Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 99017 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 495(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99017 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 495(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
“Wow. Okay.” My brow furrows as I do my best to connect those dots. “I’m guessing he decided to learn, and it didn’t go well?”
“It went to shit is where it went,” Merwood says, sounding so utterly disgusted, I have to fight a laugh. “He decided it was a good idea to go from learning how to pedal without his training wheels to jumping hills on the dirt bike course. Now, his ankle’s broken in two places, and he’s out for the rest of the season.”
I wince. “Ouch. Poor kid.”
“Poor, dumb kid,” Merwood corrects. “A kid with a nasty case of hubris.”
Hubris. Huh… I’m pretty sure that has something to do with Greek tragedy and getting too big for your britches, but I’m not one hundred percent certain.
Maybe Ava’s right.
Maybe I do need to make more time for reading.
But that time isn’t now, not with Coach telling me he needs me back on the ice for a road trip ASAP to fill in for our down-and-out rookie.
“Seven a.m. tomorrow? Okay. Um, well…” I pull in a deeper breath as my thoughts race. “I don’t have the overnight childcare situation worked out yet, Coach. I have weekdays covered, and a couple of leads on overnight care, but …” I trail off as Clover waves her hands frantically between us. “Just a second, Coach.”
“I’ll watch them,” she whispers. “It’s fine.”
I frown, covering the speaker as I hiss, “No, I can’t take advantage of you like that. I’ve been talking to Elly about leaving the girls with her, just for the next few weeks, but Tasha does have a few emergency nannies who do—”
“Stop. You’re not taking advantage,” Clover says with a shake of her head. “I’m happy to stay with them. And I literally have nothing to do until my shift on Saturday night, it’s totally fine.”
“I’d be back by Friday morning,” I assure her. “Way before your shift.”
“Good, then we’re set.” She lifts a hand in a motion that says it’s sorted. “Tell Coach you’re good to go. There’s no reason you should rush into having a stranger stay with the girls. You should take your time and make sure you have the right person, so they feel safe and excited about nights when you’re away. And in the meantime, I’ll be your go-to. No problem.”
Still not sure that’s the best choice for the health of our fledgling relationship—but knowing finding someone else by tomorrow would be a nightmare—I say, “Thank you. I really appreciate it.” Uncovering the speaker, I tell Coach, “Okay, I’ve got childcare covered. My former nanny is going to fill in just this once. See you in the morning.”
“Good man,” Merwood says, relief in his gruff voice as he adds, “tell your nanny thank you from me, too.”
Smiling, I say, “Will do,” and end the call. “Coach says thank you,” I tell Clover, before waving the girls away from the table. “Go wash your hands and clean up for dinner, girls. The pizzas won’t take long to cook, and the salad is ready. We need to go ahead and eat, so I’ll have time to pack after dinner.”
“Okay, Daddy,” Ava says, sliding out of her chair. “Can I wash my hands in your bathroom? I like the new soap in there.”
“Sure,” I say.
“Me, too. Me, too!” Bella says, scampering after her sister. “I love that soap.”
“Help Bella wash her face, too, Ava, please,” I call after them. “She has flour all over.”
“I do not,” Bella shoots back.
“You do, too,” I say, raising my voice to be heard as their footsteps retreat down the hall. “And up your nose, as well, so blow your nose first with tissues before you wash.”
“I do not…” Bella trails off, giggles, then adds, “I do have flour up my nose! How’d that get there?”
Clover laughs, sliding the final pizza into the oven before calling back, “Magic, probably. That’s how I always get flour up my nose. Use one of the washcloths by the sink, okay? That will help get it all off.”
“Okay!” Bella and Ava both call back, followed by the softer murmur of conversation as they negotiate the best way to accomplish their task.
Before Clover, I wouldn’t have trusted them with something like this. I would have done the washing and cleaning up for them, but they’re capable of more than I gave them credit for. And being trusted with chores and the responsibility for taking care of themselves and their things makes them proud. They’re so much more confident than they were before, and I’m so grateful.
Clover’s a top-notch nanny. She’s also the world’s best girlfriend, but that doesn’t mean she should be expected to take care of my kids for free.
“At least let me pay you,” I say as I tackle the mess the girls left behind.
“Nope, no way,” she says, her eyes narrowing as she faces me across the table, sweeping Ava’s leftover flour into an empty bowl. “Don’t even start with that crap.”