“Hire her, and I’ll knock off half your rent.”

Bridget’s eyes grew round.

“You and I have an agreement—a binding legal document—for me to rent this building. I don’t want anything to complicate it.”

“It wouldn’t complicate anything,” Mac replied.

“I’m not that naive, and neither are you.”

This was not going well. Did she think he would terminate her lease if she didn’t hire Kaylee?

He wasn’t that kind of guy.

Bridget gazed off into the distance. “Even if I wanted an employee, I probably wouldn’t hire her. If she can’t be bothered to go to school, I doubt she’d come to work.”

Mac prepared to defend Kaylee, but what could he say? He was new to this guardian thing. Not once had it crossed his mind that he’d have to make decisions for a minor. In his thirty-two years, he’d never fallen in love or considered marriage—and he certainly hadn’t given any thought to having kids.

And here he was, responsible for his sister, clueless as to what she needed.