Nanny with Benefits

Damon smiled at me and looked like heaven in his gray sweatshirt. He’d slept well, and I could sense his eyes fixated on me.

“I’m going to get ready,” said Alexis, grabbing Clara by the arm and taking her to the bedroom. “Can I have curls, Karly? Please?”

I called out down the hallway, “Of course!” Then I at Damon, who still couldn’t take his eyes off me.

“I hope you don’t mind going today. I thought it might be fun for us all to, you know, really have a day off.”

I smiled at him, glad he was happy. “Of course not. Alexis will love it.”

I grabbed our finished plates and rinsed them, putting them in the dishwasher with our cups. I had a little girl waiting for curls, and most probably a doll that would need pretend curls.

“We’ll leave in half an hour so you girls can get yourselves ready. Is that enough time?” Damon asked, still wearing his captivating smile. The stubble that was protruding on his face made me enjoy looking at him even more.

“Yes. That’ll be great. Are we going in your SUV?”

“Yes. I’d thought we’d feel more at home that way.”

His words sunk in as I made my way to see Alexis and Clara. Home? Was he really thinking of me as a long-term thing? I didn’t know what to think or feel about the whole scenario. I did know I was head over heels for him and I’d never wanted anything more. Wow, what a revelation.

***

I was in awe as we stood at the top of the Statue of Liberty. The view was more breathtaking than I’d remembered it to be. Alexis was in Damon’s arms, showing Clara the wild view below us. The sight was adorable, and I took pictures of them together on my iPhone.

“Wow! Me and Clara love it. Come and see it, Karly.”

I walked to them and opened my mouth wide, exaggerating my expression to match hers. “Oh my goodness gracious! It’s so wonderful, isn’t it, Damon?”

Damon smiled at me. “Yes, it’s so wonderful. And we are really, really high up. So high up that everything down there looks like—”

“Like ants!” Alexis interrupted.

Damon and I laughed at her perfect words. “Yes, they do look like that.”

“I’m hungry,” said Alexis. “And Clara too.”

I looked at Alexis. “Me too! It seems like ages ago that we had pancakes, doesn’t it?”

“Uh-huh.”

Damon put Alexis down and looked at his watch. “It’s after one. Let’s go and get some late lunch.”

We made our way to a quaint café that had a ballpark playground for the kids. We ate soup and salad and enjoyed bagels and coffee as an afterthought. Alexis ran and played with other kids, leaving Clara with Damon and me. That same stitched smile was on her face. She was always happy, and I wondered if I needed to take a leaf out of the ragdoll’s book and remain positive despite the circumstances. I smiled at Damon but kept my thoughts to myself.

He smiled back, and I could tell he wanted me to open up to him. I wasn’t sure if he wanted to hear me confess my undying love for him or whether he just wanted to know my feelings for right now. My heart yearned for him and Alexis, but a weird feeling washed over me, making me realize again that there was so much at stake. What I’d found in him was exceptional and rare, but what would I say, and how should I say it so that it incorporated all of us? Alexis had to be at the forefront of everything.

Damon looked as if he were about to speak, but then Alexis called him over to the playground. He gave me a gorgeous smile and went over and got purposely stuck in the balls so Alexis and another small boy could rescue him. There was loads of laughter, and as I watched, I also got called into the wonderment that ensued. I lost my sandals, and there was a”search party that found them for me.

I laughed like a child as I followed Alexis and Damon through the entire course of mazes, ball pits, and adventurous tightropes that were safe because of the soft landings underneath them. We were being big kids, and everyone was having a ridiculously fun time. It was rare that adults could play with kids in a setting like this, but the proprietors had made it so, with the rules and regulations sign stating that the playground was made for everyone, big or small, young or old. There was a height rule, but it wasn’t huge, and so Alexis had been thrilled she was big enough to play here. Clearly, her socialization skills had grown, as she played with two boys and their older sister. They all tried to catch up with Damon and me, who were running from the dragon empire made up of the four very loud kids.