Читать книгу Soldier Daddy - Cheryl Wyatt - Страница 11

“I can’t imagine what happened. I never leave it unlocked,” Sarah said of her car to Adorna in the nanny agency’s lobby the following week.

“Was anything taken?” Adorna asked, entering her office and flipping on the light.

Sarah followed and took her usual seat across from the agency owner. “All my CDs. But they’re mostly modern worship, Christian rock or songs with a positive message. So maybe the person who broke into my car and took them will have a change of heart.”

“We can hope.”

“We can also change the subject.” Sarah forced a laugh and stuffed the police report into her purse. “Aaron was right about the bad neighborhood.” What would he think if he knew she’d been robbed after he’d warned her?

“Speaking of, what did you think?” Adorna folded her hands.

“The boys are absolutely adorable.”

Adorna’s brows arched. “And Mr. Petrowski?”

Heat rushed her face when she remembered their last encounter, when he’d dropped off her phone, and the complete weirdness surrounding his departure. Surely it had been the full moon. And nothing more.

“Wasn’t nearly as scary as I feared,” Sarah hedged.

Adorna adjusted her glasses while she opened a manila file. “Then I have good news for you. Mr. Petrowski has requested another session with you.”

Sarah stifled a squeal. After all, she wanted to maintain some semblance of professionalism. “Awesome!”

“In addition to him conducting a more in-depth interview, you’ll need to prepare a list of questions to ask as well. With this moving into the next phase, there’s really only one final step before decision time. Did you read his contract?”

Sarah nodded. “Yes. I’m okay with everything in it.”

“Mr. Petrowski has requested that you spend time with the boys several days this week, starting tomorrow.”

“Sounds great. I’m really excited to see the boys again.”

And the dad.

Stop! She scolded herself. She needed to be all about the job and not about the man whose intense eyes and smile and radio-quality voice could snatch away a woman’s breath.

“I think you’ll be the best thing that’s happened to this family in a long time, Sarah.”

“Thank you for believing in me.”

“Of course. And so you know I mean that, I’m waiving fifty percent of the placement fee when Mr. Petrowski signs you on as his sons’ nanny.”

Sarah laughed. “Don’t you mean ‘if’?”

Adorna shook her head. “Unless something drastic goes wrong, or you’re not what he thinks, I’m ninety-nine percent sure you have this job.”

…not what he thinks…

Again, Sarah’s past tried to pull out in front of oncoming hope to slam her head-on with old guilt, shame and unworthiness.

What I did is not who I am anymore.

Growing up, she’d dreamed of having her own family someday. God would probably try to work that deflected dream back into her deflated heart. But for now, more than anything, she wanted to be there for this family.

Unless you’re not what he thinks.

Aaron didn’t know about her past yet. What about when he discovered it? But she wasn’t that person anymore.

Right?

Then why did cold hands of guilt press sharp fingernails into the shoulders of her resolve as she walked out of the nanny placement agency?

Was she still punishing and not completely forgiving herself?

Or was this feeling God niggling her to tell Aaron about her past before he made his decision? And if so, when?

Help me know.

“Did you know Mina speaks spinach?” Bryce said to Sarah, moments after she arrived for her next visit.

“Sp—” Laughter sputtered past the rest of Sarah’s word. “Spinach?”

“Yeah. Haven’t you ever heard of it?” Bryce blinked.

“Not quite that way,” Sarah said, figuring Bryce meant “Spanish” instead.

Aaron pressed his chin into his knuckles and studied her, as if to discern how she had drawn out the more withdrawn of the two boys. “Bryce has a language all his own. Hardly ever talks, much less to strangers.

“Braden is more outgoing. Definitely the extrovert. He’s usually the first to get in trouble,” Aaron whispered.

“And Bryce is usually first to let us know about it.” Mina waved a kitchen towel as she laughed.

“So, Bryce is the informant,” concluded Sarah.

Aaron grinned. “And Braden is the enforcer.”

The adults shared a laugh as the boys played across the room. Bryce picked up a plastic motorcycle and inched toward Sarah, then changed gears and stuffed himself under Aaron’s arm.

“Bryce is my shy boy.” Aaron pulled the child onto his lap. “And that’s okay, huh, buddy?”

Bryce leaned into Aaron and peeked at her between his fingers. He flashed a beautiful, bashful grin.

It heartened her that a strong military man like Aaron was okay to let his gentler, more sensitive son be himself.

Sarah leaned forward. “So, boys, besides fishing and softball, tell me what you like to do.”

“Lotsa stuff.” Making revving sounds, Braden ran the motorcycle across the air in front of Sarah.

“That’s a nifty bike.” She brushed a finger along his toy then Bryce’s. “I’ve never seen others like them.”

“Uncle Vinny gave ’em to us,” Braden said.

“Vince Reardon is on one of my military teams. Although he tends to want people to think he’s hard-nosed, tough and brooding, he’s crazy about kids and bikes. He had his sister weld those for the boys.” Aaron intercepted the bike as it swerved near a lamp. It amazed Sarah how lightning-fast his hand struck. What was he saying?

“He’s not really their uncle but they call him that.”

“Interesting.”

“Excited to spend more time with them?”

“Yes!” Sarah pulled out her backpack. “I brought coloring books, crayons and cars.”

The boys abandoned the cycles and swooped in on her.

“I want the cars!” Braden zoomed his hand up and jumped.

Bryce eyed the coloring book with reserved interest.

She tugged out some pages and a pack of crayons. “Something tells me you like to draw.” She eyed faded ink marks on Bryce’s arms and legs, which someone had obviously tried to scrub off but couldn’t completely.

Bryce took the pages.

Aaron leaned his chin toward them. “Boys, what do you say?”

“Thank you, Miss Sarah,” Bryce said in a small voice. Then he grinned. Her heart melted. He had his daddy’s slight dimples. She hadn’t noticed that before, since Bryce didn’t often smile.

“Yeah. Thanks very much!” Braden shimmied and bounced in berserk motions, like a barely coiled ball of energy.

Aaron slid Bryce off his lap. “Okay, boys. Hugs. Daddy has a meeting.”

Panic entered Bryce’s eyes. “Can we go?”

“Not this time, buddy. You get to spend time with Miss Sarah. Okay?”

His lips trembled. “Okay.”

Aaron hugged Braden, then Bryce, who clung to his father’s neck. Panic mounted on Bryce’s face and he broke down. Aaron looked torn. Pangs of compassion squeezed Sarah for them both.

Bryce clung to Aaron’s neck. “Daddy, don’t go!”

Poor thing. He was having a hard time with his dad returning to work. And getting to know her, a virtual stranger.

Aaron knelt and gave Bryce another hug. “I know, buddy. It’s hard for me, too.” He closed his eyes and swallowed, offering Sarah a glimpse of a surprisingly vulnerable side. Yet it only served to strengthen his image in her eyes.

How would he extract himself from Bryce’s crawfish grip? She could help. Use distraction.

She stood so she was at eye level with Bryce. “Hey, Bryce, can I tell you a secret?”

As Aaron tugged the boa constrictor that was Bryce from around his neck, Sarah held out her arms. Bryce inched toward her with the tip of his finger in his mouth. Tears glistened in eyes that struggled to trust and to understand.

Pulling Bryce close so Aaron could make his escape, Sarah cupped her hand around Bryce’s ear. “Want to help me make a project for your daddy while he’s at work?” she whispered.

An instant smile lit his face. She could imagine any brighter would have caused the room lights to flicker. The kid’s grin pulled a lot of juice. She hoped to see it more often. She’d prayed for God to help the boys adjust and cope with Aaron leaving for work. Thank You for answering.

“Yes,” he said. His dimples reemerged.

“It’ll be fun. I promise.”

“What?” Braden approached.

“Come here,” Sarah said.

“I want to tell him!” Bryce leaned toward Braden and whispered.

Braden jumped up and down. “I know a surprise! I know a surprise!”

“Shh.” Sarah held a finger to her mouth and gave Braden and Bryce exaggerated winks. “It’s a secret plan.”

Mina reentered. After a brief exchange of conversation with Aaron that he initiated in tones Sarah couldn’t hear, Aaron stepped toward the foyer. “See you later, boys. Ladies.” He tipped his head at them and cast Sarah an expression of gratitude. The door closed behind him.

With a quick smile, Mina eyed her watch, slipped from the room and disappeared somewhere.

Sarah settled near the boys. “I’m so excited we get to make a project for your dad while he’s gone.” The more craft items she pulled from her backpack, the wider the boys’ eyes grew. Glitter glue. Bendable pipe cleaners in every color. Scissors with differently shaped blades. Foam shapes. Washable markers and stencils.

“This is gonna be fun!” Braden exclaimed.

“Yeah,” Bryce added with more exuberance than she’d seen before.

Good. Seemed she was winning over the hearts of the little guys. Her eyes veered toward the window, where Aaron’s truck left the long, barren driveway.

What about the big guy?

What a way to win hearts. Coloring pages and crayons. A nanny’s staple.

Now he knew what she kept in that bulky backpack. She’d brought projects and toys for the boys.

“Smooth move, lady. I like you already,” he said appreciatively and eyed his house through his SUV’s rearview mirror.

Aaron had fed the boys an extra healthy meal and, as usual, had foregone any sweets this morning. So they wouldn’t be grumpy from low blood sugar today with Sarah.

Remembering Bryce’s tears tugged and tore at his heart. But Sarah had come to his rescue. Without her help, Aaron had no idea how he would have gone on to work. Unintentional or not, kids knew how to slather on the guilt.

Ten minutes later he pulled into the parking lot of the Refuge drop zone. Joel’s Expedition already sat in the lot beside the rest of the team’s vehicles. Aaron must be the last to show.

Once inside the massive brick-fronted pole barn structure, Aaron pulled Joel and Manny Peña aside. “Hey, be in prayer about this. I know there is a lot riding on whether I can come back to active duty now or not. I found a nanny who I think will work out so I can.”

“Same one you mentioned before?” Joel asked.

Aaron nodded and motioned over the rest of the seven-man team, mostly to avoid Joel’s overly curious undertones.

Scrapes sounded as Manny turned a chair around and sat, straddling it. “So, we going forward with the plans Refuge city hall asked us to participate in to try to boost the town’s morale? It really took a nosedive when the bridge collapsed.”

“Yes.” Aaron said. “We’ll move forward in the planning stages of the water and rope safety classes as well as the wind tunnel idea.”

“But, in order to do that, you need to bring more PJs to the area, right?” And in order to do that, he had to return to duty full-time.

Aaron nodded. “The nanny is with the boys now. She’s agreeable to signing on for an extended time.”

Manny shifted in his chair. “You sound hesitant, Aaron. We understand that you need to put your boys first.”

Aaron shook his head. “It’s not that I don’t think she’s safe or anything. It’s just that she’s drastically younger than other nannies who’ve applied.” He felt himself blush. By the looks of the team’s sharpening gazes as they crowded around, they noticed, too. Aaron wasn’t trying to be sexist and he hoped his hesitation with offering her the job didn’t seem discriminatory. “Truthfully my mind may just be scrambling for excuses because I feel guilty returning to work.”

Not only was he uncomfortably taken aback by her zest and beauty…“My main concern is she’ll want to start a family of her own sooner than she thinks. Then I’d be out of a live-in nanny. And the boys would have to get used to another stranger coming in and caring for them when it should be—”

Their mom. Aaron clamped shut his mouth but the respect and compassion streaming from the eyes of his men let him know their minds also finished out his thought. None of the men had blamed him when he’d pulled out of the dangers of Pararescue to care for his infant twins when their mother had died.

“Anyway, she’s willing to sign a legal document stating she won’t have another commitment during our contract that will interfere with her priority.”

“So it’s all good, right?” Manny asked.

“You’d think.” You’d also think that if he was looking for someone with no other commitments he’d want someone younger, as they’d be less likely to be attached to their own family. “But it perplexes and saddens me that a young, beautiful single woman doesn’t feel she has a future in sight as far as her own family.” Adorna, the agency owner, had mentioned that to Aaron; Sarah had alluded to it in conversation as well.

“Young?” Chance’s head whipped around.

“Beautiful?” Brock sat straighter.

Vince stepped closer. “Single?”

“So,” Brock said, “when can we meet her?”

Aaron pumped the air with his palms. “Whoa. Down, boys. She’s a respectable girl. A devoted Christian. Not your type.”

“What about your type, Petrowski?” Vince folded massive arms across his black T-shirt-covered chest. And smirked.

Aaron shook his head. “As I said, she’s young.”

“You’re not exactly a dinosaur, Chief,” Chance said.

Manny waved a vague hand in the air. “Yeah, age is a matter of the mind. Long as you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”

“Long as she’s legal,” Vince said. “She legal?”

Aaron shot him a withering look. “She’s legal. And off-limits. To all of us. Especially you. End of story.”

“So, back to the business at hand.” Joel rested his forearms on the tabletop.

Pivoting, Aaron faced the rest of the guys. “Here’s the plan. I’ll contact the other PJs I command. See who’s willing to transfer to Refuge Air Base. That way we’re not putting the community programs totally on a back burner when conducting regular pararescue trainings and in the event of being away on missions. Once I get all three teams here, we’ll rotate so that one team will always be in Refuge to man the community projects while another team is on training ops, which leaves the third team for emergency missions. My other two teams haven’t been together as long as you guys. Regardless, my bet is they’ll jump at the chance to have a stationary base of operations. You guys are somewhat of an icon to them. Most of them are fresh, just out of Pararescue and don’t yet have families.”

“So no baggage?” Vince said.

Manny jabbed his arm. “Hey. Watch it. I don’t consider my family baggage.”

Joel straightened. “Me neither. And you’d better hope Celia doesn’t get wind of you calling her a bag.” His mouth twitched.

“Yeah, she’ll slug you, then laugh about it,” Nolan said.

Ben snickered.

Aaron eyed his watch and cleared his throat.

The room straightened up and misconduct ceased.

Aaron grinned inside. He still had it.

Though he hadn’t been in the picture much the past few years, they still respected his authority. The teasing and razzing could be relentless, but these guys wore respect for their superiors as proudly as their crisp maroon berets.

Hard-core honor, uncommon valor and selfless bravery defined every one of them. They’d throw themselves in front of a bullet if it raced toward their teammates or their leaders. Aaron knew that was mostly because the guys knew he and Joel would do the same for them.

Aaron pressed his hands on the table. “I’ll contact non-Refuge team members one or a few at a time, have them check out the facility and observe the programs we’re instituting. Decide if they want to transfer. Until then, move forward with objectives we mapped out in the last meeting with city officials.”

“So in short, proceed as planned?” Joel asked.

“Yes.” Aaron eyed his watch. “I have another errand to run. We still on for Saturday evening at your place, Joel?”

“Need you ask?” Chance grinned. “Dude always has us over on weekends.”

Joel rose. “Yep. Same time. Same place. Cookout, my house. Six o’clock.”

“What about when you and Amber go overseas?” Nolan asked. “We’d feel weird meeting and greeting at your place without you there.”

“Not to mention Joel’s having renovations done to add bedrooms for all the kids they want to adopt,” Manny said.

Joel rose. “I’m sure you guys will find an alternate place to meet while we’re gone. Until then, we’re on for every weekend like usual. As always, everyone bring a side dish and a two-liter of soda. We’ll take care of the meat.”

“Okay. See you at six on Saturday,” Aaron said, wishing he hadn’t let his yard go. If he got it cleaned up, he could have the guys over. Plenty of space and stuff for kids to do.

The group started dispersing.

“Yo, Petrowski. You should invite the new nanny.” Brock smirked all the way to the counter, where Vince grabbed his motorcycle helmet.

“She’s not the new nanny yet, Brock.” He turned to go. “But if I do decide to get a wild hair and invite her, mouths shut. Eyes and minds off. Do I make myself clear?”

“What about hands?” Vince asked in baiting undertones.

“You so much as think about touching her, even accidentally, you’ll lose flesh courtesy of my favorite lethal weapon, Reardon. You hear?”

“Yeah. Loud and fifty-caliber clear.” Uncharacteristic humor resided in the tall PJ’s normally brooding eyes.

Brock grinned. “We get it. You just want her for yourself.”

Aaron laughed because a smile danced in Brock’s eyes when he said it. But as Brock’s declaration rang in his head, heat flashed under his skydiving jumpsuit collar.

Teasing subdued, the guys triggered fully-loaded looks at one another in semiautomatic sequence.

Aaron didn’t have to wonder why.

They’d all tried to set him up numerous times in the past several months. Manny’s fiery, outspoken wife, Celia, known for aggressive matchmaking, had gone as far as telling him Donna wasn’t coming out of the casket so he should get his heart off its broken duff and date.

But he’d always adamantly repelled their attempts at steering him toward another romance.

He didn’t want to ponder why he didn’t feel so inclined to strenuously resist, evade or negate their efforts this time.