Behaving Badly in Vegas (Vegas Love #3)

13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Charli

The next morning, I woke up and Hunter was gone again. That bothered me more than it should have. The quiet in the apartment was made worse by the large space. It seemed… lonely. I imagined Hunter living here by himself before Carina and I showed up and wondered if he ever felt lonely.

I brewed myself a cup of coffee and read today’s note.

Today’s Schedule:

7:00- Breakfast, Diaper Change, Face Washing

8:00- Walk

9:00- Laundry (Collect Carina’s clothes from the hamper in her room. Pretreat any stains before washing. I don’t want my daughter looking like a hobo.)

10:00- 6oz. of Formula/Nap

12:00- Grocery Shopping (See List )

I rolled my eyes at Hunter’s need to schedule every minute of the day for me. It was insulting. I was a grown woman who was perfectly capable of managing her own time. How would he even know if I stuck to the schedule anyway? Did it really matter if we took our walk at eight thirty instead of eight o’clock? As long as I accomplished everything on the list by the time he got home, it was fine.

He was delusional if he thought Carina had any sense of time. Just because he deemed she would take a nap at ten o’clock didn’t mean she would. She’d sleep whenever she felt like it. If anything, I was on her schedule.

I hoped nothing like last night happened again. It was a goddamn nightmare. Thankfully, there were two of us to manage it. I’m not sure how I would have fared on my own.

The only thing positive about the experience was Hunter taking off his shirt. Holy crap! He had a pretty face—stunning blue eyes, a chiseled jaw, ample scruff to give a woman whisker burns on the insides of her thighs, and a crop of short blond hair that looked tousled enough to suggest he’d recently had a raucous roll in the hay—but I did not expect what was under his shirt. The man was muscled and cut in all the right places. I’d barely been able to keep my tongue from hanging out of my mouth.

Too bad he was such an uptight asshole.

It was okay though. It would keep me from falling for the jerk.

I scanned the rest of the schedule for the day. Hunter noted at the bottom that he wouldn’t be home for dinner and to eat without him. A pang of disappointment smacked me in the chest. It’s not that I liked him or anything; he was disagreeable at best. After trying to reconcile my irrational feelings, I moved on to the second piece of paper.

Grocery List

Diapers

Wipes (At least 3 boxes)

Stain Stick

Formula

Jarred Baby Food (NO squash )

Cereal Puffs

Eggs

Yogurt

Milk

Bagels

Bacon

The list went on and on. He wrote for me to add what I wanted to the list and to put it on the credit card he’d given me. For someone who’d eaten ramen noodles for the last three months, it felt like I hit the food lottery. I wouldn’t go crazy, but it would be nice to buy something that wasn’t on the weekly discount.

In the brief amount of time I’d been here, Hunter had dropped an insane amount of money. I wondered what it felt like to spend without thinking about every little penny.

Tom and I didn’t grow up rich. We weren’t poor, but my parents weren’t frivolous either. When the two of us moved to Vegas together, we shared an apartment until I could afford my own. It wasn’t anything fancy, but it was freedom. I came here with a dream and not much else. Tom followed me to make sure I didn’t end up living on the street. He job hopped a bit until he landed the gig at Mystique. His true passion was computer programming. Fetching coffee for a boss who didn’t appreciate him was a total waste of his talent.

Tom had been working on a “secret project” for years and he kept saying he was close to making a breakthrough. He spent hours holed up with his computer, doing God knows what. I hoped whatever it was, it would pay off soon. My brother deserved something of his own… and someone. Life was too short to spend it alone.

I thought about Ben’s phone number sitting on my dresser. I’d spent so many nights alone that I’d lost count. It was nice to have someone notice me—not because of my ability to spin endlessly in a hoop thirty feet above the ground—but because of who I was. Not some artistic showgirl, but a normal woman trying to make something of herself. Not that being a nanny was my dream. My dreams had been put on hold as I recuperated from an injury most people would have succumbed to. Not me. More than anything else, I wanted to climb far above a stage and perform acts that would make ordinary women quake in their high heels.

I wasn’t ordinary.

I lacked the fear gene. Fear was an excuse for not reaching your full potential. Even after twisting through the silks and crashing, an embarrassing spectacle, the only thing I wanted was the chance to get up and try it again.

My mother had begged me to quit. My father slyly suggested other professional opportunities. My brother felt relief when he didn’t have to worry about me night after night.

I was bored out of my fucking skull.

Had been for months. If you had never experienced the shot of pure adrenaline straight to your heart, you wouldn’t understand it. I didn’t blame my family for wanting something different for me, but that didn’t mean I would be deterred. I only had one life to live, and I intended to make the most of it.

At least nannying gave me something to focus my time and energy on. Taking care of Carina was about the best distraction I could ask for. It was a blessing really.

After getting Carina up, dressed, and fed, we went for a walk around the park. It was a beautiful day, and the sun warmed my skin as we followed the path around the small pond. I sat on a bench and pulled Carina out of her stroller to sit on my lap. Pointing at the ducks, I said to her, “See the duckies. What does a duckie say? Can you say quack, quack, quack?”

She waved her hands and made a grabby motion. “Gih, gih, gih.”

“That’s right, baby girl. “Quack, quack, quack.” A brown-headed duck waddled in our direction and Carina squealed with delight. I set her feet on the grass and held her by the waist. She squealed again as the grass tickled her toes. Next time, I’d bring some bread to feed the ducks. Carina would love watching them scramble about trying to get a treat.

“Cute baby.”

I looked up at the woman walking her tiny Pomeranian. “Thank you.” She was about my age with long blond hair tied up in a ponytail and a body to die for. Her leggings and sports bra showed off every curve she had. Jealousy bloomed. My body was lean and muscular, but my hips and boobs were practically nonexistent. When I was a teenager, I kept waiting for my boobs to grow and they never did. I’d accepted it, but I appreciated a nice pair when I saw them.

“Are you new around here?” the woman asked. “I haven’t seen you before.”

“Not new to Vegas, but new to the neighborhood.” I pulled Carina’s hand back from petting the dog.

“It’s okay if she wants to touch. Teddy’s good with kids.”

“Teddy’s such a perfect name. He’s so fluffy, like a cuddly bear.” I let go of Carina’s hand and let her touch the soft fur. She closed her fingers and gave it a yank. Teddy licked Carina’s face, totally unfazed by her not-so-gentle little hands. “God, I’m so sorry.” Hunter would fire me on the spot if he knew I let a dog lick his daughter’s face.

“No worries. Teddy’s super gentle.” The woman bent down and rubbed the dog’s fluffy head. “What’s her name?” she asked, running her finger along the baby’s cheek.

I picked Carina up and balanced her on my hip. “This beauty is Carina. Can you say hi, Carina?” I took her hand and waved it.

“Beautiful name,” she mused. “Anyway, I should get going. Teddy gets restless when he doesn’t get his walk. Maybe I’ll see you around.”

“We need to get going too.” I put Carina into the stroller and strapped her in. “It was nice meeting you.”

“You too,” she said as she walked away and waved over her shoulder.

I hoped we would see each other again. It would be nice to have a friend around here. Someone to share coffee with and maybe grab lunch. And Carina clearly adored Teddy, lighting up when he gave her doggy kisses.

Maybe if I was lucky, we’d both make new friends.

With all the bath-time excitement last night I hadn’t finished unpacking, so I did that while waiting for the laundry. Carina had been a doll and took a long nap, and while I rarely slept during the day, I snuck in twenty minutes of shut-eye myself.

Now we were off and running again. On our way to the grocery store, I stopped at a coffee shop for a dose of caffeine. I hated getting the stroller in and out of the car, but it was easier than trying to balance Carina on my hip while digging in my purse for money.

Payday couldn’t come soon enough. I’d practically run through all my savings from Oasis. If I hadn’t found this job, it would have meant months sleeping on my brother’s couch. At least at Hunter’s, I had my own bedroom, and since he was gone all day, it was practically like living alone.

I stood in line behind half a dozen other people, waiting my turn to order, when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned my head and almost melted into the chocolate-brown eyes staring back at me.

“Hey. I thought that was you, Charli.”

“Hi, Ben. How are you?” I asked with a smile, glad I wasn’t wearing a dress I’d slept in like yesterday. He was cute in a boyish sort of way, round face and shaggy hair that curled around his ears,

He nodded his head. “Good. I’m on a coffee run. Boss man gets grouchy if we don’t keep him fully caffeinated.”

I laughed. “He must not have had his coffee yesterday.”

“Actually, that was him being nice. You wouldn’t want to see him when he’s in grouch mode.”

“Yikes! I can relate. My boss can be temperamental too.” The detailed grocery list in my purse proved it.

Ben tilted his head to the side. “I thought maybe you’d call last night. Did I read the situation wrong?”

I tucked my hair behind my ear and shook my head. “Yesterday was my first day and it’s been a bit hectic. I’m still trying to get my bearings.”

“That’s understandable.” We moved forward in line. “So, do you live around here?”

“It’s a live-in nanny position, so I actually live at that apartment. ”

“Nice. You’ve got a short commute to work.”

“That I do. Only a walk down the hallway.” We took another step forward. “And the clientele couldn’t be better.” I ruffled Carina’s short blond strands that were sticking up on top of her head.

“Yeah, she’s cute.” He stuck his hands in his pockets. “So, with this job, are you allowed to go out, or do you have to be with her twenty-four seven?”

I remembered the conversation Hunter and I had about my dating. He never said I couldn’t, only that he didn’t want people coming to the apartment to scratch an itch . It pissed me off at the time, but I wouldn’t want random people showing up at my house either. “I can go out.”

“Cool. How about you give me your number and I’ll text you. Maybe we can set something up.”

“I’d like that.” Ben was a nice guy. There was absolutely no reason I shouldn’t go out with him. Nannying was my job, not my life. Getting out by myself with someone who wasn’t wearing diapers would be good for me.

I gave him my number and moved to the front of the line. Stepping to the counter, I placed my order and paid an outrageous amount of money for a fancy cup of coffee, then moved to the side so Ben could order. He leaned on the counter and smiled at the barista. “Hi, Kelly. I hope you’re having a fantastic day. I’ll have four black coffees and cheese Danish.”

After paying, he moved next to me. “Do you know her?” I asked.

“Who?”

“The barista. You called her Kelly.”

He chuckled. “No. It was on her nametag. I read somewhere that if you use someone’s name, it boosts their self-esteem, and you get better service.”

“Interesting. Does it work?”

Ben shrugged his shoulders. “It’s never not worked. So maybe?”

“Charli!” The barista shouted my name and slid my coffee across the counter, brown liquid sloshing out of the cup.

I grabbed a napkin and wiped up the mess, annoyed by her carelessness and relieved it didn’t fall off the counter onto Carina. Not sure how I would have explained that one to Hunter. If she’d been burned, he’d probably come down here, brought the woman to tears, and owned the coffee shop by the time he left.

“Here, let me help.” Ben took the napkins from me and finished wiping the counter, then threw them in the garbage. I barely knew him, but he really was a nice guy.

“Thank you. We should probably get going.” I took a sip of my coffee and readjusted the purse on my shoulder.

“Wait a minute and I’ll walk you out.” He winked at me, and I couldn’t resist falling for his smile.

The same barista who practically threw my coffee at me—Kelly—leaned across the counter, showing off her cleavage, as she gently handed Ben’s order to him. “I gave you lots of napkins and put a little something extra in the bag. Have a great day, Ben. Come back soon.” Her voice was syrupy sweet as she shamelessly flirted with him.

He took the cardboard carrier and paper bag. “Thanks, Kelly. You have a great day too.”

I pushed the stroller toward the door. Ben rushed ahead and held it open for me. When we were outside, I asked, “What did she give you?” It shouldn’t have bothered me. It’s not like Ben and I were together, but I was standing right there.

“Not sure.” He reached into the bag and pulled out a wad of napkins. He held one up with her name and phone number on it.

I expected him to stick it back in the bag, but he crumbled the napkin in his fist and tossed it in the trash can. “She was nice but not my type.”

Relief bloomed in my chest. “What’s your type?” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them.

He tapped me on the nose with his finger. “You. I’ll call you.”

Ben left me on the sidewalk and disappeared into a white work van. As I watched him drive away, two thoughts flitted through my brain. First, Ben was a gentleman, and I would be lucky to date someone like him. Second, Hunter wouldn’t like me going out with Ben.

Then a third thought occurred.

Why did I care what Hunter would think?