The Daddy Box Set

Jess dropped down to give Gina a hug. “I’ll see you tomorrow, little tacker.”

“Tomorrow?” Gina asked.

“Yep,” Jess said. “Your Dad is going out tomorrow night.”

“Sleepover with Jess!” Gina said.

Jess looked at me and smirked. Her not bogging Gina down with the specifics was a blessing. I didn’t want to answer any questions about me dating until I found someone special enough. I didn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up, including my own.

Chapter Ten

Jess

“Do you want to go to the aquarium?” I asked Gina late Friday morning. Steady rainfall from the night before poured into th

e morning, postponing any outdoor plans we might have made.

“Not today,” Gina said, looking out of her bedroom window. “Can we jump in puddles outside?”

I wouldn’t have minded if we were in the middle of summer. But the cooler temperatures plus the rain wasn’t the best idea.

“It’s too chilly for puddles,” I said.

She let out a sigh. “Can we go to see Sierra?”

I checked my phone. It was nearly eleven. I had a craving for a hot Panini from the shop around the corner from the record store. We could spend a little time in there and then get something to eat before Gina’s nap.

“All right, it will be a short trip,” I said. “Let’s get our jackets.”

The ride to the record shop was much smoother in the rain than it ever had been in my car. I began to dread driving home in my clunker when I spent my time with Gina driving in the luxurious car that Noah provided to his nannies. The whump-whump of the wipers sounded melodic and enough to make my shoulders relax a bit. I hated driving in the rain. And it seemed like this rain would never end. I couldn’t wait until summer to start.

And with a stroke of luck, I found a spot right outside the record shop, so we didn’t have to travel far. I did bring an umbrella with us for the walk to lunch.

The moment I got Gina out from the car, she rushed toward the record shop. I went after her, both of us desperate to get out of the rain.

Gina was already inside when I got there.

She’d found Sierra in the back of the store.

“Nice, Jess,” Sierra said.

“What?” I asked.

“She ran in here by herself. Aren’t you supposed to be watching her?” Sierra said with a smirk.

“I was watching her,” I said, pulling a face. “And I knew you were in here.”

“Tsk, tsk, you’re a naughty nanny.”

My eyes practically bulged out of my head.

“I’m just messing with you.” Sierra grinned and lifted Gina into her arms. “What’s up, little duck?”

“Quack, quack!” Gina said. “I want to listen to the barn song!”

Sierra took Gina’s hand and brought her over to one of the display record players. Sierra had played her an old children’s record when they first met. And Gina loved the Old MacDonald song, so she insisted on listening each time she was in the store.

Each time we came in, Gina listened to it at least three times in a row, so I knew I’d be able to get a little break with Sierra for a minute. Stuck inside with a three-year-old who had boundless energy called for a little mental break. And during her nap, I would probably doze off myself.