him calling her Nani, I was kind of hoping his first would be dada. But I’m actually relieved. Finding someone I’d trust with him and would be a good fit was a huge worry for me. That he’s taken to you like he has for his first word to even be mama, I couldn’t be more grateful. Obviously, I hit it out of the park with you.”
Dani looked up at Orlando with a smile. “I think we both did. I couldn’t have asked for a better job.” There was that twinkle in her eye again that did things to Orlando he was still trying to figure out. “Or a sweeter boss.”
Orlando wasn’t so sure how he felt about her referring to him as boss even though technically he was. But he’d take the sweet part. They were caught in another one of their moments until she cocked an eyebrow. “You were going to feed him in here?”
“No.” Orlando shook his head then turned to the counter where he’d been working on the cereal. “I was gonna move him over to the dining room as soon as I had his cereal ready, but then I got the call and . . .” He shook his head, feeling like a failure, but laughed. “I really was gonna move him though.”
Dani giggled again but then seemed to catch herself. “Nothing’s wrong, right?” She glanced at his phone on the counter. “It wasn’t a bad call again was it? Byron?”
“No, no.” Orlando shook his head but decided to take advantage of her asking to clarify. “I wouldn’t have even taken the call if it weren’t for the fact that I haven’t answered any of Felicia’s calls in days. I’ve just had too much going on, but I felt bad because, you know, she did help out when I needed her most. So, it feels kind of chicken shit to just ignore her now that I don’t.” Orlando had since taken the highchair tray to clean it up at the sink. He turned back to Dani, her expression unreadable even as she kissed the baby’s forehead.
“Oh. Was she upset?”
“No.” Orlando kept his eyes on her as he rinsed off the tray. “Nothing like that. I told you it’s never been serious between us. I just felt like I should at least extend her the courtesy of answering her calls every now and again, but . . .” He turned back to the sink before adding the next part. “I did make it clear again I don’t have time for even staying in touch much. I can’t be taking her calls at the shop, and I won’t even answer when you’re here.” He shrugged, trying to make less of that last part. “She knows my priorities, so I probably won’t be hearing much from her anymore.”
He wiped the tray dry and placed it on the highchair, picking the whole thing up. Right on it as usual, Dani grabbed the bowl with the prepared cereal, which now included mushed bananas in it, and headed to the dining room. “Well, I’m sorry to hear it?” Orlando turned to her, slightly amused by the question in her comment. Her befuddled expression had him smiling. “I mean,” she went on quickly. “Not sure if this is a bummer for you or—”
Orlando laughed as he set the highchair down at the head of the dining room table. “Not at all. I didn’t mean to be so blunt with her, but I don’t need to be dealing with the guilt every time I ignore her calls.” He looked at her, needing to make this last part clear. “Because now that I’ve made it clear, I’ll likely ignore every one of them from here on. No sense in dragging it out, especially because, even though I had made it clear from the beginning, I get the feeling she was still hoping for more.”
Dani glanced at him for a moment before looking away, but he didn’t miss the way she arched a brow. “She did introduce herself to me as your girlfriend. So maybe you hadn’t made it clear enough.”
Staring at her, Orlando was torn between frowning and smiling. Was she calling him out on this? “Yeah, I was warned by more than one person that the kind of understanding she and I had never worked. It’s why when I realized she was feeling way more than I ever felt for her, I knew I had to end it.” He held her gaze for