In Over His Head

Chapter 7

"Y/N! Good to see you!" Dean cried when you stepped out onto the patio. You let out a scoff as he hugged you. "Come meet my wife. Donna, this is the nanny I found for Cas. Y/N, this is Donna." You and Donna laughed at how proud he sounded. "Technically, Jo found me. Nice to meet you, Donna and congratulations." She beamed at you and extended her hand. "Nice to meet you, too," the blonde greeted with a smile. "Are you excited?" you asked, gesturing to her belly. She nodded and replied, "You betcha!"

From the corner of your eye, you saw someone else you hadn't met. The man was at the grill, talking with Cas and Bobby. Your eyes widened a bit as you took in his form while he was facing away from you. He was about Dean's height and had broad shoulders . He was wearing a semi-tight tee and you could see his back muscles. When he turned around, your heart nearly jumped into your throat. His reddish-brown hair was cut short and his beard had a bit of grey in it, but that didn't put you off either. His cobalt eyes met yours and he smiled.

"Looks like someone's got the hots for Benny," Dean joked, elbowing you in the ribs. You glared at him, finally tearing your eyes away from Benny. "Y/N, get over here!" Bobby called, causing you to turn back to the three men at the grill. You ran over and wrapped your arms around Bobby. "Hey, Uncle Bobby. Glad Professor Novak invited you. I don't know if I could handle Dean being only other adult I knew here."

Benny cleared his throat, causing the three of you to turn to him. "Hello there, darlin'," he greeted, offering his hand to you. You gingerly reached out and shook it. "Name's Benny, Cher." His accent took you off guard for the moment but you soon responded with your name. For a short time, the two of you just stood there, until Bobby interrupted saying, "Ya gonna let them steaks burn, ya idjit?" Benny jumped away and returned to the grill, unaware of Castiel's glares in his direction.

"Y/N, come push me!" Claire called from the swings. You giggled and ran over to the swing set and began pushing your small charge, a huge smile on your face. Castiel took the opportunity to go inside and grab a drink. Dean, who noticed the change in his friend's mood, kissed his wife on the forehead and followed Castiel inside.

"What's going on, Cas?" Castiel turned his eyes to Dean, but shook his head. He really wasn't sure what he was feeling so he certainly didn't want to bring Dean into it. The emotion coursing through the professor's body was foreign to him. He'd never felt it when Meg was alive and it only just came up when he watched your interaction with Benny.

Dean glanced back outside and smiled. Benny had made his way over to you and the two of you were laughing together. The sight of Benny happy made Dean smile. "They seem to being hitting it off," he said softly. Castiel followed his gaze and, trying to act nonchalant, replied, "They do." Dean caught the emotion in his voice. "Are you jealous? Are you interested in Y/N?" Dean asked, setting his beer down on the counter. Castiel didn't say anything, but his silence was all Dean needed.

"Cas, man that's a bad idea. She's Claire's nanny and if it ends badly, it not only hurts you and Y/N, but that little girl out there too." Castiel shook his head. "I am not jealous and I am not interested in Y/N," he told Dean, forcing his eyes back to the small party outside. Dean opened his mouth to argue when Castiel turned to go back outside. Dean was left standing with his mouth open. His friend was in trouble and there was nothing he could about it.

He grabbed his beer and followed Castiel back outside. Everyone was already seated at the table with plates and drinks. "Dean, get your ass over here!" Bobby called. "Uncle Bobby!" you scolded at the same time Claire chimed in, "Mr. Bobby said a bad word!" Dean shook his head and chuckled. When he looked up again, he noticed you were sitting next to Benny and Castiel was fighting not to glare at their friend.

You smiled at Benny sitting next to you as he leaned over to whisper to you. "I know probably isn't the time, but I'd like ta see ya again. Maybe take ya out fer a nice dinna?" You took a bite of your steak and moaned. "How about I let you cook for me? This is amazing," you praised and he grinned. "I think I can arrange that. So, Friday?" You shook your head. "How about Saturday? It's my day off." He nodded and gave your cheek a quick peck before turning his attention back to his own food. You spent the rest of the day blushing, something that didn't escape your boss' attention.

When everyone was leaving for the night, Benny shook Castiel's hand before turning back to you and kissing your cheek again. "I'll see ya Saturday." You smiled at him and nodded. After the door was closed behind him, Castiel turned to you. "Saturday?" The feeling had returned to his gut. It was a horrible twisting feeling and he hated it. "Yeah. Benny asked me on a date." Without another word, you went upstairs to get Claire ready for bed.

Castiel stood there in the entryway in silence for a moment, his fists clenched at his side. He didn't know why he was feeling this way. It made no sense to him. The two of you were not involved at all and yet, Castiel couldn't help but feel this way when Benny had kissed your cheek. Dean had been right. Castiel was jealous, but he just didn't want to admit it. What good would it do? Clearly you were interested in Benny, not him. He ran his hand through his black hair and sighed heavily. He had to find a way to deal with his jealousy, for Claire's sake.

Afteryou put Claire to bed, you flopped down on your own and giggled like a schoolgirl. Benny had been a pleasant surprise. You never expected him to ask you outand now that he had, you couldn't wait for the next Saturday to roll around.Sure, in the back of your mind, you couldn't help but feel a little guilty aboutit. There was something between you and your boss, but there was no way youcould act on it. You had to get over it and Benny provided the opportunity.Besides, maybe Benny would be the guy you'd fall in love with. You wouldn'tknow unless you tried, so you closed your eyes and prayed Saturday, and yourdate, would come quickly.