Pip, satisfied that she’d secured at least one box of fun cereal, was ready for the next aisle.
They moved through the store, Pip continuing her running commentary on basically everything.
Victor mostly listened, while Belle mostly watched, fascinated by the interplay between uncle and niece. Sure, she’d seen Victor and Pip together a million times in the past five years, but ever since her feelings had become inappropriately engaged, she found herself foolishly envisioning them doing this same trip…with a child of their own.
God. This was why she needed to start dating. Immediately. Her feelings for Victor were probably a result of the fact he was one of the few men she saw on a regular basis. Since taking the nanny gig, she, Vivian, and Pip had lived quite contentedly in a house of only women.
Belle hadn’t intentionally eschewed having a social life since taking the job. It had just sort of turned out that way.
The first year she lived with Vivian had been a blur…for all of them. Between the grief and midnight feedings and never-ending exhaustion and Vivian’s eventual return to work, Belle wasn’t sure how any of them had survived that time.
But, somehow, they had. And one of the main reasons for that was the fact they’d fallen into a comfortable routine. She and Vivian had developed their own rhythm when it came to caring for Pip. As more time passed, she’d simply stopped going out on dates or even out with friends. Not because Vivian expected it but because Belle was genuinely needed, and she preferred staying home with them.
Now, though, things were changing. Her days as Pip’s nanny were numbered, the little girl growing up so fast. Pip was starting school in September, which meant Belle was about to have a lot of time on her hands. Vivian insisted she wanted Belle to remain on, taking care of the school drop-off and pickups, holidays, snow days, as well as nights and weekends when Vivian was on call at the hospital.
Belle had decided she’d put the newfound time to use securing at leastonepart of her future. She enjoyed being a nanny, so she would probably try for another position similar to this one when it was time to move on.
But for now, the aspect of her life she wanted to focus on was her personal life.
Dating.
Unfortunately, because she’d let her social circles close, she found it difficult to meet men. Which was why she’d broken down and joined one of those online dating sites a couple months ago. So far, she hadn’t done more than message back and forth with a few guys because she’d been too busy helping Vivian prepare for her trip, and while that wasn’t much, at least it felt like a tiny bit of forward progress.
She was distracted from her thoughts when they reached the dairy aisle.
Victor opened a door, grabbing a gallon of milk. Then, without even looking, he picked up a pack of strawberry yogurt. “Your favorite is strawberry, right?”
Pip nodded.
“And no blueberry,” he added.
“It tastes suspicious,” Pip replied.
Victor rolled his eyes but didn’t comment. The “suspicious” comment was a common one in regards to blueberries. God only knew where she’d picked up that word, but it had stuck.
Belle found it incredibly sweet that Victor not only knew Pip’s favorite yogurt, but he also knew which flavor she refused.
That thought resonated, and she acknowledged the way he cared about Pip was the real reason Victor was so dangerous to her when it came to guarding her heart.
They finished the rest of the shopping trip with only two more minor debates. The first was about whether cookies counted as “emergency snacks”—another of Pip’s opinions that had been formed by her mother. Vivian was famous for her belief that no household should ever be without ginger ale and saltines for sickness, and cookies for emergencies.
The second was waged between Belle and Victor as they argued which was the better breakfast food—waffles or pancakes. That one was declared a draw when they bought a mix that made both.
By the time they reached the checkout counter, Pip was humming to herself while stacking items on the conveyor belt in what she insisted was the correct order.
Victor paid, gathered the bags, and steered the cart toward the exit.
Outside, the late-morning sun cast a soft golden glow that made everything look warmer than it actually was. Belle preferred June’s milder weather to the humidity of July and August. Though she suspected she wouldn’t mind the heatnearly as much this summer, as she and Pip planned to make daily use of Victor’s pool.
They loaded the bags into the trunk of his car and Belle slid into the passenger seat once Pip was secured in the back. The drive home was filled with Pip’s occasional chatter and questions, while Belle flipped through the radio, quietly singing along to the songs.
Victor alternated between responding with quiet, patient answers to Pip, and giving Belle a hard time for getting a lot of the lyrics wrong.
When they got back to the house, Victor and Belle carried the groceries inside while Pip ran ahead to supervise. Within minutes, she was sitting at the kitchen table eating a bowl of Reese’s Puffs for lunch like it was the greatest victory of her life.
Victor leaned against the island, arms crossed. “You’re going to crash from all that sugar in thirty minutes.”
“Worth it,” Pip said with her mouth full.