Page 5 of Leo

Why the fuck had I said that? I needed more sleep.

“I bet you are,” Leo looked me up and down with a grin until Nacho tugged on his hand again. “We have to be going. See you around, Mr. Quintel.”

“Sure. See you,” I waved as they turned to go. Though, with the city so big, I doubted we would ever meet again.

Shaking my head to clear it when I realized I was watching the young man and his nephew make their way out of the park to cross the Embarcadero, I looked down at my daughter.

It wasn’t the first time a man attracted to men had chatted me up, but I was seriously sleep deprived if I was getting horny at the park. Time to go home and hope Dezi napped for me.

If I also carved out some private Daddy time to have a little one-handed relief, no one had to know.

Chapter three

Leo

September

My new job was turning out to be everything I hoped for. I got to work with children in their formative years, seeing the joy of new discovery on their faces when they learned something new. Plus, my direct supervisor, Patty, had thirty years of experience for me to soak up. Getting to take Nacho to and from school every day was a bonus.

“Any big plans after work?” Patty asked as she helped me clean up after the art lesson ended on a Friday. She didn’t usually ask personal questions, so I was surprised when she added, “Maybe a date?”

“Tío Leo said he’s married to his job,” Nacho piped in, having joined us since his school day ended at the same time as ours. He often hung out and helped until I was ready to go, so not much had changed for him and I. Still, I wished he didn’t sharepersonal information with my boss. “But my mom said he needs to put himself out there. Where is out there, Ms. Patty?”

“Nacho,” I sighed, smiling at his innocent question. “I think it’s time to get you home. Where I’ll be making you dinner before your mom gets home and then staying in with a good book.”

“You’re no fun,” Patty commented, brushing loose grey hair out of her face. She had two grown kids of her own and a first grandchild on the way, and rarely bossed me around. I appreciated her no-nonsense demeanor. She was straightforward in her praise, and it worked with my need for approval. “Still, sounds relaxing.”

“I don’t want to relax, Tío. I have the zoomies,” Nacho insisted. “Can we stop at the park?”

“Hmm, maybe.” The direct bus line up Market would take us about thirty minutes to get home, but didn’t pass any good parks. We could go around and hit the one on the Embarcadero, only adding about ten minutes on the bus. “Sure, that’s doable, mijo.”

“Have a good night, I’ll finish up here,” Patty told me with a smile. I got lucky having her as a boss. “See you on Monday, Nacho.”

“Adios, Ms. Patty,” Nacho waved, already darting for the door. I followed him out with a wave and we walked to the bus stop.

Nacho kept up a running story about his day. He was well-liked, though advanced for his age, so I was glad the charter school allowed him to go at his own pace. By the time we got off the bus at the Ferry Building, I was ready for Nacho to get his energy out by running it off instead of talking more. Being a preschool teacher was a lot noisier than being a nanny to one kid.

We walked across the busy street and Nacho made an immediate break for the climbing structure. “Be careful,” I called, and then my eyes caught on a man at the swings.

If I had ovaries, they would be exploding. The hot dad was standing there with his little girl, but this time in a dark blue suit and shiny leather shoes. Isaac and Dezi, I remembered from the month before. They were back on the swings, with the little girl giggling at her dad’s kisses.

Isaac’s suit threw me after his casual attire when we met, but we were close to the Financial District. Maybe he worked nearby and had a daycare on site? Though this was the second time I saw Isaac with his daughter at the park in the middle of the work day. It was about three in the afternoon, so he could be cutting out early. He had a commanding vibe, I could see Isaac as Mr. Quintel, boss-man.

Should I say hello? We’d only met in passing, but I did know his full name as well as his daughters. I could ask how Dezi did with her teething. I wish I was more confident, but I worried he’d think I was hitting on him.

My sister was CEO of a tech startup, so I saw his type when she hosted dinner parties. The kind of man who took charge and made decisions without a care.

The kind of man I was attracted to.

Isaac didn’t have a ring on his finger, I noticed as I approached from behind. There weren’t a lot of others around, and none of the nannies I knew, so at least he wasn’t already being ogled.

“Leo?” Isaac’s deep voice had me meeting his eyes. Without realizing it, I’d wandered only a few feet from him and Dezi. “Fancy meeting you here.”

“Hi, um, Mr. Quintel,” I stumbled over my words.

“Please, Isaac is fine,” he told me, pulling Dezi to a stop. “Mr. Quintel is my Pop.”

“Pop-Pop?” Dezi asked, looking around for her grandfather.