Several minutes later, she was sitting at a small table in the back of a coffeehouse near the Tyee University campus. Across from her sat her best friend and sometime partner in crime, Violet Strider.
“Let me get this straight. You’re telling me you turned down a lucrative nanny job because your employer is too hot?” Vi pushed an errant lock of pink hair behind one ear and regarded Amelia over the top of her purple horn-rimmed reading glasses.
“I guess that’s the gist of it.” Amelia nodded.
“This is the hockey hottie, right?” She held up her phone to show Amelia a picture of Brick, wearing nothing but a pair of shorts.
“Yes. I’ll end up in bed with him if I stay.”
“So? Who wouldn’t want to go to hump a guy like that?” Vi’s brows drew together in confusion. Sex was Vi’s favorite form of recreation, so of course she didn’t understand Amelia’s reluctance.
“You know me. I suck at casual sex. I fall in love or at least get attached.”
“That’s because you don’t do it enough. You treat sex like it’s something sacred to be revered instead of something nasty, fun, and purely physical.”
“I don’t think I could do that.”
“You won’t know until you try. Let me guess—you lost your virginity your senior year of high school to your boyfriend you’d been dating for at least a year.”
Amelia squirmed. “Two years,” she corrected reluctantly.
“See! That’s what I’m talking about.” Vi leaped to her feet and pointed at Amelia. She ignored the curious stares of several customers. “You only have sex with guys you think you’re in love with or can fall in love with. Have you ever had a one-night stand or a fling that served no purpose other than an orgasm?”
“Shhh.” Amelia glanced around. One pair of businessmen watched them with undisguised interest while a table of high school girls giggled and elbowed each other.
“Whatever.” Vi sat back down. “I’ve proven my point. How many guys have you slept with?”
“Three. Maybe four.”
Vi rolled her eyes. “Take the job. Jump the guy’s bones. Get laid.”
“He’s the same type as Darrell. I can’t go through that hell again.”
“No, he’s not. First off, he’s not living a double life with a wife and kids in another city. This sex god with more money than we’ll see in a lifetime isn’t going to max out your credit cards or clean out your bank account.” Vi scratched her head, still frowning.
“No, that’s not what I meant.” Amelia couldn’t hide her exasperation. Vi was being obtuse just to prove her point, and Amelia didn’t want to hear it. She wanted validation, not alternative advice. Brick had one thing in common with Darrell. He’d run at the first sign of trouble. He wasn’t the type to stay around and work on problems or face bitter truths.
“What did you mean?” Vi was going to make her spell it out.
“He’s a player. I’m not going to be another notch on his hockey stick.”
“Then be a couple notches.” Vi shook her head and huffed. “Amelia, you are stunning. Right now, those two guys can’t keep their eyes off you. It happens everywhere we go, yet either you’re blissfully ignorant, or you’re crazy as hell.” Vi jerked her chin in the direction of the two businessmen.
Amelia sighed in exasperation. “We’ve gone over this before. Guys never look beyond my face and body. I don’t want anything to do with superficial asses. I want a real man who’ll love me for who I am, not how I look.”
“Good luck with that.” Vi snorted. “Guys are visual, and you’re a great visual. Why not embrace it instead of fight it?”
Amelia would never be able to explain why her beauty was more a curse than an asset. All her life she’d been treated like a thing instead of a person. Her aunt, having no children of her own, paraded her around at child beauty pageants with Amelia’s mother’s blessing. She dressed Amelia in adultlike costumes with adult makeup. At first Amelia had loved the attention from Aunt Carol, but after a while, the pageants became work. Losing meant having her ass chewed by both her aunt and her mother. Winning brought little praise and even more criticism.
Amelia had competed on the child-pageant circuit for three years from ages four to seven. She couldn’t fathom the amount of money her aunt spent driving and flying her all over the West Coast and Nevada while she amassed a large collection of tiaras and trophies. When her aunt lost her well-paying job, they’d been forced to quit pageants. Which suited Amelia fine, even though her aunt never had a clue.
In high school, she’d rejected anything that put her beauty on display, refusing to try out for cheerleader or perform in school plays. Instead, she’d joined the debate team and honor society. She needed to be valued for what was inside, not the outside. Brick wouldn’t be that type of man.
“I would rather stay single and celibate than waste my time with the wrong guy.”
“Have it your way.” Vi shook her head sadly. “I think you should take the job, at least for the money.”
“I can’t. As a childcare worker, you can’t get involved with the children for their sake and yours. I’ve gotten too close to this little girl. Her story breaks my heart.”
“Her life can’t be that bad.”
“I want to protect her, but I can’t protect them all.”
“Is he abusive?”
“Oh, no, no, just indifferent.”
Vi shrugged. “Lots of kids survive indifferent parents. Look at us.”
“That doesn’t mean we need to accept it.”
“You’re far too noble for your own good.” Vi stood and zipped up her hoodie. “I’m late for my next class.”
Amelia managed a feeble smile. “Later.”
Vi hesitated. “If you don’t want him, can I have him? Just for a few nights.”
“Be my guest.”
“Introduce us.”
“If the situation arises, I promise I will.”
“You’re the best, Ammie.” She waved and sauntered off, casting a saucy smile at the two businessmen. They grinned back.
Amelia gathered her stuff and left, ignoring the ogling men, as she always did, and wishing life didn’t have to be so damned complicated.
Chapter 9—Getting Chippy
For the next few days, Amelia gave Brick the cold shoulder, and Macy glared at him as if he’d murdered her Barbies in cold blood, even though they were all present and accounted for.
His search for a new nanny wasn’t going well. Finally, he called Al, listened to him bitch about not being a damn personal servant, and tasked him with finding another nanny. Al’s luck hadn’t been any better.
The team had lost Tuesday night after one of those games where they all played like shit. Brick’s obvious distraction had set the tone, and things had gone downhill from there.
Tonight, the team played at home, and all this domestic shit was fucking with his game. Brick sat at his stall and mechanically went through his pregame ritual. Goalies were notoriously superstitious, and Brick liked to believe he was beyond all that. But lately, he’d found himself making sure he put on his pads and uniform in the exact same order. He put on the left skate and then the right skate. Tightened the laces on the left, then the right, and repeated. Satisfied, he crossed himself. Not because he was Catholic but because he’d done it as a joke before a major junior championship game, and had his best game to date. He’d done it ever since.
Matt had occupied the space next to him for the past few years, yet Brick knew little about him. The guy didn’t hang out and party with the team on road trips. After home games, he disappeared quickly. Brick took a swig of water and pondered how little he knew about his teammates beyond the superficial. He was a shallow guy and a bad friend. Which had never bothered him before. Why it did now, he wasn’t sure, but it probably had a lot to do with coming to terms with his current situation.
“How’s it going?” Brick asked, inviting conversation.
Matt’s head jerked up
, and Brick realized he’d interrupted meditation.
“Good. I guess. And you? How’s single fatherhood?”
Brick smiled wryly. “Tough.”
“Yeah, it’s not easy, but the rewards are worth it.”
“How old are your boys?”
“Five and seven.”
“Oh. I didn’t realize they were that young.” He was a shitty teammate. He hadn’t bothered to learn about the guys’ personal lives beyond their drinking preferences and carousing habits. Matt didn’t party, so Matt wasn’t on his radar.
“Yeah.” Matt beamed and pulled out his cell. He tapped the phone a few times and held it up to reveal a picture of two boys dressed in Sockeye jerseys.
“They look like you. Their mother’s still in Florida?” At least he knew that much, because Rush liked to keep up on the team gossip.
“Yeah, it’d been rocky for a while. Met her at a game, got her pregnant, and stuck it out for five crappy years. We had no business staying together. When the team moved to Seattle, she lasted less than a month. Hated the rain and moved back to Florida.”
“She left the kids with you?”
“Sure did. My mom moved in. She takes care of them.”
“Your mom lives with you? That’s fucking brutal.” Brick couldn’t imagine the horrors of his mom living in his house. No wonder the poor bastard never went out after games.
“Tell me about it. Don’t get me wrong. I love my mom, but having her underfoot does pose problems.”
“How do you ever get laid?”
“I don’t. It’s been a while. A very long while.”
“That’s tough, man. I’m sorry.” Brick had a brilliant idea. “Maybe you could give your mom the night off and bring the boys over. They could stay with the nanny, and we could party.”
“You have a nanny?”
Brick nodded, suddenly feeling miserable. “For now.”
“Is she hot?”
“Oh, no, she’s an old hag with nose hairs and gnarly knuckles.” Brick grinned, reveling in how pissed Amelia would be if she heard him.
Matt chuckled. “Oh, yeah, I remember you mentioned that. I can picture the type.”
They laughed together, and Brick felt as if he’d made a friend. Not a party friend, but one who might actually be around when Brick needed him. Matt was a straight-up guy. Never causing problems on the team and doing his job on the ice in a quiet, workmanlike manner. He was one of those guys you didn’t notice unless he was gone. Then his absence screwed with the team’s mojo.
And to have his mother live with him?
Brick shuddered at the thought. His own mother was cool, but even she would have her limits and would put a definite crimp in Brick’s routine. Then again, his routine had already been seriously crimped. He hadn’t had sex since his daughter had moved in. On the next road trip he’d rectify that. No reason to stop partying on the road, even if fatherhood clipped his wings at home.
He tried to picture a hot, buxom blonde hanging on him, maybe a pair of blondes, but his dick shriveled at the thought.
Maybe he wouldn’t be partying on road trips after all.
* * * *
As soon as Amelia heard Brick turn the key in the lock, she shrugged into her coat and slung her purse over her shoulder. Seeing her standing five feet from the door, his eyes widened in surprise.
“In a hurry to leave?” he said drily.
“You bet I am.”
“What the hell did I do to piss you off so much? I came home right after the game.”
“You did nothing you can help. You were just being you.” She stormed past him and out the door before he could stop her. She’d had enough of Brick and his insufferable ways. Resentment bubbled up and came to a hard boil. She’d give anything for a child, and all that asshole wanted was to pawn Macy off on someone else.
She hopped in her car and couldn’t help glancing up at his condo. He stood in the doorway, staring down at her, his face hidden in the shadows. She backed out of the parking place and tore out of the lot. A few blocks later, Amelia took a corner too fast, and her car skidded. She worked to tamp down her anger.
Her reason for being mad at him might be petty, but she embraced her anger. His reference to all his women was just the tip of a large iceberg anyway. Being mad at him kept her safe from his charms, or she hoped it did.
She reached for her phone and realized she didn’t have it. She’d be damned if she’d go back to Brick’s tonight if she’d left it there. Amelia mentally retraced her steps to when she’d last used the phone and realized it’d been this morning. She’d let one of the kids watch a video on it and left it on a bookshelf. She could see the iPhone sitting there clear as day.
Being only a few blocks from the day care, she might as well pick it up now, in case she had messages she had to check. As she pulled behind the building into the small parking area, she frowned. Ruby’s Toyota was parked in the lot with another car she didn’t recognize—definitely not her brother’s.
Anger curled through Amelia.
That bitch.
That cheating bitch.
She’d been suspicious for a while, but she’d never seen actual proof.
In the day care? Are you kidding?
Driving past the entrance to the lot, Amelia parked down the block and jumped out. Her hands shook and her stomach twisted. Sick with dread, she trudged through the puddles in the gravel parking area at the back of the building.
Please, please, please let me be wrong.
She unlocked the side door and entered the kitchen, expecting them to be in another part of the day care where the furniture was more comfortable than a countertop.
She was wrong. Oh so wrong.
Ruby sat on the counter bracing herself on her elbows with her legs over the bare shoulders of a man who wasn’t her husband. Her head was thrown back, and she was in the throes of a good orgasm. So was her lover. They were both shouting so loud, no way could they have heard Amelia.
With simmering fury, bordering on murderous intent, Amelia stood in the doorway. Her hands fisted at her side, and her entire body vibrated with rage, while the stench of betrayal filled the air.
When she couldn’t take anymore, she stepped into the kitchen and slammed the door with a force that rattled the windows. The lovers jerked to attention. The guy whipped around, sweat running down his chest.
Amelia didn’t look lower. She met the man’s familiar blue eyes. “Patrick?” Her brother’s longtime friend and best man at his wedding.
“Oh, fuck,” he muttered as he scrambled off Ruby and fumbled for his clothes scattered across the tile floor.
It must have been a damn good orgasm, because Ruby took much longer to gather her wits and process what was happening. Her hands reached out for Patrick but met emptiness. She blinked multiple times before she focused on Amelia. She shook her head several times as if attempting to wake from a bad dream.
“Amelia?”
“Yes, Ruby.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I forgot something.” Amelia answered through gritted teeth, unable to come to terms with this inane conversation so out of place considering the circumstances.
“I can explain.” Realizing she was naked, Ruby dived for her clothes and yanked them on. Amelia waited with knife-edge patience, preferring to have this showdown with her sister-in-law fully dressed.
“What you’re doing needs no explanation.”
“Maybe not, but please hear me out.”
Shaking her head, Amelia hurried past them into the other room and grabbed her phone. No way was she leaving the damn thing here after what she’d gone through to get it. When she walked back to the kitchen, Ruby and Patrick had composed themselves and were clothed, though somewhat disheveled and still panting.
Disgusting.
“Amelia, please don’t tell Dean. This was a mistake. A moment of weakness.”
“It only happened one time,” Patrick added, but refused to meet he
r gaze. If she’d had any doubts, his obvious guilt dismissed every one of them.
Amelia raised one brow. “I’m not stupid. This has been going on a long time. It all makes sense now.”
“Please, I beg of you. Dean would never understand.”
“You lying, cheating bitch. You’re right. He’ll throw you out on your deceitful ass. I would never keep a secret like this from him.” She pointed a finger in Patrick’s face. “You should be ashamed of yourself. After all Dean’s done for you.”
Patrick, at least, had the presence of mind to stare at his feet. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t tell me you’re sorry. Tell Dean. Not that it’ll do a damn bit of good.” Amelia hiccupped as tears welled up in her eyes and a sob choked her. She wouldn’t let these two cheaters see her cry. She pushed past both of them, sprinted to the door and down the block to her car.
Once inside, she started the car and drove aimlessly along the tree-lined street. She didn’t want to go home to her tiny basement apartment with its little windows and dreary walls in need of paint. Especially not with her brother and cheating sister-in-law living in the house above.
She’d need to tell her brother what she’d witnessed, but she needed to calm down first. The poor man worked his ass off at two dead-end jobs to make ends meet, while Ruby spent every penny and then some. They’d mortgaged their asses to finance the day care, yet Ruby resented being tied down to it, even though it’d been her fucking idea to start it.
Amelia pulled over to the curb and rested her head on the steering wheel and let the tears flow. Her brother wouldn’t be shocked, but he would be devastated. And she’d need to find a new job. She couldn’t work with that bitch one more day.
Feeling petty and vengeful, she whipped out her cell and texted: Just in case you didn’t figure it out, I won’t be in tomorrow or any other day. I quit.
She didn’t expect a response, and she didn’t get one. Most likely, Ruby had run straight home to do damage control. Had she been a fool not to beat her there? Her sister-in-law possessed impressive manipulative talents, but she doubted Ruby could manipulate her way out of this one.
Goaltending: Seattle Sockeyes Hockey (Game On in Seattle Book 8) Page 10
