Hometown Valentine

“I know, you showed me where it was.”

“Oh, yeah.” He rose and paused, the outside of his thigh propped against his desk. “What’s for lunch?”

A moment of silence. “Blake, do you trust me?”

“Yes,” he said immediately. “Of course.” Lily was levelheaded and smart, and had lots of experience with babies.

“Then you need to quit calling every hour and let me take care of Peyton.”

He grimaced. “I’m bothering you, aren’t I?”

“You’re concerned, I get that. But what’s the point of having me here if you’re doing all the work remotely?”

“I hadn’t thought of that.” She made a good point.

“I have this handled. I’ve got nothing else to do but focus on Peyton. Let me do that, and I promise if anything changes or if I have a question, I’ll call.”

He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I’m overcontrolling.”

“A bit, yes. But with the best of intentions,” she said softly.

“I’m glad you see it that way.” Some people wouldn’t be so gracious; his need for control wasn’t always received well. Amy had chided him for the trait endlessly.

“Definitely. But you have to allow yourself some distance so you can take care of The Cabana. That’s why you hired me, right?”

“Right.”

“Then let me do my job, and I’ll be in touch if I need anything.”

“Okay.” He needed to back off.

“Would it make you feel better if I checked in every few hours?”

“Yes, probably.”

“Then that’s what I’ll do.” She paused. “Let’s see. It’s just after eleven. How about I check in at two?”

“Um, well...” He chewed on the inside of his cheek. “That seems like a long time.”

“Okay, how about one-thirty?”

“Sounds good.” Surely he could go two and a half hours without checking in.

“I’ll talk to you then.” A moment passed. “Oh, and, Blake?”

“Yes?”

“Don’t worry. I’ve got this covered.”

His tense shoulders eased down all the way. “I know you do,” he said truthfully. “You’re very capable. Peyton’s in excellent hands, I know that.” Lily was better with Peyton than he was.

“Okay, then. Try to relax. Bye.”

“Bye.”

He pressed End and shoved his cell into his pants pocket. Boy, did he feel foolish. He’d been a pest this morning. In his defense, though, this was the first time he’d left an ill Peyton. He’d never imagined how hard it would be to turn over her care to someone else when she wasn’t feeling well. All of his protective instincts were on high alert.

He sat back down behind his desk. He had to find a way to let go of Peyton during the workday or The Cabana would be toast. He trusted Lily implicitly. She’d really saved the day by agreeing to fill in for Mrs. Jones. And the last thing he wanted was for her to think he didn’t have faith in her. He had to quit bugging her and rest assured that she would call if Peyton took a turn for the worse.