Chance on You (Pub 4)

25 - Dreams

Leo felt himself on a cliff with the wind blowing him towards the edge. The safe thing was to retreat, but with every phone call, he kept advancing toward the edge. How could he keep the truth from Isla? It felt like a betrayal, but why? Because she was a great nanny or because his kids loved her. He could blame it on her living in his home, but even that was an excuse. His dreams were the real reason. At night she controlled his sleep and often pushed his nightmares away. During the day, he relied on her companionship more and more. With him away, they felt like a team raising his children, although it was a job for her.

Should he care if she served pancakes for dinner? He made them for breakfast, but Autumn enjoyed having them for dinner. In his pain, he drew the line on which meal the flat, golden disks could be served. Riley's telling Isla about his ban surprised him most.

He stepped off the cliff by promising to tell Isla about his divorce just as Percy appeared in the conference room where Leo had made his phone call. He quickly hung up.

"How are things at home?"

"Fine. They're in good hands."

"You really like this nanny."

"Why do you say that?"

Percy chuckled as he tilted his head. "I meant as a nanny but you gave me another answer."

Leo focused on packing up his laptop, hoping the heat on his neck would subside. Maybe Percy would receive a call causing him to lose his train of thought. The man worked every hour of the day.

When he couldn't procrastinate any longer, he looked up. "Where to?"

Percy shrugged. "I don't care. What are you missing?"

Leo laughed. "Not Chipotle. Lilli at work is obsessed." He thought for a moment. "I haven't had any authentic Mexican food?"

"And you're surviving."

Leo laughed. Better than he imagined.

They kept their conversation light on the way to the restaurant. Too many topics were heavy, Autumn, his mother, their negotiations, and for Leo, Isla.

The deal they were trying to cut would require Matthew to give the studio full rights to his book or books. It was important to keep it to a minimum number of books to protect Matthew if the production flopped. At odds were the merchandise rights. There were collectibles of the characters, Roman and Astara, and of the many creatures they battled. Riley had a few in her room. Obviously, the studio wanted to nail down as many books as possible, but he wanted it limited. Regardless, if it turned out to be one book or five, the rights would require substantial dollars. Matthew benefited the most. Leo worked on commission, but protecting the client came first.

Once they sat down, Leo picked up a freshly made tortilla chip and dipped it in spicy salsa. It was totally delicious and unhealthy, like pancakes for dinner.

Percy smiled. "Tell me about this nanny."

Leo groaned. "She's... I don't know. The kids love her, and I like having her around and..." She fills my dreams.

"I get you've been living like you're in prison. Even prisoners deserve a conjugal."

"Please, I had two and they... It had been a long time since sex didn't mean anything."

Percy laughed. "It means a big fat release."

Leo shook his head. "Only because you haven't had the real thing."

Percy scoffed, waving a chip before popping it in his mouth. "The nanny, is she hot? You must have a picture."

More than one with the kids. Reluctantly, he scrolled through his phone and stopped on one. Isla and Cody writing with chalk on the driveway. She had laughed at something the boy said. "Here."