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“I’m my own boss. I can work whenever the hell I want.” Darius roughly clears his throat, rubbing his upper chest. “Fuck. I think I’m coming down with something.”
My daughter’s eyes bulge. “Daddy, Uncle D said a swear wor—”
Felix slaps the back of Darius’s head. “What are you doing at home today, princess?” he asks Stella from where she’s hanging upside down off of Ronan’s shoulder.
“School’s closed!” Stella squeals jubilantly as Ronan lowers her to her feet. “More funding! Less excuses! More funding! Less excuses!” she chants, fists pumping in the air as she marches across the kitchen, imitating her teachers.
“School’s closed, huh?” Darius turns his eyeballs to me as Stella heads back to the sink to finish drying our breakfast bowls with a hand towel. “Does that mean the plan for today has changed?” He takes a drink from the water bottle in his hand.
Ah, shit! I got so caught up scheduling out Stella’s day in my mind that I completely forgot about the car shopping thing.
“I’ve got to reschedule our trip to the car dealership,” I tell the guys.
“Oh, come on.”
“Really?”
“Bummer.”
The lot of them complain and whine like the big babies they are.
All I do is shrug. “School was canceled. Genevieve has plans. And I don’t have a sitter for Stella. So, I can’t make it today.”
“Go ahead,” a tentative feminine voice calls out. I turn around to see Inez walking into the kitchen, a shy smile on her face. “Go hang out with the guys, and I’ll babysit Stella.”
My little girl’s eyes light up. “Really? For real? I get to stay with Inez today?!”
I hesitate. I know Inez is great with Stella, but it doesn’t seem right to just pawn my kid off either.
“If your dad says ‘yes’.” Inez smiles at my daughter with a warmth that makes my chest burn.
“You don’t have to do this,” I say to her.
She steps closer, and I have to hold my breath to avoid inhaling the addictive scent of her flowery perfume. She’s wearing shorts with the same T-shirt of mine that she’s slept in all week. I’m tempted to ask for it back, just so that I have something that smells of her.
“Seriously, go,” she commands me. “You work crazy hard, and you never take time for yourself. Consider it self-care.”
Holding back a chuckle, I cock an eyebrow. “Really? Self-care?”
But my annoying brothers all seem to agree with Inez.
“Yeah, dude.”
“She’s right, you know.”
“You definitely need some self-care for that pale-looking complexion. Those late shifts have you looking like a vampire.”
“I’m a single dad who runs a small town bar. I don’t have time for self-care,” I grouse.
Inez rolls her blue eyes at me. The perfect shade of blue. “Stop being a smart ass. It causes you wrinkles.”
Stella pins her lips together, deliberately letting Inez off the hook for that swear word.
“I don’t have wrinkles,” I shoot back defensively, absently rubbing at the lines around the corners of my eyes. “And I can’t ask you to babysit while I go goof off with the guys.”
“You’re not asking. I’m volunteering,” she argues. “I’m already planning to hang out here today, so it’s no trouble. Stella and I will hang out around the house and then go outside to play.”
Well damn. When she puts it like that, it sounds awfully tempting.
