Almost Like Love(27)
She grinned at him. “Because it’s wonderful. Creative, exciting, funny, and full of heart.”
“So no credit goes to the marketing and publicity teams, huh?”
“I suppose they deserve a little credit. But they had a great product to work with.” She paused. “Not that this isn’t fun, but I think you mentioned something about an apology?”
“Yeah.” He paused. “I was a jerk to you last night, and I’m sorry. I had no right to speak to you like that, especially when—as you pointed out—you’d spent the last several hours babysitting for me. I guess it’s obvious that I’m a little defensive where my nephew is concerned. Losing his mother was hard on both of us, and it’s important to me to do right by him.”
When she sat down in one of the armchairs, he took a seat on the couch. She tucked her bare feet under her, and that, along with her ponytail, made her look much younger than she was.
“Does this mean you’ll actually think about what I said?”
He shook his head. “We’ll have to agree to disagree about Jacob and sports. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the person he is, but I want him to broaden his horizons a little.”
Kate opened her mouth and he held up a hand. “In the interest of détente, I suggest we drop the subject.”
She hesitated a moment and then nodded. “Fair enough. Do you have any ideas for a new topic?”
“Two. First, if you still want a date to your friend’s wedding, I hope you’ll let me take you.”
She looked thoughtful. “Can I let you know in a few days?”
“Of course. The second thing is actually a favor.”
Her eyebrows went up. “Another favor?”
“It’s actually the same one—or a continuation of it.”
“Meaning?”
“During this time of transition—”
“For which I have you to thank—”
“I wondered if you would consider watching Jacob a couple of times a week.”
There was a short silence. “I have to be honest, Hart—I’m a little surprised that you’re asking me. Our relationship isn’t too amicable, and my last babysitting gig for you didn’t end well.”
“That’s a fair point.” He paused. “The truth is, it was Jacob’s idea. The woman who’s been watching him Tuesdays and Fridays—the same woman who was supposed to watch him yesterday—isn’t available anymore. We were talking about it this morning, and Jacob suggested that I ask you about it. Of course I told him you might not be able to,” he added quickly. “But if you could do it—even for just a few weeks—well, I think it would mean a lot to him. He’s usually so quiet, and this morning he couldn’t stop talking about you. It was nice to see him so animated.” He paused again. “Of course, since this would be a more regular arrangement, I’d pay you whatever you—”
“Will you stop with the money thing? If I agree to help you out, it’ll be because Jacob’s a nice kid and I enjoy his company.”
He frowned. “I don’t know if I’m comfortable with that. You’re unemployed, and you’d be providing a service. You should be paid for your time.”
“It’s very nice of you to worry about my finances,” she said drily. “But I have enough in savings to make it through this ‘time of transition.’ And even if I didn’t, I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth, right? You can’t think my parents would let their spoiled princess struggle.”
He winced. “Okay, fine, I deserved that. Do you need me to apologize again?”
“I think once is enough. And I’d be glad to watch Jacob on Tuesdays and Fridays, at least for a while.”
Relief swept through him. “That’s great. I really appreciate it, Kate.”
When had this started to matter so much? It wasn’t like the world would come to an end if his nephew didn’t see Kate again.
Or if he didn’t.
Ian glanced around her living room before he let his gaze return to her. With her legs tucked under her like that and a few soft curls escaping from her ponytail, she looked as warm and inviting as her apartment.
It dawned on him that his relief was as much for his own sake as for Jacob’s. Because he did want to see her again.
Three days ago, Kate Meredith had been on his top-ten list of people to avoid. They’d rubbed each other the wrong way from the moment they’d met, and even though he’d felt bad about cancelling her show, he hadn’t felt bad that he wouldn’t be seeing her again.
Now, just seventy-two hours later, the idea of Kate disappearing from his life was unacceptable.