“That makes it easy.” He filled two mugs, set one on the table in her place, and slid onto the opposite chair. “I agree with you about Hannah needing TLC, and I’ve tried to give her that. However, I have to go back to work on Thursday, and the only day care place I’ve been able to find is in Coos Bay. Problem is, it doesn’t meet all my criteria, it’s a long drive, and Hannah is balking. She wants to stay on her own, but I’m not comfortable leaving her alone. That’s where you come in.”

Her brow knitted. “How?”

“Hannah likes you. I think she’d be okay with you watching her.”

Christi gave a slow blink. “You want to hire me as a . . . a nanny?”

“More or less.”

The indentations on her forehead deepened. “I already have a job, Jack. Two jobs—plus caretaking at the cottage.”

“You could give up the waitress gig. The shop job is part-time—or it will be once your boss is back on her feet. I’ve already talked to the chief, and since the rest of the officers are agreeable, she’s going to let me work the three-to-eleven shift for the indefinite future instead of following the usual rotation. You could spend mornings at the shop and be with Hannah in the afternoon and evening. All you’d have to do is feed her dinner, put her to bed, and hang around here until I get home. I can offer a decent salary.”

At the figure he quoted, she did a double take.

Her reaction wasn’t surprising. The amount had to be way more than she earned at the sports bar and Eye of the Beholder combined.

“That’s very generous.”

“I’m in a bind. I don’t mind paying a premium. And I’ll sweeten the pot with a bonus.” He lifted his mug, watching her. “If you take the job, I’ll give you your loan.”

She drew in a sharp breath. “Seriously?”

“Yes—with caveats.”

“Ah.” Her lips tipped into a wry smile. “Why am I not surprised there’s a catch? Most too-good-to-be-true offers are exactly that.”

At her cynicism, his gut clenched. Whatever she’d been through had done a number on her once sunny, if shallow, disposition. Despite the old Christi’s negatives, her buoyant, upbeat lightheartedness had never failed to lift his spirits. That was a regrettable casualty of the trials she’d endured.

He took a sip of his coffee. Set the mug on the table. “Not always. And my caveats are really questions. If I’m leaving my daughter in someone’s care, I need to vet that person. Find out more about them.”

“You know me.”

“Knew you. To be blunt, I wouldn’t leave Hannah with the Christi Reece from eleven years ago.”

Her infinitesimal flinch activated his guilt complex—as did the jab from his conscience.