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Inmyoffice,Istretch out on the couch and prepare to dig into the film Coach Hargreeves sent me. Some teams in our division have gone through major overhauls like ours, so we have little information about them yet. But there are a handful of teams whose core players are the same this year. I figured I would get a jump on preparing for them now. But my mind wanders to the beautiful woman living in my house.
Watching Tabby with June in the kitchen tonight was eye-opening. Seeing them working side by side, singing, cemented what I think I always knew—June is exactly what Tabby needs. My daughter seems more at ease with her than I’ve ever seen her be with someone new. She’s always been an excellent judge of character, and if Tabby is comfortable with her this quickly, June Harlow is the real thing.
It’s me who’s the problem. Because June makes me anything but comfortable around her. Damned if watching her dancing in the kitchen, singing so off-key it was nearly painful to hear, didn’t fill me with an entire bag of unwelcome feelings. First, she’s the fucking hottest thing I’ve ever seen, and I’ve met my fair share of beautiful women. But June’s not manufactured beauty. Everything about her is unassuming, and I find the effect more appealing than if she wore the fanciest clothes and makeup. Tonight, she puttered around my kitchen in leggings and her Rutgers University T-shirt, with her hair in a messy bun, and I haven’t been so attracted to anyone in years.
It’s not how she looks, though. It’s how she gets Tabby to smile, the way she dives right into things. I haven’t exactly been welcoming to her, but she offered to help me throw a party. I’ve hosted nothing like that before, and I wouldn’t know where to start. Sonya was always the entertainer, the one with the open smile. She hadn’t been extroverted—far from it—but she was genuine. I’m not social like that. The closest I’ve gotten to hosting is inviting a few of the guys over to watch whatever sports are on television. That usually comprises ordering a pizza and getting some beer.
When she brought up a barbecue, my entire body flinched. I can’t even imagine the caterers involved, the decorations… I shiver. It sounds like a nightmare, yet she said it would be fun. I can’t tell if she’s serious.
But that’s what tonight in the kitchen was. Watching the two of them dance and banter… it was fun. And June did that for my daughter. For the first time, I think maybe, just maybe, this might work out.
That leaves me hopeful, and I start a video. Camp must be getting to me more than I thought, though, because I doze off. I vaguely recall Tabby crawling in my lap to kiss me good night, and I’m sure I must be dreaming when June’s soft whisper calls to her.
I’m groggy and disoriented when I wake later. It’s pitch-black outside the windows, and the only light on is next to the desk. I didn’t turn it on, so June must have done it. She let me sleep.
My watch says it’s after midnight. I rub my eyes and stretch. Damn, only six more hours until I need to get to the rink to run my guys.
I plug in my tablet and turn off the lights downstairs. Closing the French doors to the room, I head up to bed, doing my best to ignore the creaks and aches in my body. I hate the constant reminders of how old I’m getting. I stop outside Tabby’s door. She’s spread out like a starfish in the center of the bed, her blond hair a messy halo around her head. She looks so much like her mother most days, but especially when she’s sleeping and her face is soft.
As quietly as I can manage, I creep in and do my best to cover her, but it’s hard with the blankets tangled around her. When I’m satisfied she won’t freeze overnight, I tiptoe back out to the hall, leaving the door open like she prefers.
As I head down the hall toward my room, I notice a light on in the upstairs playroom, filtering through the crack left by the half-open door. I glance in.
On the overstuffed love seat in the corner, June’s curled up in a ball, sound asleep.
I pause. Maybe I shouldn’t go in. She obviously came in here to be alone, so I should probably leave her to it. After all, no one uses this room much anymore. Until I saw Tabby in here reading in the same spot the other day, I don’t know if anyone had been in here in months. When Tabby was small, we kept a bunch of toys up here as well as in the play area downstairs, so she could be on whichever floor I was on. But the older she gets, the less she’s come here, preferring to keep her favorite toys closer, in her room or in the living room.
But June could be chilly. We set the air conditioning on high. Both Tabby and I like to sleep cold. It won’t hurt anything if I go in and check on her.
I’m standing in my fucking upstairs hallway, second-guessing myself. Since when am I this guy? I’m known for being decisive, a leader on my team. I’m raising a daughter on my own. Logically, it makes sense to check on June. She’s new in the house, and it’s my job to make sure she’s safe and comfortable.
Decided, I push through the door. The only light on is over her chair, and I notice her phone lying next to her face. She must have been reading something or watching something and dozed off, too.
In sleep, she looks angelic. When she’s awake, she’s full of energy. Now, with her features soft, she could be right out of a painting. Her hair twists over her shoulder, and her freckles cover most of her face. The urge to touch her is almost unbearable, but I keep my hands to my fucking self.
Huck was right yesterday. June is a distraction. I need to be focused and on top of my game. Not only is this my last chance, but my team deserves my best. And June doesn’t deserve to have her employer bothering her.
It would be easiest if I could just not find her attractive, but that won’t be an option. I want her. I have since I saw her in Raybourne’s office. No amount of pretending is going to change that fact, and I doubt there’s going to be any way for me to stop it. This woman is like a rainbow after a storm, an unrelenting spark of light in our life. Until she got here, I didn’t think we needed anything like that. Tabby and I… we do okay. We’re happy, I think. But June? She’s glitter, making everything sparkle.
All that is true, but if there’s one thing I am, it’s disciplined. I can stay away from her, compartmentalize. The good she will do for Tabby is worth the effort to stay away from her. Nothing has the potential to send June away more than if I mix business with pleasure. I haven’t seen my daughter as happy as she was tonight in a long time, and I won’t do anything to jeopardize that.
Glancing around the room, I spot the ottoman where we store blankets. I open it and grab the thickest, fluffiest one. Gently, I tuck it around my sleeping nanny, and I force myself to step away.
Turning off the light, I leave, pulling the door closed behind me.
June
Dukeisgonebythe time I get Tabby up on Thursday morning. I’m glad because it gives me a moment to get my bearings.
There’s a cozy love seat in the playroom upstairs, so I sat down to read last night. I’m in the middle of the second book in a young adult fantasy series, and I want to finish it before the final book comes out next week. I guess I didn’t make it, because I woke up after two in the morning, my phone on the floor. But that wasn’t unusual. I’ve fallen asleep reading more times than I can count. What was strange is that I woke up toasty warm with a blanket draped over me.
I didn’t put it there, and I can’t imagine Tabby did either. Which leaves Duke.
It’s not a huge deal. Lots of people would see someone sleeping and think about covering them. But Duke did it. That fills me with the fuzzy feeling in my belly again, and I shouldn’t be thinking warm and fuzzy thoughts about my boss.
That afternoon, I pick Tabby up at school. Duke has already introduced me to her teacher via email, as well as giving her permission to discuss Tabby with me, but I want to put a face with the name. If Tabby is having problems, I want Miss Shepherd to know we’re involved and open to her suggestions.
After I gather Tabby at the walkers’ exit, I ask her to show me to her room. She’s not excited at first, but when I point out how cool it’ll be to see her school with no one in it, her curiosity gets the better of her. We sign in at the office, and she walks me through the winding halls to her classroom. Luckily, the lights are still on. I knock on the open door. “Hello? Miss Shepherd?”
