Zack (Cold Fury Hockey 3)

"How old are you?" I ask, my eyes glancing suspiciously at her hand still extended toward me.

"Twenty-three," she says. "Didn't Delaney tell you about me? You knew I was coming today, right?"

"Um...yeah, she did. I guess I didn't hear her mention your age," I mutter.

Kate takes a small step forward and pushes her hand farther toward me, giving me a pointed look. "It's nice to meet you."

Her voice is soft, with a moderate southern twang. I can't remember if Delaney told me where she was from or not. Fuck...I can't remember anything she said.

I reach out hesitantly and shake her hand. It's tiny and her bones feel small, but she grips me surely. "Yeah...uh, nice to meet you too," I say absently.

Our hands break apart and we just stare at each other.

Her eyes are intent on me, yet filled with a sort of curiosity. I wonder what in the hell she could be curious about. I'm sure Delaney filled her in on my situation and what I needed her for.

Damn, this girl--well, fuck, woman--is just...weird. She's sort of geeky-looking yet doesn't have any shyness or awkwardness that is normally associated with geekdom. She looks like she'd rather be sitting in some computer science lab with tape on the bridge of her glasses and a pocket protector, discussing quantum physics or something equally boring. What in the hell was Delaney thinking? I guess I was sort of expecting maybe a more matronly type of person who would wear an apron and bake sugar cookies every day.

"Are you okay?" she asks, and I blink at her, my mind absolutely blank as to what she could mean.

"Yeah, why?" I ask, confused.

"Well, you're just sort of staring at me like I've got antlers sticking out of my head or something. I know I'm not much to look at, but I promise...I'm the right person for this job."

And clearly she's the type of person who will say whatever is on her mind, which makes me feel even more awkward. I've been so removed from people in general--and those that I do interact with treat me with kid gloves--that I'm not sure how to handle someone as direct as her.

"Um...why don't you come in," I tell her suddenly. "I need to make a quick call and then we can talk."

"Sure," she says with a bright smile, and it irritates me how chipper she is. I step back, allowing her to walk into the foyer, shutting the door behind her.

She looks around with interest. "You have a beautiful home."

I don't respond because this house doesn't hold a single ounce of beauty for me. Instead, I point to right where she's standing and say, "Wait here. I'll be right back."

Turning away from her, I bound up the stairs to the right of the entryway. I stride past Ben's bedroom and see he's immersed in a game on his iPad. Good...I don't want him coming downstairs yet, because I'm not sure what in the hell to do with that girl down there.

Stalking into my office, which is basically one of the spare bedrooms, I close the door and whip my phone out of my pocket. I pull Delaney's number up and stab at it urgently.

She answers curtly. "I'm heading into a meeting. Make it quick."

"What the fuck, Delaney? I think you made a terrible mistake hiring this girl."

She sighs into the phone, but her voice is firm. "She's a woman."

"Whatever. She's weird."

"She's adorable," she says with affection.

"Adorable isn't a fucking qualification to be a nanny," I hiss at her, my eyes cutting to the door to make sure I did indeed close it behind me. And adorable? Where is she getting that from?

Delaney's voice is filled with condescension when she says, "What's her last name?"

"Huh?" I ask stupidly.

"What is Kate's last name?" she asks, enunciating each word carefully.

"Fuck if I know," I growl at her, my mind going blank. I knew what it was two minutes ago, but it's not coming to me now.

"And what's her educational background?"

I'm silent, racking my brain for the information.

"And her work history?" she asks.

Again, silence from me.

"Oh, and how about her references...what did they have to say about her?"

"I don't fucking know, okay?" I curse with frustration.

"Exactly," she says firmly. "You didn't listen to a damn thing I said about her the other day. So now you are just going to have to trust that I made the right decision for you. She is absolutely perfect for this job, and besides that...Ben liked her far better than the other applicants. She was amazing with him."

"She's weird," I say lamely...futilely, I know.

"Get over it," she sneers at me. "You're out of time and you need someone immediately, since you start practice next week. I've been on your ass for weeks to get involved with this decision and you ignored me at every turn. So tough shit...she's got the job and you're going to give her a chance, you hear me?"

Damn...Sometimes I really can't stand my older sister. I have the sudden urge to stick my tongue out at her over the phone, but deep down...I know she's right. I've been checked out mentally since the accident and depended on her way too much to handle this shit. Now I'm stuck with it.

"Fine," I grumble at her as I rub my fingers hard along my jaw. I had just decided to shave my beard off this morning and my face feels so...so...naked.

"Good," she says, completely happy with herself. "Now, I've got to go. I love you."

"Back at ya," I mutter, and then hang up on her, knowing she's wearing a self-satisfied grin on her face.

Shoving my phone into my back pocket, I exit my office and make my way back downstairs. When I reach the first floor, Kate is nowhere to be found.

For a split moment, relief swells through me as I'm thinking she got the message that I wasn't comfortable with her and she left. But then I hear movement in the kitchen and I head toward the noise with dread.

When I round the corner, I find her standing at the griddle, casually flipping bacon, and with two new pancakes poured and sizzling to the side. Her head turns slightly to look at me and she pins me with a direct stare. "Thought I'd finish your breakfast for you. You look like a six-pancake type of guy. After I finish yours, I'll do a Mickey Mouse pancake for Ben."

My mouth sort of hangs open as I watch her nonchalantly cooking in my kitchen. She's been in my house for all of five minutes at most, and she's fucking cooking breakfast in my kitchen.

In Gina's kitchen, rather. This was never my domain, as evidenced by the burn on my arm.

Anger wells inside me and I have the sudden and insane urge to pull her away from the task. I want to yell at her that this was Gina's role, not hers, and it's completely unfair that she's standing in that position right now.

Instead, I hear the thumping of little feet as Ben comes bounding down the second staircase that leads from the other side of the second floor down into the kitchen.

"Is breakfast ready, Dad?" he asks as he rounds the island counter. His eyes are on me, but then he notices Kate. She turns to give him a smile and says, "Hey, buddy. Remember me?"

Ben's eyes flare wide with recognition, and then he utterly flays my heart open when his lips pull back into a massive and deliriously happy grin.

"Kate," he practically screams, and launches himself at her. His face presses into the side of her thigh and his little arms wrap tight around her legs. "Aunt Delaney said you'd be back."

She immediately picks him up and steps three feet away from the hot griddle, efficiently reaching back to flip it off. "Whoa, little man. Can't have you acting all crazy like that around the hot plate," she scolds gently, then tickles his belly.

I stare stupidly at the two of them, completely taken with each other. She's obviously a fucking natural with kids, clearly diligent in looking out for their safety, and calmly able to multitask. It reminds me so much of Gina and the calm surety with which she was just able to handle everything, a longing pain hits me deep in my chest.

And it makes me fucking hate her as she impinges on my memories of Gina.