Page 79 of The Daddy Box Set

I hoped that would appease Mom for a little while, though I doubted it the moment the thought came into my mind. I never told her how much I made, but for me to be able to have my own apartment and pay all my bills should have been enough for her. I supposed she thought that if I couldn’t afford a plane ticket back to Australia, then I didn’t make enough. Little did she know it was more my apprehension about going back home that kept me rooted in St. Paul than my bank account.

My stomach growled, needing sustenance. I packed up my laptop and notes and shoved them to the back of the table. I’d come back to all that tomorrow. I decided to get food and visit Sierra to find out what she called about earlier.

When I arrived at the record shop, Sierra had a line of two customers in front of her. She rolled her eyes, and they clearly saw her. I stifled a laugh and went to the back of the store and browsed through some records. I had no interest in the older music, but I enjoyed looking at the beautiful cover art.

A few minutes later, Sierra joined me.

; She hugged me. “What’s up, girlfriend? How come you ignored my call earlier?”

She had a way of getting right to the root of a conversation. “I wasn’t ignoring you. I was busy.”

“Busy with what? Or should I say whom?” She leaned forward conspiratorially.

I whirled on her. “What are you talking about?”

“Sorry I bailed on you last night, but I figured since your night was free, you might have checked out that dating app I put on your phone.”

“First of all, I’ve never used that app. And second, you know I haven’t found a man worth my time since moving here,” I said. I’d dated a lot when I first moved out here, but I’d placed myself on a year-long hiatus. Most guys my age wanted one-night stands, and that wasn’t for me. Sierra didn’t seem to mind that way of life, but I certainly did.

“You should at least try,” she said. “At least it would help you to get to know more people in the area.”

I wasn’t willing to meet horny strangers to appease my best friend. “Anyway, I spent the whole morning looking for a job. I wanted to focus, so that’s why I didn’t pick up.”

“Hold on.” She raised one of her thick eyebrows. “I thought you were taking a break? You just said that yesterday. Why the change of heart?”

I shrugged and went back to absently browsing the records. I couldn’t meet her eyes. “I was, I mean, I am, but—”

“You spoke to your mom this morning, didn’t you?” she asked, resting her hand on her hip.

“Yeah, well, she got me thinking…” I trailed off.

“I know she’s your mom and everything, but you should do something for you for a change.”

“There’s no harm in looking for a nanny job. I don’t have to take it if I don’t connect with the child—”

Sierra waved her hands between us. “Oh! That’s what I wanted to tell you.”

“Tell me what?” I asked.

“I have a friend who works for Noah Stone. He’s a big medical supplies executive—”

I rolled my eyes. “Sierra, for the hundredth time: I told you I don’t want to be set up—”

“If you’d listen,” she said, grabbing my hands to grab my attention. “This guy is looking for a nanny for his daughter.”

“Oh,” I said. “How do you know him?”

“My friend Rachel works for him. He sent an email last night about needing someone to watch his daughter. Like right away. Since you changed your mind about the break, at least having a reference from Rachel might help. Apparently, he’s super gorgeous, and his kid is like three or four? Anyway, Rachel says the kid is a cutie, and I think it would score some good points for her if you got the job. I told her you were the best nanny around.”

I smiled. “That’s sweet of you to say. Too bad you don’t know any other nannies.”

“You’re welcome!” she trilled.

“Do you have his information?” I asked.

She pulled her phone from her back pocket. “Yeah, he was doing interviews today.”