The drone disappeared. I didn’t particularly care either. Like Leah, I was used to performing. But a little warning might have been nice. I wasn’t sure the nanny was supposed to be seen drinking wine while caring for the coach’s kids. When the ex-wife was in rehab.
My phone buzzed. It was my brother, Kyle.
You’re dating Macnamara?
That was a completely random text to receive.
What?
I just saw you during the game, looking all cozy with his kid and the announcer called you Macnamara’s girlfriend.
I decided to mess with him since he clearly didn’t listen to anything I said. I had explained to my family I was the nanny.
I live with him now.
Cool. Can he get me tickets to a game?
That made me roll my eyes. He was super interested in my life. Not.
I wondered what Brandon’s reaction would be to having an announcer assume we were a couple. I also wondered if I should tell him.
So many damn things to wonder about.
Marriage and a family.
Huh. I had no idea what I wanted.
“Hi!” My sister, Madeline, was standing on her front step waving madly at us. “Girls, get in here and give Auntie a hug!”
Willow and Poppy ran up to my sister with enthusiasm, making me glad I had decided to bring them to Texas for a few days. We had a game on Sunday, but Dakota had come with us. She probably could have stayed in New York. It wasn’t like my older sister, who had three teenage sons, couldn’t handle my daughters, but I had to admit I wanted her to come with us. I enjoyed her company. She’d spent most of the flight watching a sentimental movie with Willow that I would have absolutely hated.
“Holy crap, it’s hot here,” Dakota said, picking at her T-shirt.
As was standard summer clothing for Dakota, there wasn’t much of it. She had on very small shorts, a tight T-shirt, and a long sweater for the flight, which had been heavily air-conditioned. She peeled off the sweater now as we went up the walkway. My sister glanced over the girls’ heads at us and her eyes widened when she took in Dakota’s outfit.
I was about to get a lecture on having hired a hot nanny. I could sense it coming already.
“It’s Texas in September. It’s going to be hot,” I told Dakota. “You can take a cold shower when we get inside if you want.”
“I don’t suppose you can join me?” She gave me a naughty grin.
“No, I can’t. My sister would kill me. Look at her,” I said. “She’s scary.”
Dakota laughed. “She’s a foot shorter than you and weighs about a hundred pounds. How can you be afraid of her?”
“Just wait. She’s brutal.” With that, I took the last few steps and reached out to give my sister a hug. The girls had run into the house. “Hey, Mad, good to see you.”
“Good to see you, too.” She hugged me tightly and went up on her tiptoes to whisper in my ear. Madeline had remained in Texas after high school and had an accent I didn’t. “Have you lost your damn mind?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I released her and gave her a smile. “Let me introduce you to our nanny, Dakota.” I turned to Dakota. “Dakota, this is my sister, Madeline.”
“It’s so nice to meet you,” Madeline said. “The girls have been buzzing about you.”
“It’s nice to meet you, too.” Dakota rolled the hem of her shirt up a little.
It was obvious to me she wanted my sister to move out of the way so she could get
inside the air-conditioning. Dakota was really not a fan of heat, something I had noticed over the last few weeks.