Page 21 of Brazilian Fantasy
“Oh, you think it was the swimming?” he teases.
I crinkle my nose. “No, not really.”
“Come on, let’s eat and then go get Maddie and see how she’s making out with the pup.” He flashes me a grin. “You know, Nanny Eugenie is going to kill you for bringing a puppy into the house.”
“Good luck with that.” I turn, start up the stairs, and jerk my thumb over my shoulder. “By the time she comes back, I’ll be out of here.”
“Yeah, that’s right. You will be, won’t you?”
I spin to face him. Was that disappointment I heard in his voice?
Chapter Seven
Lucas
As I drive to pick up Maddie, I steal a glance at Piper in the seat beside me. Her lips are twisted, her nose crinkled. “You okay?”
She turns to face me, her brow drawn tight, and I slide a hand across the seat to find hers. I grip it and give her a reassuring squeeze. I get that she feels weird about meeting Jenny’s folks after all the sex we’ve been having, but they’re decent people and will accept Piper because they only want what’s best for Maddie and me.
Piper is what’s best for Maddie and me?
Shit, I can’t let my mind travel that path. I only have her for three weeks, and it’s good-bye after that. But the truth is, in the few days she spent with Maddie, she has been good for her. I’ve haven’t seen her smile so much since her mother died. And of course, she’s been good for me, too.
“Do you think they’ll know?” she asks.
“No, they won’t know.”
She waves her hand over her sundress. “We kind of have sex written all over us.”
“We’re adults, Piper. We can do what we want.”
“Yeah, but, you know…I don’t want them to think I’m trying to take Jenny’s place. That’s not what I’m doing.”
“Anna and Luiz want me to be happy, and they are going to love you.”
“I’m not so sure about that. We dumped a brand new puppy on them.”
I grimace. “Yeah, I guess we kind of did, didn’t we?” I pull into the driveway of my in-laws and kill the ignition. “I hope there weren’t any mistakes on the carpet.”
We both climb from the SUV, and Piper meets me in front of the vehicle. She runs her hands over the skirt of her sundress and takes a deep breath.
“It’s fine, Piper.” My hand brushes hers, and she nods. “Come on.”
We walk up the front walkway, and I let myself into the house like I normally do. “Hey, Maddie, we’re here.”
My mother-in-law, Anna, calls out to me in Portuguese, telling me Maddie and her grandfather are out back with the puppy, but when she rounds the corner and sees Maddie’s very American new nanny, she claps her hands together and says, “Hello,” in English.
Piper holds out her hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Piper, Maddie’s temporary nanny.”
“Anna,” she says, then narrows her eyes. “Are you the one responsible for the puppy?” she asks.
“Uh…” Piper stalls and steps closer to me. Anna doesn’t miss the movement.
“Piper thought it would be good for Maddie,” I say, coming to her rescue. “She’s had her own experiences with loss and thinks this will help her.”
A huge smile spreads across Anna’s face as she pulls Piper in for a hug. “Brilliant,” she says, then turns to me. “I like her.” She taps her head. “Smart getting Maddie a puppy. I can’t believe the changes I’m seeing in the child after one day with the pup.”
Yeah, she is smart, beautiful, and caring—a dangerous trifecta. Which makes me wonder why she’s still single. A girl like her can have any guy she wants. But the visual of her with anyone but me doesn’t sit well in my brain.
