Dirty Daddy_The Maxwell Family Page 5

  Warren beamed at me. “She’s a friend of a friend. She’s lovely, and she has a bit of a thing for doctors.”

  “Is that just another way of saying that she has a bit of a thing for guys with money? Because I’m not really into women like that.”

  “No, she’s really nice. Come on. What’s one dinner? One dinner can’t harm. You had one dinner with this Kennedy girl and you found yourself a nanny.”

  “Fair point.”

  “Does that mean that you’ll do it?”

  I laughed. “Are you going to ever quit pushing me into going on a date with her?”

  “Never!”

  “I believe you. Okay, I’ll do it. But I’m not promising that it’s going to lead to anything. One dinner!”

  “You won’t regret it,” he said and stood up. “And I’m going to get back to work before you change your mind. I’ll send you the details.”

  I got home a little late that day, as I knew I would, but I was glad for how much work I had gotten through. It had seemed like a mountain of tasks when I arrived, but it was now starting to seem a lot more manageable. Also, just knowing that Trinity was safe and sound had made me feel less overwhelmed by stress. I couldn’t wait to hear how her day had gone. When I opened the front door, I was surprised at how quiet it was inside. I was expecting Trinity to come running to me with news of how her day went. I frowned and hoped that everything was okay. It definitely wasn’t like Trinity to be this quiet. Had I done the wrong thing by trusting a stranger with my child so quickly?

  I found Kennedy sitting in the living room with a book. She smiled when she saw me, and I felt relief wash over me. Nothing seemed to be amiss.

  “Hey, everything okay?” I said and looked around. “Where’s Trinity?”

  “Hi, Reed. Oh, everything is fine. We had quite the day together. I think she was overly excited because she got tired very quickly tonight. But I managed to feed her before she fell asleep.”

  “She’s asleep?”

  “Fast asleep. She tried so hard to stay up, but eventually, she just couldn’t fight it anymore. Man, I wish I could fall asleep as easily as she can.”

  “Tell me about it. So, did today go okay?”

  “Today was great. You have a wonderful daughter, Reed. Like I said before, I’ve never done this sort of job before, but she definitely made it easy for me.”

  I beamed. There was nothing quite like getting a compliment about your daughter. It always felt like it was a reflection on myself. “Thank you. She’s great.”

  “Oh, and I left you some food too. I thought you might be hungry when you get back.”

  “I’m starving. Thank you so much. Kennedy, I was wondering if I could ask you a favor.”

  “Sure.”

  “I know you’ve just started, but is there any chance you can stay a little late on Friday. My friend has forced me into a date. I haven’t dated for years so this is all news to me, but if I didn’t say yes, he wouldn’t let me hear the end of it. Of course, if you can’t, it’s okay. I’m more than happy to have an excuse to say no.”

  Kennedy smiled. “Your friend sounds just like my friend. And I definitely don’t mind at all. I have nothing else planned for Friday night, anyway. You should go and have a good time.”

  “I’m not sure if I’m glad that you said yes or not. But thank you; my friend will be happy at least.”

  “No problem. Well, I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

  “See you tomorrow,” I said and let her out.

  Kennedy had such an easy way about her. No wonder Trinity liked her so much. I went over to the kitchen and found a Tupperware in the fridge. I opened it up and smiled when I saw that she had made chicken stew for me. I scooped it into a bowl and warmed it up. Then I sat in the living room to eat it. The moment I took a bite, I smiled. The food was amazing.

  Chapter Eight

  Kennedy

  I never expected to get along with Trinity as well as I did. I had no idea that I was so good with children. In fact, I’d always worried that I’d be a terrible mother because I generally didn’t know how to act around kids. But it was different with Trinity. It was easy with her. She wasn’t a very demanding child, and did whatever I asked her to do. And she just seemed genuinely keen to please.

  “Want to make lunch with me?” I asked her.

  “Yes! Are you teaching me?”

  I laughed. “If you want? It’s always fun to learn how to cook. How about you sit here at the counter and I show you how I make french toast. Then the next time you can do it with me.”

  “Okay,” she said. “And then maybe one day I can make it on my own?”

  “Yeah, one day. But for now, we can do it together. Cooking is lots of fun.”

  “How did you learn?”

  “Well, I taught myself. I have always enjoyed cooking. It’s so nice to make someone a meal and watch them smile because of something you made.”

  “My dad cooks great eggs, and he also gives me cereal in the morning.”

  “That’s good. Your dad sounds like a busy man.”

  “He is. He’s always busy. I’m not sure if he likes cooking breakfast, either. He says he does but then I hear him grumble.”

  I laughed. “Not everyone does. In fact, most people don’t. But I think it’s a lot of fun. You can be so creative with cooking.”

  “I like to be creative. I’m good at drawing. How did you teach yourself?”

  “I just kept practicing. I wasn’t very good at the beginning. And I used to make a lot of mistakes. I still make mistakes, but that’s how you learn. And the more I practiced, the better I became. And one day I cooked for someone, and they told me it was the best food they had tasted. I wasn’t able to afford college, so I used to find free classes to go to. And now I cook for a living.”

  “You make great food. Better than Linda. Hers was nice, but it wasn’t as nice as yours.”

  “Thank you. Who is Linda?”

  “She was my old nanny. She was very nice, but I think she missed her daughter. Now they are together which is good. And I’m lucky because I got to meet you.”

  “And I’m lucky too. Okay, so let me show you how to make french toast. Are you ready?”

  “I’m ready,” she said and sat up straighter.

  I took her through all the ingredients and answered all of her questions. Then I showed her each step one at a time and answered more of her questions. It took longer to make than usual, but I didn’t mind. When I was done making both of ours, I took the food to the dining room table so that we could eat together.

  “This is nice; I don’t normally have someone to eat my lunch with. Let me know if it’s any good.”

  I watched as she took a bite. I couldn’t believe that I felt so nervous about her trying out my food. She was only six, and yet I wanted to make sure that she was happy. Although, it made sense. She was the one that was going to tell her father if I was doing a good job or not. And kids never held back on their emotions.

  “This is delicious. I think I love french toast more than hot dogs now.”

  “Wow. That’s a lot.”

  “It is. Will I really be able to make this one day myself?”

  “You sure will. It didn’t look too hard, did it?”

  She shook her head. “No. But I’m not too good.”

  “You will be. Next time you can help me a bit. How about we make this twice a week? Then you’ll be good in no time.”

  She grinned. “Does that mean you’re staying?”

  “Why wouldn’t I stay?” I asked.

  “Because I heard you say you were only staying for a week to see if you were happy.”

  “I’m happy,” I said. “Do you want me to stay?”

  “Yes, please,” she beamed. It was so incredibly sweet of her, and already I knew that there was no way I could leave her. I wondered if the previous nanny had battled to leave too.

  “So, how long did you have Linda with you?” I asked.

  “A long
time.”

  “She must’ve had a hard time saying goodbye to you, then.”

  Trinity shrugged. “I don’t know. She didn’t say goodbye.”

  “What? What do you mean? She just left? Did she tell your father?”

  “Yeah. He told me that she said goodbye. She said it was too hard to say goodbye to me.”

  That made me instantly mad. It shouldn’t matter how hard it was for Linda. She should’ve known how important it was to Trinity for her to say one last farewell. How could she just leave like that? “I’m sure she just found it too difficult. Sometimes people don’t know how to deal with things, so they just leave. But it doesn’t mean she liked you less.”

  “Yeah,” Trinity said. Then, after a long pause, she added. “Like my real mom.”

  I gulped. I wondered if Trinity was ever going to talk about her. Reed hadn’t told me a thing, and so far neither had Trinity. I’d been curious, but I didn’t want to be the one that brought it up.

  “When did she leave?” I asked. I figured it was okay to talk about it considering Trinity had been the one to bring it up.

  “I don’t know. I don’t remember her. I don’t even know who she is. I asked my dad if she was coming back, but he said he didn’t know. That was when I was little. Now, I don’t ask him anymore. But I don’t think she’s coming back. She left like Linda left. I don’t think Linda is coming back, either.”

  My heart broke for this little girl. People kept leaving her life without telling her why. I hoped she didn’t think it was because of her.

  “People leave sometimes,” I said. “But that doesn’t mean it has anything to do with you. You know that, don’t you?”

  “I don’t know,” she said.

  “Trinity, it has nothing to do with you. Some people just have problems, and they need to go away for a while. But not everyone will leave you. Look at your father; he hasn’t left you. He seems like such a nice man.”

  “He’s the best,” she said. “What about you? Do you have parents? Do you have a mommy?”

  I shook my head. “No, I don’t. Actually, I was an orphan. So I never knew my mother or my father. I grew up in foster homes and didn’t ever really find a family home. That’s why I didn’t have money for college or anything. I taught myself everything.”

  “Wow. Not even a daddy?”

  “No. But I had lots of people looking after me and caring for me as best as they could.”

  Trinity looked at me. Her eyes were wide with surprise. “We’re almost the same then. Everyone at my school has a mommy.”

  “We’re almost the same. Maybe that’s why we’ve become such good friends so fast,” I suggested.

  “I’m your friend?”

  “Of course you are. Am I yours?”

  “Yes!”

  “So, as best friends, I think the two of us should go shopping together. What do you think? I need a few ingredients for dinner tonight.”

  “Yes, please! Can we go now?”

  “We can. I just need to check that it’s fine with your father.”

  I sent Reed a message to see if he was okay with me taking Trinity out and thankfully he seemed fine with it. We hopped into the car and walked up and down the aisles looking for ingredients. I noticed her looking at the chocolates but I also remembered Reed saying that he wanted his daughter to be healthy.

  “Okay, I have an idea. Your daddy is going out tomorrow night, so why don’t you and I make a cake together? Maybe Friday’s can be our one treat day of the week.”

  “Can we make it a chocolate cake?”

  “We sure can,” I said and laughed at her enthusiasm.

  She walked over to the boxes of chocolate and held one out. “Maybe this one?” she suggested.

  “Oh no, not that. We’re going to make a real cake together from scratch.”

  “We are? You know how to do that?”

  “Of course I do. You’ll see, you’re going to love it!”

  After we had finished shopping, I took her home and she helped me pack everything away. Then we sat together and spent some time drawing. She wasn’t lying when she said she was good at art. She had a natural affinity toward art that was impossible to ignore.

  “You’re so good at this,” I said to her. “I’m awful.”

  She looked at my drawing, which was mostly just a stickman next to a house and shook her head. “No you’re not,” she said. “You just need to practice. Like you did with your cooking. Maybe I can teach you how to draw?”

  I smiled. “I like that idea.”

  We drew together for the next hour, and then I went to the kitchen to prepare the dinner. Reed was working late most of the week, so I knew I’d be dealing with getting Trinity to bathe and sleep too. But I didn’t mind at all. In fact, I think I was enjoying this job even more than I was enjoying the job I had with Mr. Wentworth. This one took a lot more of my time, but it was more rewarding. And when Trinity went back to school, I was going to use the extra time to practice some of my fancier cooking. I didn’t want to get too elaborate for their meals, especially since I was also cooking for a six-year-old child.

  I ate dinner with Trinity, helped her with her bath, and then put her to bed. I read a book to her and watched as she slowly fell asleep. Then, as I had done the previous nights, I went to the living room with my own book and waited for Reed to come home.

  “She asleep again?” Reed asked when he walked in.

  I smiled when I saw him. Trinity had an easy way about her that made me feel comfortable to be around her, but she clearly got it from her father. “She’s fast asleep. We had such a fun day together today.”

  “She really likes you, Kennedy.”

  “I like her too. So, it’s the big date tomorrow,” I said.

  He groaned. “Don’t remind me.”

  “You not looking forward to it?”

  He shook his head. “Not really. But Warren said if I don’t go out and meet a girl, I’m going to end up marrying my job.”

  I laughed. “I can’t even imagine how busy you must be.”

  “It’s busy,” he said. “But I love it.”

  “The break will do you good, though.”

  “I suppose. But to be honest, I’d much rather spend the night alone with a good book. Man, I sound awfully dull, don’t I?”

  I chuckled and held up my own book. “Not really. I’ve spent many nights in the company of a book and my cat. And as dull as that makes me sound, I can’t deny that I enjoy it. Well, I’d better get going. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Thanks, Kennedy.”

  “And again, there’s food in the fridge for you.”

  “My favorite part of the day. You’re an excellent cook, by the way.”

  “Thank you. It’s nice to cook for people that aren’t fussy. There’s nothing worse than cooking for someone who has a long list of things they don’t eat.”

  “Oh, we eat everything in this household.”

  I chuckled. “No wonder I fit in so well. Good night, Reed.”

  “Good night, Kennedy.”

  As I left the house, I couldn’t help but think of how lucky the woman was that was going on the date with him. I don’t think Reed had any idea what a catch he was.

  Chapter Nine

  Reed

  I decided to go straight from work to my date that day. The thought of getting ready at home with Kennedy and Trinity watching me made me feel nervous. Also, I didn’t really want to make a big deal in front of Trinity. I called Kennedy quickly to let her know.

  “Uh, hi, Kennedy. I just wanted to let you know that I was going to the date straight from work. I’ve . . . well, I haven’t really dated since Trinity’s mom left, and I don’t want Trinity to feel strange about the whole thing. I also don’t to get her hopes up. I’ve told her that I have a business dinner. I just realized that I hadn’t told you that.”

  “It’s okay. She told me you had a business dinner, so I put two and two together and didn’t say anything. You feelin
g nervous?”

  “Actually, I am a little. Is that crazy? I’m a grown man!”

  Kennedy laughed. “It’s not crazy at all. Want some advice?”

  “Definitely.”

  “Make sure you order some wine. And if things get really bad, you can always say you have to get back to your daughter. But I’m sure it will be fine.”

  “Oh, wine is definitely in the cards. And thanks for taking care of Trinity. I’ve noticed such a change in her this week already.”

  “You have? That’s nice of you to say. And no problem at all. We have some fun things planned for later.”

  “Oh yeah, what’s that?”

  “Oh, it’s a secret. You’ll find out later. Trinity is here now, and she says I can’t tell you.”

  I laughed. “This sounds exciting. Okay, well, I might be home early, who knows.”

  “I’m sure you’ll have a good time. And don’t worry about us. We’re fine here.”

  I put the phone down and thought how easy it was to talk to Kennedy. I barely knew her, but I always felt at ease around her. I assumed it was because Trinity kept telling me how much she liked her. I hadn’t seen much of Trinity this week because she was always sleeping when I got home, but we got to talk in the mornings. I hadn’t seen her look so happy in a long time. She didn’t even seem that upset when I left each day.

  After work, I got ready for my date and went to see Warren.

  “Hey, man. Looking sharp. Is this for the big date?”

  “Yep. I’m leaving soon to meet her.”

  “I cannot believe you actually said yes to the date. I thought I’d have a much harder time trying to convince you.”

  “Actually, I’m surprised too. But, to be honest, it’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time. It was my brother Ryan who put the thought in my head. He’s become a different guy now that he’s met someone. And I guess it really is time for me to start thinking of myself. It’s weird, though. I haven’t dated in such a long time. I’m not even sure what I’m supposed to do.”

  “You’ll figure it out. I’m glad you’re going.”

  “I better go before I lose my nerve. See you tomorrow.”