“You okay?”
“Yes.” She nods, but then shakes her head. “No. I don’t miss much from my life in LA, but I miss him.”
The need to comfort her is strong. I hate seeing her cry. Without thinking much about it, I press a kiss to the side of her head and let my lips linger against the soft strands of her hair.
“Do you know what you need?”
“A nice long bath?”
I cringe. “There isn’t a bathtub in the loft.”
She shrugs and wipes the tears from her face. “A shower will work too.”
“I was going to say you need to relax. Go upstairs, unpack, get settled, and enjoy the peace and quiet. Read a book, take a shower, or you can walk around the property. If you follow the trail out back, it leads to a really pretty view of the lake.”
“You’re right. I think I’ll do that. Thank you.”
“Can I go?” Emma asks, looking at Nora hopefully.
“No, sweetie,” I jump in, because I know Nora will tell her yes, and she needs some time for herself.
It’s important to me that she knows I’m not going to turn her into my personal nanny.
“Let Nora unpack and relax.”
“Maybe I’ll come find you later. How does that sound?” Nora says.
Emma pouts, but nods.
“Well, we’ll let you get settled. If you need anything, send me a text.”
“I will.”
“Come on, kids.” Jack and Emma take off for the front porch. Henry wiggles in my arms, so I put him down, and he waddles after them.
“Grayson?”
I glance over my shoulder. “Yeah?”
“I need to know how much the rent is so I can let my accountant know and you can get paid.”
“You’re not paying rent.”
“I don’t expect you to let me live out here for free.”
“You watched the kids for me. Consider your rent paid for the summer.”
“No.” She grabs my arm when I turn to walk away. “I have to do something.”
“Relax. That’s all you need to do.”
She doesn’t look pleased with my answer, but she doesn’t try to stop me when I walk toward the house.
I glance out the front door several times, watching to see what Nora will do—half hoping she’ll come inside and hang out with us. Eventually, she meanders into the loft, and about an hour later, when I’m on the floor playing with the kids, my phone vibrates with a text. I smile when her name flashes on my screen.
You’re right. The view of the lake is breathtaking.
I smile.