I force myself not to turn and look at the woman in question. “That works. I’ll see you guys in a bit then.”
I leave the room as if a murderer is chasing me down, snag my car keys off the table in the foyer, and drive away from the house as fast as is safe, needing to put some distance between me and the only woman I’ve never been able to forget after our night together.
My parents only live a couple of minutes from me, so when I let myself inside, my head is still spinning. In fact, I think maybe I’m about to reach blaring red light panic mode.
I hear some noise from the back of the house, so I follow the noise, hoping to find my dad. It’s not that I don’t want to speak to my mom, but her advice will probably be to bang it out. I mean that literally. That’s probably the exact phrasing she’d use too. And though I love the thought of sleeping with Violet again, I’m looking more for my dad’s practical wisdom at the moment.
When I enter the room, my brother, Evan, is spread out on the couch, playing video games. He looks at me, nodding toward the television. “Hey, man, you want in?”
I shake my head. “I’m looking for Dad. Know where he is?”
“Think I heard Mom say he’s in his office.”
I leave the room without saying another word.
“Who pissed in your protein shake this morning?” Evan calls after me.
I walk upstairs and down the hall to my dad’s office. I open the door, too preoccupied with everything in my head to knock. “Dad, I have a problem.”
Three sets of eyes turn to me. Shit. Lee Burrows, the quarterback for the Kingsmen, and his girlfriend, Shayna, are sitting across from my dad.
“Oh shit, sorry. I didn’t know you were in a meeting. Hey, guys.” I raise my hand in hello and they return the gesture.
I know why they’re here. After the deal for my parents to buy the Kingsmen went through, I talked to my dad about the situation with Lee’s girlfriend. She used to be on the Kingsmen staff as an athletic trainer but was let go last year after her relationship with Lee came out in the press. I told my dad how good she was at her job and that she’s the one who nursed Lee back to health after his injury last season, and he said he was going to offer her old job back to her. I assume that’s why they’re here.
I turn my attention to Lee. “Looks like I managed the grand gesture, Burrows. Getting your girl her job back and all.” I wink.
Lee shakes his head, and I’m pretty sure if my dad wasn’t here, he’d tackle me to the floor right now.
“Go ahead, Lee, kick his ass,” my dad says.
“I’ll be in the kitchen.” I go to shut the door.
My dad stands. “Everything okay, Brady?”
I look between him, Shayna, and Lee and blow out a breath. “You guys might as well hear it too.” I step in and shut the door. After transferring last year, Lee’s been one of my best buddies on the team, and Shayna and I formed a quick friendship when she’d taped me up last season. “The new nanny Hannah hired? It’s the woman from that one-night stand who wouldn’t give me her number.”
“The gymnast?” Lee asks, eyes wide.
I laugh and bite my inner cheek. “Can you fucking believe it?”
“No,” he says.
“Me either. It’s like a romance novel.” I shake my head.
“What am I missing?” Shayna asks.
Lee looks at me with a serious expression. “You can’t kiss the nanny, Brady Banks.”
I point at him. “And that’s the problem.”
“Will someone please explain what the hell is going on?” My dad’s voice is stern. He doesn’t like being one of the few people in the room who doesn’t know what’s going on. It’s his control issues.
I push a hand through my hair and flop down next to Shayna on the couch. “Last year… probably six months ago, I had a one-night stand with a woman who wouldn’t give me her name or any detail about herself. That same woman just showed up to be Theo’s live-in nanny.”
My dad’s lips press together. “That’s unfortunate.”
“Or fortunate,” Lee says, positioning himself to face me. Shayna does the same. “Brady’s been going on about this girl for months, wondering how he might be able to track her down and see her again.”
I glance at my dad and see he has a single eyebrow raised. “And she’s a gymnast as well as a nanny?”
I glare at Lee. He snickers. I tell my dad, “No, that’s just an… inside joke.”
I’d referred to Violet as a gymnast in humor because she was so damn flexible that night.
My dad nods knowingly but is kind enough not to press the issue. “Are you still attracted to her?”
My hands fist in my lap. I bite my lip and nod.
“Why don’t you just hire another nanny?” Shayna asks. “Then you can pursue the gymnast.” She cringes when she says the word gymnast, probably assuming I’m one of those guys who tells all about my conquests.
I shake my head. “Hannah’s leaving in days. I can’t tell her we need to find a new nanny because I slept with the one she hired.” Jesus, the coincidence. You’d think I’ve nailed every woman in the Bay Area for something like this to happen.
“Why not?” Shayna asks.
My shoulders sag. “Because she’d deny the opportunity for her career and I can’t do that to her after she’s moved twice for my career. This is supposed to be her time and I cannot be the one to take that away from her. I’m just gonna have to deal with blue balls for a few months.”
“Sounds like something to look forward to.” Lee smirks.
I flip him off.
“Have you and the… gym—nanny discussed what happened and how you’ll need to set aside any possibility of repeating the nature of your relationship until after the job is complete?” my dad asks in his most professional manner.
“No, I gave her a tour and bolted out of there. Hannah’s there with Theo.” I glance at my dad’s clock on the wall.
“Well, that’s a conversation you need to have, Brady. If there’s one thing I’ve learned after being married to your mother all these years, it’s that it’s best to confront these things head-on. They can be uncomfortable for everyone involved, but in the end, it’s less complicated and better that way.”
I chuckle. “That’s because Mom has no filter.”
He grins. “You’re not wrong there.”
I sigh and sink deeper into the cushions. “I know you’re right.” I groan. “I’ll do it tonight after Theo and Hannah leave for her place.”
He nods and smiles. “I’m sure it will be fine.”
Fine. That’s not exactly the word I would use to describe it.
Agony is more like it. Living for months lusting after the woman in the bedroom across from mine. Living in the same house, sharing space like we’re a pseudo couple.
Yep. Everything will be agonizingly fine.
Five
Violet
I’m in what is supposed to be my bedroom with the door open, sitting on the comfortable chair in the corner, reading the new thriller I bought yesterday. I hear a noise on the main floor. Brady must be home.