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I didn’t think I’d ever been more embarrassed in my entire life… until I looked over and saw brown, man-sized boots coming my way.
Austin came into view then, towering over us as he stood behind Hank, fingers in his front pockets, gazing down at me, grinning. “I’m glad to see Kasey here took good care of you on your first day. How do you like it so far?”
Of course, the irony wasn’t lost on me, but I wasn’t about to give him the upper hand.
“It’s… um… great. Just great,” I told him. “He’s been a delightful host and has shown me everything.”
I cringed as the last stupid word poured out of my mouth.
“I bet. Kasey always did know his way around… well… just about anything. Fortunately for Kasey, and for you, we tend to keep cameras out of the bedrooms. Did he tell you that?”
“I didn’t ask,” I told him as I wrapped the blanket tighter around my body while still sitting on the floor, with the kids all staring over at me, like I was some sort of alien being that just fell out of the sky.
“We’re playing a game, Daddy. Do you want to play, too?” Emily asked, looking completely innocent to the embarrassing situation.
I had to admit, these were three of the most adorable and smartest kids I’d ever met. If what I’d seen on the interview was any indication of their future, they would have no problem succeeding in this tough world.
“Not right now, cupcake. Look, why don’t we give Liberty and Kasey here some privacy? Okay, guys?” Austin asked, but it came out more like a command rather than an a straight-up ask.
“But I want to tell Daddy about the circus,” Annie countered.
“You can fill me in later,” Kasey said, finally getting a voice. “Right now, I’m sure Loraine has already whipped up something special for you down in the kitchen. Why don’t you guys run and see what she’s made?”
“Sounds like a plan,” I added. “I bet whatever she made is as good as her waffles, and I already know how much you guys like her waffles.”
“My ice cream cone today was a waffle,” Hank explained.
“Oh, yeah?” I asked him, trying my best to sound curious and not panicked over the situation. “Was it good?”
He thought about it for a moment, then he shrugged. “The same.”
“The same as what?” I asked.
“A regular ice cream cone.”
“Then you wouldn’t recommend a waffle cone?” I asked, taking some calming deep breaths.
“It’s too big,” he said. “But if you turn into a dragon, you might like it.”
Then he ran off, and the other two kids followed.
I gazed up at Austin, who still stood there, staring down at me. “Don’t you have somewhere you need to be?”
He folded his arms over his chest. “Nope, not when I’m having way too much fun right here.”
“Believe me, the show’s over. We can all go back to our normal lives now,” I told him.
The bed moved next to me, and I knew that Kasey had gotten up and was probably pulling on his clothes.
“Are you sure? Do you have everything you need to get dressed?” Austin asked.
“Yes. I’m fine. Thanks,” I told him, wanting him to leave now.
“There might be one thing you overlooked,” he said, then turned his attention away for a moment. “Here, girl.”
As if on cue, Lucy, the dog that can snatch a waffle off a plate, trotted over to Austin and dropped my panties at his feet.
He bent over, picked them up with two fingers, and held them out for me. I snatched them out of his hand, wanting to melt into the plush gray carpeting.
