“Dad’s just a big softie,” Jasmine piped up from beside her.
“A softie, huh?” Phoebe asked, smiling at the little girl despite her nerves.
“Yep, he’s always letting me convince him about stuff. Like I want some bangs and he said I could get them. Although sometimes he says no. Like when I wanted a pony with bright pink hair. So I guess sometimes he can be mean,” Jasmine said after some thought, her little brow furrowing.
“Ah, yes, very mean,” Phoebe said, laughing softly.
“The pony wouldn’t fit in your room and the yard’s too small,” he said on a frustrated sigh.
Phoebe realized he was upset that he couldn’t get his daughter something she wanted and her heart squeezed. Damn, why couldn’t Johnny have been like this man?
“You still said no,” Jasmine insisted.
“Yeah, Jazzy. I guess I did,” he replied before looking at her.
“He’s still nice though,” Jasmine said, her smile big, revealing the missing tooth that Phoebe hadn’t noticed before. It was cute as hell. She closed her eyes trying not to let the kid’s cuteness affect her. She couldn’t decide what to do. Should she trust this man whom she knew nothing about and take his offer or should she take her chances and try to get a job somewhere else? She just didn’t know. How could she trust her instincts when they’d led her so astray with Johnny?
“What’s it going to be? You want the job or not?” he asked.
“What’s the pay?” she asked, trying to stall for time to decide.
“Three hundred a week with room and board,” he said looking at her expectantly.
“You want me to care for her during the day every day?”
“I work a sporadic schedule. Most of the time I’m home but sometimes I have to be gone for a few days at a time. About twice a month I have to handle the runs for the club. Typically, I have Jasmine stay with our neighbor or one of my brother’s old ladies. It’s becoming a hassle to find someone every month. It would be easier with a live-in nanny,” he explained.
“Fine but I want four hundred and one weekend off a month,” she negotiated.
“Done,” he said.
“Yay! I like Phoebe. We’re going to have lots of fun together, I just know it,” Jasmine said jumping off the bench. He stood up and followed behind his skipping daughter without looking back to see if she was following. It was a bit of a shock to her as she sat there watching them for a moment wondering what had just happened.
“Wait, I don’t even know your name,” she called out as she got up to follow them.
“Peanut,” he muttered, glancing back at her.
She frowned. Surely he hadn’t just said his name was Peanut, had he? No, she must be mistaken. She stood up and followed them towards the parking lot that was along the side of the diner.
“I’m sorry. I don’t think I heard you correctly,” she said as they neared a little Kia Forte.
“You heard me right. My name’s Peanut.”
He was holding the door open as Jasmine climbed into the back seat and buckled in. He glanced at Phoebe and grinned. She felt something inside her tighten in appreciation of that wicked grin he was displaying.
“Seriously?” She couldn’t keep the astonishment from her voice, and she felt her cheeks heat. He just chuckled as he shut Jasmine’s door and headed around to the driver’s side of the car.
“Seriously. Now get in, Lovely.”
She stood staring at the man who climbed into the car without another word. Wait, had he just called her Lovely? Surely not, that was just strange, wasn’t it? With her hands wringing and her mind screaming at her to be cautious, she walked to the car, opened the back door and climbed inside beside Jasmine. She wasn’t about to sit up front with the confusing man.
“Buckle up,” Peanut said from the front, not protesting the fact that she’d chosen to sit in the back. He just waited till she was in her seat belt before putting the car in gear and pulling out of the parking spot. What the hell had she been thinking, she asked herself as they pulled onto the street and headed away from the diner. Panic was setting in and she felt the fear course through her. She gripped the seat and tried not to freak out and scream at him to stop and let her out. She was just starting to think she was going to lose her mind when a little hand covered hers and pulled on it. She looked up and saw Jasmine watching her with a little frown.
“Don’t worry, Dad’s a good driver,” Jasmine assured her, misunderstanding the reason for her fear. Phoebe felt the tight ball of fear that had invaded her stomach ease just a little as she held the little girl’s hand. Her eyes met Peanut’s in the rearview mirror, and she knew he hadn’t misunderstood. The knowing look in his eyes told her that he was well aware of what she was running from. That knowledge should have sent her over the edge but somehow it reassured her instead. She found herself relaxing back into the seat as the scenery flashed by.
It took about thirty minutes for them to get across town to the small townhouse that Peanut and Jasmine lived in. She climbed out of the car staring up at the two-story townhouse. It was cute with its mint color and its white shutters. Phoebe found herself smiling. Peanut was right about the yard, it was definitely too small for a pony. It was barely more than two foot by two foot surrounded by a fence that was made out of metal with a little gate. She couldn’t help smiling as she followed Jasmine towards the house.
“Oh, Peanut, Peanut! Hi, I
