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Whoa, she was drunker than he d thought.
But you notice its Saturday night, and I m alone. I don t think there s any
future in this fling. I m starting to wonder if I keep making bad decisions to
punish myself or something. Repeating a cycle. Or maybe there are just no good
men straight, unmarried men at least left in LA. What do you think?
Trust me, I understand about making bad love-life choices. You are not
alone there, hija. But I truly believe the right man will come along for you if you
keep putting yourself out there. You re a beautiful, intelligent, successful
woman, and everything good will come to you.
Crissi s lower lip began to tremble, and her eyes glistened. She turned her
attention back to the screen, where Ducky was striving to impress his beloved by
lip-syncing Try a Little Tenderness. I l-love this guy, she choked. Molly
Ringwald s a douche for not seeing him right in front of her.
Agreed. She s also a terrible actress.
Not! Take that back. She stifled a burp.
Louis set down his glass. Why don t I make you a sandwich? You ll feel
better in the morning if you put something in your stomach now.
Okay, Crissi said in a small voice. Thank you.
No problem. He rose, hesitated a moment, then reached out to stroke her
hair. Sometimes a mommy needed nannying too. Everything s going to turn out
just fine in the end. You ll see.
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Chapter Seven
Cara was in a foul mood, and Liam reflected her like the moon reflecting the
sun s light or, in this case, darkness. Both kids were cranky and whiny on the
long drive from their mom s house to their dad s.
In the driveway, Louis argued with Cara while he unbuckled Liam from his
car seat. No, I won t, and don t ask me why not. You know the answer.
You re mean. I hate you!
Louis sighed. He was supposed to correct her when she said that, tell her to
find a more polite way to express her disappointment. Crissi was very clear on
that. But he was too worn out to waste any more words on the kid. If he said
something at the moment, it might be along the lines of I hate you too, you little
brat.
Liam squirmed like an eel in Louis s arms, managing to kick him in the gut
before Louis set him on the ground. Immediately, the boy trotted up the
walkway to his father s front door.
You ll survive without Pasha for a couple of nights. You brought Keiko
along, and she ll just have to do, Louis continued.
I don t want Keiko. I want Pasha, Cara s voice rose, threatening a squall.
Clearly, further discussion was going to get them nowhere. Louis ended the
argument with a polite, I understand that you re feeling very sad about
forgetting Pasha. I m sorry about that, but we re not going all the way back to get
her.
Bonnie Dee
He grabbed the kids overnight bags from the SUV and closed the door. Cara
could either sit there, continuing to whine, or follow him into the house. She
chose to wail and rage a few minutes longer, her voice following him up the
path; then she finally got out of the car and stomped after him. If she d known
any swear words, no doubt she would ve used them.
Louis had his key out to unlock the front door when Dan opened it. He was
wearing board shorts and a faded T-shirt, a day s worth of stubble on his jaw. He
looked sexy as hell. Louis s heart gave a little extra beat. He swallowed.
Uh, hey. I didn t think you d be home this early.
I worked from home today. Decided to do some stuff around the house. But
thanks for bringing the kids over so I didn t have to go get them.
Daddy, we forgot Pasha. We have to go home and get her. Cara stabbed a
finger at Louis. He won t do it. Will you drive me?
Louis clenched his jaw, biting down on the automatic no that rose to his
lips. Luckily, Dan, glancing back and forth between them, got the lay of the land
and backed Louis s decision.
Sorry, honey. It s too far. You ll just have to live without Pasha for a couple
of nights.
I want to go home, Cara wailed and ran off to her bedroom.
Which one s Pasha? Dan asked.
The rainbow teddy bear.
That s not even her favorite, is it? I thought she liked that killer whale.
Keiko. Yeah. Cara s just in a mood. If it hadn t been about Pasha, it
would ve been something else. I think she had a hard time at school today, but
she hasn t said anything yet.
Dan sighed, his shoulders slumping. Daughters are hard, and she s only
five.
50 www.samhainpublishing.com
The Au Pair Affair
Naw. It s not true what people say about girls being more difficult than
boys. They just process things a different way, and you have to get used to it.
Besides, any kid might act out after a bad day. It s perfectly normal.
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