“Come on,” he said, getting out of the car. When he left, the air smelled different. He punctuated the entire space with his energy. His scent. My throat tightened when I stepped out of the opened door and into the warm spring air.
“Oh, and I’ll need you to push Frankie’s schedule to her mother, Alexis every other week.”
“Your ex-wife,” I said, remembering the big news story about him getting divorced two years ago.
“Yes.” He looked at me then back at his phone. I looked down at his phone too since he was so into it. He was texting Navy.
“So, you’re a single dad in the senate. That has to be a first.”
“I’m not a single dad. Alexis is very much involved in Frankie’s life. We co-parent. I happen to have full custody.”
“Right. So, you want me to be in contact with Frankie’s mom?” I pulled out my phone and opened the Notes app to keep track of everything Mr. Freeman told me. He paused in his rapid-fire talking and eyed me. Mr. Darling Dick sure did do a lot of silent watching. I couldn’t decide if I liked it or not. It made my skin prickle.
“Taking notes is a good idea. I thought you’d be highly irresponsible and wouldn’t impress me at all today but between the way you connect with Frankie and your willingness to learn new things, I think you’ll do fine here.”
“Irresponsible?” The word burned my ears. It made me think about the careless way I’d been with my finances and how it forced my parents to cut me off.
“Yeah. You don’t seem like…”
“Navy?” I smirked knowingly. “I’m not like her. I’m the polar opposite. If Navy is daytime all sunny and clear. Then I’m nighttime. Uncertain and shadowy. I’m also all about bringing out the freaks.” I winked at him and he sighed heavily before shaking his head.
“We need to talk about the way you behave around Frankie. She loves your extroverted, outgoing personality but I see the potential for you to be a bad influence. If you’re going to be her nanny, you need to watch your mouth around her. Not just regarding curse words but the things you say period.”
“Oh my god, like what?”
“You’re all about bringing out the freaks?” He lifted an eyebrow and I laughed.
“I was talking to you though. Not Frankie. We’re two grown-ass adults.”
“You are twenty. I’m forty-three. Big difference.”
“We’re both grown like I said.”
“See, that’s the shit I’m talking about.”
I stopped grinning and turned the corners of my mouth down. I was impressed.
“Who knew the senator had a little fire in him?”
“You’re going to get under my skin. I can see that. Anyway, that’s what I’m talking about, Miss Lucas.” My name sounded like a starched collar coming from his lips. “When you’re around Frankie, you need to set an example. You can’t talk about freaks or snap at me like I’m your friend and not your boss. I expect you to have a professional attitude around both me and my daughter. It’s a part of your job description.”
“Will I get a copy of this job description?” I quizzed, angling my head to the side.
“Yes. Of course.”
“Good. God knows I wouldn’t want to ever step outside of my job description.” I laid the sarcasm on thick like whipped cream made from scratch. The cherry on top was my saccharine smile. I’m sure he knew it was bullshit. I could tell by the way his top lip curled. He really did have some nice lips. Too bad he had darling dick energy instead of devil dick like I needed. A girl could fantasize though.
…
SIX
“Senator Freeman, the arts funding bill is on your desk for review. Your vote is required by the end of the day. Also, the committee needs to meet with you to discuss bill 342.” Navy Lucas was nothing like her sister. She was pulled together and on top of everything. Sometimes I had no idea how she knew the things she knew, but she had a knack for finding things out. Navy was someone I needed to keep on my team. That’s why I hired her when my former assistant left after giving birth to a little boy.
“Thank you, Navy.”
“No problem. Um, can I ask how my sister did this morning? I’m sorry if I’m being intrusive but…”
“It’s fine,” I chuckled. “She did well. I let her pick Frankie up from school today as a trial run. If things go well, she’ll enter the one-month probationary period.”
A bright smile stretched across Navy’s light brown face. She looked like her sister but she didn’t have that spark I saw in Xari.
Looking at Xari Lucas was like looking through a peephole and seeing a fire. You knew once you opened the door…you’d be consumed. I wanted to stay locked behind my door looking at Miss Lucas through the limited view of my peephole.
“I know she’s a lot to take in at once but I promise she’s not that bad once you get to know her.” Navy clasped her hands in front of herself and smiled. “She didn’t do anything crazy, did she?”
“Besides her foul mouth and her need to get under my skin by challenging me? No. Nothing crazy. Now, what is your definition of crazy as it concerns your sister? Is there anything else I need to know about?”
“Xari’s level of crazy fluctuates and it’s never the same from one week to the next. She’s super…emotional. Everything is tied to that. It’s like she has no filter.”
“I’ve noticed. Frankie likes her a lot. I’ve never seen her connect with anyone so easily.”
“I knew she would love Xari. I hope
