do.”
Mostly, I worried about living a life I didn’t think she’d ever understand.
Chapter 2
PHOEBE
Contracts, Flashcards and a Check
“HI, HANNAH,” I called from the other room as she closed the door behind her.
“Hi! Thank you so much for choosing me. The money is very good. I’m excited to figure out the routines and to get to know them.”
She came into the living room, and I grinned. “It’s not my money. It’s part of the Austin wedding fund,” I giggled.
“What?”
“Kind of a long story. But he’s the one paying you. Not me. So, here’s a list of the chores they need to do before I get home tonight.” I wrote them down like a dork. “Here is the shower schedule. Heather and Claire prefer baths, but if you run outta time, it’s fine.” I tried to act like it wasn’t a big deal and that I wasn’t completely OCD. “They have to read for 30 minutes a day. There are no practices tonight, so you don’t have to go anywhere. Which is good because Sloan has the car with the car seats.”
“You have a car?” Austin asked from behind us. I stared at him for a short minute in his short-sleeved golf shirt. The brown in his eyes didn’t seem as dark tonight. I heard Hannah sigh when she looked at him. I fought the smile I felt. He was so perfectly gorgeous; I didn’t blame Hannah. I remembered two nights ago and all the sighs I refused to let come out while we rode home in his Tesla. Getting fired from that lousy job was the best thing that had happened to me in a long time.
“Pretty dress,” he said with that killer smile that had captured my attention at Braums. “How are you, Hannah?”
“I’m dandy. Ready to take care of these kids.”
The dress was a feminine flora little number, and I smiled at his compliment, feeling pretty. I hadn’t heard those words in a while.
“Call my phone if you need me. Don’t text. OK?” I was so nervous leaving them.
Austin’s hand rested at the small of my back briefly before I pulled away, trying to remember that this was a business deal not a date. “If she doesn’t answer, then you call mine. Understood?” he clarified.
Hannah saluted him, and we were out the door.
The Tesla was already running when we got in. Escaping the Texas heat inside the car was refreshing. A yellow legal envelope sat in my seat. Freebie was written on the front. I grinned.
“What is this?” I asked. The a/c blasted relief through my hair all the way to my neck.
“Our contract. And payment.”
He put the car in reverse and started driving. Odd, how much I trusted someone I’d only met a couple of days ago. Trust didn’t come easy to me. I opened the envelope. A $10,000 check was on top. I stared at the four zeros knowing I’d never seen or would probably ever see again a check for that much money.
“You really must trust that I’ll follow through with this deal.”
I couldn’t see his eyes. They were hidden by a pair of fancy mirrored Ray Bans, but he nodded just once. “I do.”
The paper was a single page, formal…contract.
“If you aren’t comfortable signing it, I’d be happy to hire you an attorney to look it over.”
I laughed out loud. “Are you kidding me? Come on now. Do I look like an attorney sort of girl? I know one attorney, and he drew up this contract.”
Austin grinned. “I just want to make sure you understand it.”
“It can’t be that complicated.” I started reading the document. Everything was very self-explanatory. Flying, yikes. “I’ve never flown. Any chance of driving?”
His brows popped high on his forehead. “That’s a bit of a game changer, Phoebe. That would mean being away from the kids a lot longer than planned.”
I stared out the window, letting his words soak in. I’d never spent a night away from them. My chest tightened with the thought. “How long of a drive?”
“Comfortably? We could do it in 3-4 days. On a plane, 3-4 hours.” He winked.
“I’ll think about it.”
“Deal. Think fast though. Driving means we leave sooner.”
“I know. Um. This clause F. You can’t tell me I can’t have sex. That’s not fair.”
His eyes left the road, colliding with mine. “I meant with me.” He glanced back at the road. “You seemed hell bent on making it clear that first night that you don’t do sex for money. In order to make you comfortable,