Page 22 of A Whole New Play

This is going to be a shit show.

6

VALERIE

This is a bad idea.

A really, really bad idea.

That thought has been swirling in my mind ever since I said I’d meet Carter Jones’s kids before deciding if I’d agree to be their nanny.

Why did I let myself act like it wouldn’t be a big deal to work for him after what’s happened between us?

I think it was self-preservation.

I didn’t want to give the hot football player the impression that our night together meant more to me than it did to him.

I’d woken up in the early morning light, taken one good look at the man with the god-like physique sleeping next to me, and immediately slid out of bed and slipped my clothes back on before sneaking out. I assumed someone who looked like Carter wouldn’t be a stranger to one-night stands, and I didn’t want to hang around and risk coming off as clingy.

Now, as I drive down a two-lane road my GPS directed me to, I’m second-guessing everything.

“Wait. Wait. Wait.” Morgan’s voice travels through my speakers. “You’re on the way to CJ’s house right now?”

I’d tried to rely on my own council during the drive out to Rosehill, a town located on the outskirts of Dallas—the town my internet search on Carter Jones late last night indicated he grew up in. But about thirty minutes into the drive, I knew I needed an outside perspective for what I was about to do. So, I called the only person I trusted besides my dad.

“It’s Carter,” I correct my best friend. “And yes.” I look at the GPS screen. “I’m about ten minutes away.”

“Jesus, Valerie! Why didn’t you call me sooner?”

“I thought I could handle it.”

“Handle working for the guy who you said was, and I quote, ‘the sexiest guy you’ve ever met in your life’.”

I wince. “Yeah…”

“Valerie, come on. What is going on with you? First, you quit your job, and now this?”

“I’m doing my dad a favor.”

“How is this a favor for your dad?”

I explain the conversation I had with my dad when he returned to the condo last night.

Over dinner, he’d let it slip that Carter was on the cusp of being benched for the start of the season. Dad’s boss, the head coach, had spoken with the team’s owner about it, and both were in agreement that something needed to be done to force Carter to focus on the team and do more than simply honor the terms of his contract. It wasn’t enough to show up to practice. The linebacker needed to work hard to be his best. Which, according to Dad, hadn’t been happening since the end of last season when his kids’ mom decided to leave them on his doorstep with no details about when she’d return.

I don’t pretend to know what it’s like to be a parent, but it’s difficult to believe a mom could leave her kids without a plan of when she’d see them again. Even my mom, as distant and aloof as she can be, never did anything like that.

But if that’s what happened to Carter—if he’s struggling to handle becoming a full-time dad while also meeting his work responsibilities, I feel bad for him. From what Dad said, Carter used to be one of the most focused and hardworking players he’d ever coached. He was a role model to many.

And I know what it’s like to give your all to your job, leaving little to no room for anything else in your life. But caring for his kids isn’t optional. He has to do it.

Honestly, the owner and head coach seem like jerks for not considering Carter’s situation when talking about benching him. But they are in the business of winning games. There’s only so much they can let slide when the success of their season is on the line, I guess.

“So, this is also a favor for Carter…” Megan’s voice trails off after I finish my explanation. Her words drip with meaning. “He needs a nanny, and since he gave you the best sex of your life, you want to help him out? Got it. That totally makes sense.”

I roll my eyes at her ridiculous statement. “I hate you.”

“You love me,” she counters, then laughs to herself. “I still can’t believe your vacation fling turned out to be the Carter Jones. I knew he looked familiar when we met.”

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