“Everything makes sense now.”
“Analise,” he growled.
She beamed in my direction, all straight white teeth and deep dimples. “I’m his annoying little sister, and he’ll regret bringing me in about five minutes if he doesn’t already.”
Archer said nothing, but his jaw was tight with tension as he crossed his arms over his chest, his biceps testing the seams of his very nice white T-shirt.
I couldn’t help but smile. “Nice to meet you, Analise. I’m Remi. I can’t thank you enough for being willing to watch Gavin.”
“Remi,” she said thoughtfully, cutting a sly gaze to her brother. “Someone wouldn’t give me any details in the car, and I’m starting to realize why.”
His chest expanded on a deep breath, his eyes briefly closing as he muttered her name again.
Analise ignored him. “He’s always pretty quiet, right? But this wasextraquiet.Extragrumpy. Which is saying something for him, because he’s not usually grumpy with me. And no matter what I asked him—Who am I babysitting? Why is this so secretive? When have you ever volunteered me for jobs before?—he kept his mouth totally shut. Not a single word about a hot redhead.”
“Analise,” he barked.
Behind my sternum, my heart thrashed wildly. “Oh,” I said in a weak voice.
“Don’t sweat it. I’m sure your general attractiveness has nothing to do with the fact that he won’t tell me anything about his community service hours other than you hate him.”
Archer scrubbed a hand over his face as I breathed out a shocked laugh.
She pointed at him. “Do you think I can get him to say anything besides my name? It could be a fun challenge.”
“That is enough,” he said tightly. “I told you to be on your best behavior.”
“That’s what I’m doing.” She patted his shoulder but kept her smile aimed at me. “Now, I’d love to meet your kiddo. I haven’t had much time to babysit lately because my dad thinks if he crams all my free time in with tutors, I’ll magically love school and get A’s and desperately want to spend the next four to six years in college.” She rolled her eyes.
I smiled. “I didn’t love school either. I got a job straight out of high school because I was sick of doing homework and going to class.”
“That’s what I want to do,” she said, her eyes wide and pretty.
“Granted, I also had a baby on the way at my high school graduation.” I shrugged. “College didn’t seem more important than my ability to pay the bills.”
“Well, you’re clearly doing something right. Your house is adorable,” she gushed. “I love the color you painted it. And the ... flower boxes are nice.”
The empty flower boxes. I laughed. “Someday they’ll have flowers in them.”
“I have no green thumb,” she said. “But honestly, the house doesn’t even need it. It’s so friendly.”
Archer had relaxed slightly, and at Analise’s genuine nature, I did as well. “Thank you. It’s not big, but it’s home.”
The front door to the house opened, and when the three of us turned around, Gavin’s face poked through the opening. “Am I allowed to come outside now?”
“One second, bud.” I locked eyes with Archer, ignoring the fact that his sister was watching the exchange with a rapt expression on her face. “My son has never met one of his idols before,” I said in a hushed tone. “If you do anything to upset him, I will take a baseball bat to your testicles.”
Archer’s gaze flickered. “That so?”
“With a smile on my face, Evans.”
A muscle in his jaw flexed. “You should’ve warned me I might need to wear my cup.”
“Only if you’re a dick.” I smiled sweetly. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
The air between us was heavy, thick with tension that made it hard to breathe.
“You got it, boss.”