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“Anyway, Winston, you want to show Stevie the basement?”

Turning my back on theot way too close and casual for comfort Business, that’s what this is

I take refuge upstairs in ly wood-panelled and floored et to work This consists of what my free moments in the afternoons have lately consisted of: research — painstakingly pouring over my competitors’ products and my own ideas Obviously, the world doesn’t need anysales have proven

Absently, ers click over to the tab that is still up of Stevie’s profile I stare at the blurred picture trying to figure out how those hazy lines could conceal such perfect proportions I close

I need to calm the fuck down

So what if Stevie Pierce turned out to be the hottest little thing I’ve seen in s work out No way ao down that road Not like my dad did

Besides, I have enough things to worry about I click back to Waletabout

No, all I can reflect on is how, as I stared at Stevie too long, thinking thoughts I shouldn’t have, she appeared to be doing the sa…

After about fifteen totally useless minutes, I finally slink down the stairs, around the corner, and down the other stairs I’m quiet

“Little Green Panther,” that’s what reen Hulk pajamas, I could creep around our old ht behind them I still couldn’t tell you what the reason was forabout — if it was just an uncanny talent or if maybe it was due to an uncertainty that I was truly worthy of whatever ground I stepped on, but there it was When I walked about, if I wanted to be, I could be as quiet as a ht dad and Miss Beach

I shakeabout that now

Anyway, I’m pretty sure neither Stevie nor Winston heard me as I silently padded down the steps Now, unseen, I can see whether this new nanny is actually working out after all

I huddle close to the wall to peer around the corner My son and his nanny are seated cross-legged over by the big red toy box They’ve got a big block set up going in front of thereen, blue, and yellow blocks set up in so

Winston scoots what looks to be a little toy elephant around the prele

I stare for a good long minute Winston isn’t the most open of kids and certainly not one who’s quick to bond with strangers And yet, there they are; my son and my new nanny His head is tucked into the crook of her ar as if they’ve known each other for years

The girl is good; I’ll give her that

“Do you want to play?”

At Stevie’s i spot