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Surely there’s a catch.
“That’s not even the half of it.” She only pauses to place our order. “The season is starting soon, so Connor, that’s the player, Connor and his husband, Tanner, had me move in. For free. I live there for free, and they pay me on top of that.”
“You’re joking.” Now I know there’s a catch. It cannot be that simple.
“Nope!” She claps her hands, barely containing her excitement. Her curls bounce with every move.
I shake my head. Either these guys are the absolute worst, and no one in their right mind wants to do the job, or Heather snagged the only job left in the world.
“You’re serious?”
“Deadly.”
I look at her, waiting for her to laugh and tell me she’s pulling my leg. When she doesn’t, I continue. “God, only you could be that lucky.” I slide lower in my seat. This is the kind of thing that happens once. So the fact that Lisa got Heather a job, means there’s zero chance for anyone else.
Zero.
“No, no.” She takes a sip of her drink. “So, that’s the best part.” Her eyes get so big I worry that she might explode from anticipation. “Get this, there is another player looking for help!”
“What?” I couldn’t be that lucky.
“Want me to put in a good word?” She grins.
I snort. Of course I do. I’d also like a million dollars and a hot husband and to start a family. Just because I want something doesn’t mean that it’s going to happen.
But I don’t want to bring the mood down, so instead of sharing my fears, I make a joke. “It’s either that or I’m going to have to move in with you, Connor, and Tanner.”
CHAPTER 3
SEAN
I’ve played hockey my entire life. I could handle a puck before I could talk. And I fought for a starting roster spot for the last five years. Years. And this is the year that I’ve finally made it. I finally secured a spot. No more farm team. No more fears that I’ve made the wrong decision for Violet and me. I can finally sleep at night knowing that I’ll be able to support my family and me, no matter what.
But Violet is six now. I can’t believe it. She’s grown up so fast. She’s starting school. And as excited as I am for the season, I’m equally as nervous as for what I’m going to do to keep her life as consistent as possible. Hockey might be my world, but Violet is my life. It’s important for a child to grow up with consistency and a sense of security. Being her father is the most important job that I have. And I won’t let anything distract from that.
Not even hockey.
Victoria, Violet’s mother, and my ex, works in the city in finance. It’s an insanely demanding career, twelve to sixteen hour workdays. She’s a good mother. We’ve both played our roles to set Violet up for the best life possible. But that means she’s not exactly my best caregiving option for away games. And unfortunately, my parents just moved to Florida to start their retirement, so my options for support this season are going to be a lot more limited.
Luckily, playing in the NHL comes with a pretty hefty salary bump. And the season doesn’t start for another month. So I have time to find a solution. But not that much time.
That’s where Connor comes in.
I kick off my shoes as I walk into his house. I guess house is the wrong word. “Where are you guys?” my voice echoes. Their house is more like an estate. We live in the same neighborhood, The Glades, which is nice, but they definitely scored the best home. I suppose being married to a corporate attorney helps.
I think back to my first year with Victoria. We had all these same plans. Big house with a big family. But our bigger personalities meant it didn’t work out. Now my plans look a little different. I’m happy for Connor and Tanner, though. This is their dream. And they look like they’re every bit as happy as they deserve.
“What’s up, man,” I say, pulling Connor into a hug. Connor is a big guy, our goalie. I’m 6’5 and Connor is an inch or two taller than me even. His big arms squeeze around my shoulders as he tries to get me to pull away first.
I’ve come here to meet their new nanny and find out about hiring someone myself. If this whole process has been good enough for them, it’ll be more than good enough for me. No one has higher standards than Tanner. Besides, I don’t have a whole lot of other ideas. This is probably going to be my best option.
“You want a drink, man?” Connor asks, calling out over his shoulder. He leads me through the large entryway and into the open-plan kitchen.
“Nah, I’m actually going to hit the gym real quick after this. I can’t stay long,” I say, waving to Tanner who sits at the dining room table off to the right.
Tanner looks up long enough to smile, and then is back to work on his laptop, I assume taking over some poor company with a legal loophole no one saw coming.
“All right, well. This is Heather. Heather, this is Sean Daniels,” Connor introduces us. Heather stands from her spot on the couch to meet me.
