah wouldn’t come back to Australia any time soon. His job was too important for that.
“I think that might be for the best,” I said.
Chapter Thirty-One
Noah
On Friday, I tried to be better tempered toward Gina as she came to work with me again. Allison had been apologetic about being sick the day before, but I knew her dedication to the company. When she arrived at work, she retained a stuffed nose and had barely concealed the bags under her eyes, so I knew she hadn’t faked the illness.
Though when she asked if she could care for Gina while I worked, I politely refused. Mostly because I wanted her to catch up on the work she missed, and partly because I didn’t want Gina to be exposed to whatever had ailed Allison. The last thing I needed was a sick kid and no nanny. Or, even worse, Gina getting me sick and having to take another day off. I knew I wouldn’t have one of those in a long time. I saw the consequences of that and didn’t want to risk it again.
Instead, I instructed Allison to contact the former nannies who were up for the job before Jess strode into our lives. To make the process quicker, I had Allison put out an ad on a reputable caregiver website as well. I didn’t like the idea of that and wished that we could find someone through a personal referral, as this person would care for the love of my life. But we had no other options at this point. I needed someone as soon as possible. It wasn’t as if I could ask Jess if she knew anyone. I’d burned that bridge due to my overreaction
to her talking about Gina’s feelings.
Brandon mirrored Jess’s thoughts, and I knew from the moment I’d spoken with him that I’d fucked up. I thought about going to Jess and apologizing, but I’d said some pretty nasty things to her. Though I knew she loved Gina, after pushing our relationship to one of a more sexual nature, I knew it would be awkward if she came back and for us to be strictly at a professional working level.
Thinking of Jess made my stomach queasy, so I knew we had to proceed with finding a new nanny for Gina while at the same time forgetting about Jess altogether.
Gina was much better behaved on Friday. After my attitude had softened on Thursday, we both went home that night, had a nice dinner, and went to bed early. We both woke refreshed on Friday, and while at work, Gina quietly played and watched her shows on my tablet for most of the day. It was a good feeling that without so many words, Gina knew what I needed sometimes.
I was glad for the end of the week, and on Friday night, I turned off my alarm and my phone so I could sleep uninterrupted.
Surprisingly enough, Gina was the one to wake me on Saturday morning. I didn’t remember moving at all throughout the night, and I woke up in the same spot I’d fallen asleep in.
“Good morning, Daddy,” Gina said from the edge of my bed. Her little head peeked up from the side.
I reached my arm over and pulled her up.
She tucked her chubby legs close to her body and giggled as I hefted her onto the bed. “You’re still sleeping.”
“Yes, I was,” I said, nuzzling her nose.
She sighed. “I’m hungry.”