Playing the Player(50)

Gilly tore across the park, heading straight for Max, who was already halfway up a climbing wall. Slade turned, saw me, and turned away.

Startled by the closed expression on his face, I almost tripped. What the heck? My heart had been fluttering the whole drive to the park as I imagined all the different things he might say, and the ways he might look at me.

Ignoring me hadn’t been on my list of possibilities.

I slowed my pace. The hope inside me dimmed, just like turning down the volume on my favorite music.

Slade glanced at me as I paused near where he stood. “Hey,” he said, frowning slightly.

I forced a smile. “Hi.” Maybe he was just tired, like me.

He didn’t return my smile. He took a long drink of coffee from his travel mug and turned his attention back to Max.

I took a deep breath and headed toward the kids. Max looked down from the top of the wall and grinned at me.

“Trina, look what I did! I didn’t even need your magic.”

Since Slade was ignoring me, I was grateful for Max’s excited energy and the distraction of all the spazzy kids running around. “You rock, Max.”

“What about me?” Gilly yelled.

I laughed. “You’re a rock star, too, Gilly.”

“I thought you only called her Gillian.” Slade’s voice startled me.

He’d appeared next to me, still frowning. What was his damage today? One thing was for sure: Desi had totally misread how he felt about me.

I shrugged. “She likes being called Gilly.”

He nodded and took another drink of coffee. The aroma reached my nose. It smelled a lot better than the instant junk I’d had that morning.

“That coffee smells awesome,” I said, trying one last time to shake him out of his funk.

He hesitated then held out the mug. “Try it.”

“Uh, that’s okay. I already had some this morning.” The idea of putting my lips where his had just been was more than I could handle.

He narrowed his eyes, and then took another drink. “Whatever.”

I’d had enough of his attitude. Scoping out the park, I noticed a couple of cute girls checking out Slade. I snuck a glance at him and saw that he’d noticed them, too.

Clearly the last person Slade was interested in was me.

“Hey, Max, did you see that cool slide?” I pointed toward the playground where a tall, twisting slide towered over all the other equipment.

Max clambered down the wall, Gilly close behind him.

“Let’s go.” I grabbed their hands and we ran toward the playground, not looking back.

I followed Gilly and Max up the slide’s ladder. My stomach dipped a little as I reached the top, but I told myself it was a lot easier than climbing a rock wall.

Max sat behind Gilly, wrapping his arms around her waist. “Slide train,” he giggled, then looked up at me. “Come on, Trina. You can be the caboose.”

I scooted behind them, wrapping my legs and arms around Max.

“Ready?” Gilly yelled over her shoulder.

“Ready!” Max shouted.

I made a train whistle noise and glanced across the playground. I saw Slade talking to the girls who’d been checking him out. He was smiling now, and laughing. He glanced at us just as we launched ourselves down the slide.

We spun in circles, the hot plastic burning my legs. We fell in a heap at the bottom of the slide, rolling on top of one another in the sand.

The kids jumped up, laughing. “Let’s do it again,” Max said.

“Sure,” I said. “But this time I get to be in front.” That way I could put on the brakes and prevent any more sand from going up my underwear.

“Where’s Slade?” Gillian asked.

“Over there.” Max pointed.

“He’s busy,” I said, refusing to look at him.

“Who are those girls?” Gillian asked.

I met her curious gaze. “Must be friends of his.”

She frowned at me. “But I thought you were his girlfriend.”

I forced a laugh. “No, sweetie. We’re just…um, well we’re work partners. Taking care of you and Max.”

She chewed on her thumb. “I think you should be his girlfriend.”

Maybe Gilly and Desi should get together, since they both lived in the same fantasy world.

“That’s not going to happen,” I said.

“Come on!” Max interrupted our relationship analysis. “Last one to the ladder is a stink bomb.”

I snuck one last glance at Slade. One of the girls had her cell out, and I knew they were exchanging numbers.

No doubt he’d be hooking up with her later, probably tonight.

I jogged to the slide, determined to ignore Slade for the rest of the day.



Nanny notes: Park

CONS: The entire day. The other nanny’s major attitude problem.