“That sounds so sales-pitchy. No, I haven’t sold him a timeshare if that’s what you mean,” I rolled my eyes.
“She means have you nailed him yet,” Brody said helpfully.
“I know what she means, and it’s not happening. Sometimes pretty boys have issues, okay?” I laughed it off.
“What, like the fact that he lives in a cabin in the mountains with only a child for company didn’t give that away?” Laura laughed, “The man is the poster boy for brooding loner, strong silent type, messy history with women included.”
“I know. Way too complicated, situation-wise. Trust me,” I said.
“Are you trying to convince me, or yourself?” she asked.
“Shut up or I’m giving the baby ice cream,” I warned.
“Don’t. She was a crazy lunatic the last time you did that. We were awake for hours while she squealed and played, and we begged her to sleep.”
“I will put out a warrant for your arrest. Nothing is beneath me if you give this child ice cream at seven at night,” Brody warned. “I’d like to spend some alone time with my wife, and if the baby doesn’t go to sleep, she will be too tired.” I was going to laugh but he looked so serious. Laura cracked up.
“Yeah, you’re so neglected,” she teased him, and he nuzzled her hair and I told them to get a room.
After I got home and showered, I climbed into bed and then texted Max, I got home just fine. Quit worrying.
He messaged back right away, You said you’d call me.
I dialed his number.
“Why did you want me to call? I figured you were hovering.”
“I wanted to apologize more directly. I’m sorry that I got too close and that I nearly acted on an attraction that could very well be one-sided. I’m your employer, and that creates a power imbalance that lends itself to harassment. If I have harassed you or made you uncomfortable or led you to believe that your job—”
“Are you kidding me?” I burst out. “Harassed me? Really? You? You wear a sign that says, ‘Emotionally Unavailable.’ You are the very last man I would expect to harass me. Period. So quit making up dramatic crap in your mind, okay?”
“You weren’t feeling threatened?”
“By you? No. There’s a principal difference between you and the creep at the bar. If I told you no, you’d stop. He’d never even hear it. Also, your favorite non-work subject of conversation is Why You Don’t Get Involved with Women Ever. You’re about as Harvey Weinstein as a monk under a vow of silence.”
“I want to assure you that your job is not in jeopardy regardless of how you answer this. Have I made unwanted advances?”
“Are you reading this from an HR script online? You are, aren’t you?” I laughed.
“No.”
“Are you actually pissing your pants over the idea that you think you sexually harassed the nanny? Dude, you have watched way too many classic Lifetime movies. Although those sitters were usually eighteen and blonde and plotting to steal the mom’s life. Anyway—”
“What are you talking about?” he asked.
“I don’t know, what are you talking about? With the afterschool special you’re reciting about sexual harassment. There is nothing illegal or unethical going on here.”
“But I just admitted I was attracted to you. Which is not relevant at all. Because I will never—”
“Touch me if I were the last woman on earth, I get it,” I said, rolling my eyes since he couldn’t see me. “Women love to hear that, by the way. Say it more. How you’d never consider laying a hand on me, and that it was a moment of weakness or temporary insanity that you even looked directly at me.”
“Are you—mad at me?”
“No. I’m mad about the situation. About the fact that for the first time in years I get to know somebody I could really like and—it turns out to be you. The single dad boss with all the sharp edges and a relationship allergy. I could not have picked a worse candidate, which shows that my track record with men is going strong.”
He was quiet for a moment like he didn’t know what to say to that. Finally, I huffed a breath and said, “It’s fine Max. Just drop it.”
“So, we’re agreed never to act on whatever attraction there might have been between us?”
“Might have been between us? Yeah, we’re agreed that the imaginary, hypothetical attraction will never be mentioned again, cross my heart and hope to die,” I deadpanned.
“I’m serious, Rachel. You’re so good to Sadie, and I value you. I would never want to jeopardize that trust or risk Sadie losing you in her life because of my thoughtless actions,” he said so earnestly that I swallowed hard.
“There’s nothing you could ever do to make me stop caring about Sadie, Max.”
He went silent for a long time.
“You still there?” I asked.