Do You Believe In Magic

Chapter 9

The next day, late morning, Kai entered Joey's house.

"Hey, bro," Joey said.

"Where's your girlfriend?"

Joey looked at Kai a little startled. "Why? What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing's really wrong, just...I don't know."

"Kai, what is it...?"

"Hey, Kai."

Kai turned around to see Kristen enter the kitchen. Kai folded his arms and regarded her a little warily. "What did you do to my nanny?"

"Oh, God," Joey gulped. "What happened last night?"

Kristen put a hand to her chest and feigned ignorance. "Why Kai, whatever do you mean?"

"I mean, she left my house yesterday morning looking like Miss Marple and came home 11:30 last night looking like Miss Universe, that's what I mean!"

Joey perked up in his chair. "Wait? What's this? The prim and proper little nanny has a sexy side?"

"It sure seems that way, bro," Kai replied. "However, it seems that side wasn't revealed until she found herself shopping with this one."

Kristen saw that Kai wasn't mad, just playing a game, one that she went along with. "First of all, Kai. I didn't do anything, well, except bring her features out. She bought the dress and decided to get her hair highlighted. Didn't she look awesome?"

"Yes! I...I...I mean, no. I mean...oh, hell, I don't know what I mean."

"I do," Joey interjected. "It means you found her attractive, that's what that means."

Kai gave Joey a dirty look before turning back to Kristen. "Just when did this transformation take place?"

"Yesterday after we got back from shopping. Since Joey was over at your house, we got ready here. I did her make up, she took a bath, got dressed in her little black number and we went out."

Joey perked up a bit. "She was naked in my bathtub? Little black number? Damn, and I missed all this?"

Kristen gave Joey an annoyed look before turning back to Kai, who looked a little bewildered. "What's the matter Kai? You're acting as though this is a problem."

"It is! I mean...it isn't. I mean, oh, God..."

"Still don't know what the hell you mean, huh?" Joey finished for him.

"Stuff it!"

"Kai, Kristen's right. What's the problem?"

Kai's mouth acted independently of his brain. "The problem is, is that, three months ago, I hired a conservative-looking, competent, caring, loving nanny to take care of my daughter and now, three months and one fatal shopping trip later, I now have a very hot-looking nanny living under my roof, taking care of my daughter!"

Joey mocked audacity. "Oh, my God! I see your point. Better dispatch the military on this one!"

"Bite me!"

"Kai, honestly," Kristen interjected. "Does how she look gonna affect how she takes care of Josie? I mean, that is what you hired her for. It didn't matter three months ago."

"Yeah, babe, but Kai wasn't having impure thoughts about her three months ago," Joey jested with a giggle.

"Suck it!"

"Oooh, Kai, the language! Stuff it. Bite me. Suck it. I think this is your inner psyche telling you that maybe it's time to get laid."

Kai threw his hands up. "I don't believe you!"

"What's not to believe? Three months is a long time, and don't forget we were in Portland before that, so it may be longer since the last time you and..."

Kai put his hand up to halt Joey's words. "Please...don't say her name."

Joey clamped his mouth shut. "Sorry, bro."

"It's okay. It's just...I don't know. I guess I thought I'd be safe by hiring someone that I wouldn't risk being instantly attracted to. However, even before I saw Bonnie last night, I really was beginning to like her – aside from her looks. We really both have a lot in common. Both of our fathers are dead and our mothers live far away, we don't have much of a personal life, we have Josie's care in mind..."

Joey slapped the table. "That's it! A match made in heaven!"

"Stop it! It's just...well, we both kinda looked to each other for companionship, I guess. I just don't wanna jeopardize her position as Josie's nanny. She's wonderful with her and she's crazy about Bonnie. I just don't wanna risk any kind of attraction of any kind, only to scare her away. After the fiasco Caroline and I had interviewing those horrible potential nannies, I'd hate to have to go and find someone all over again."

"Kai, I don't think that'd be a problem. Especially, well, if she wound up feeling the same way you do."

"God, Joey! How am I supposed to know how she feels?"

Kristen raised her hand. "I think I know."

Kai looked at Kristen. "What do you know? Did she say something to you?"

"No, but, the fact that she had her own little personal harem of men hovering around her last night, and did nothing about it, was enough to convince me that her thoughts might be elsewhere. She turned down dances and dates."

"She did?"

"Yep. I told her she was crazy. Two of the guys were absolutely..."

Kristen cut off when she saw Joey looking at her with narrowed eyes.

"...they were okay. Anyway, she just said she wasn't used that that much attention anymore and wanted to go a little slower. But, I know otherwise."

"Hmmm, sounds like she may be into you, Kai," Joey said. "All the innocent, platonic chat you've been making these last three months maybe got her thinking down a different road, thus the reason for the change in her appearance. Just continue on as you have."

"It's not just that, Joey. I mean, as much as I do like her, I thought of it on a more platonic level. After what Vicki did to Josie and I, the last thing I wanted to think about was getting involved with someone again, especially so soon. And, I don't want her to think that my attraction to her is because I was dumped and I'm lonley. I can't lose her, Joey. For Josie's sake, I just can't lose her!"

Joey and Kristen exchanged glances, wondering if it were just for Josie's sake that Kai didn't want to lose Bonnie.