Page 34 of A Whole New Play

I don’t respond to my best friend’s message. Instead, I focus my tired eyes on the dark road in front of me. Rose Hill doesn’t have streetlights like bigger towns, and there’s a chance wildlife could decide to run out in front of my vehicle, attracted to the bright headlights.

Thankfully, I make it home without incident.

It’s late by the time I turn off the engine and walk into the dark house. It’s a school night. The kids would’ve gone to bed hours ago, but I expect Valerie to still be up.

I wonder where she is as I walk through the entry hallway and see a soft blue light glowing from the living room ahead. I approach and see the TV is on. The brand logo is slowly floating across the screen, bouncing against the edge, and then traveling across the screen in a different direction. I scan the coffee table for the remote to turn it off when my eyes catch on the bundled figure lying on the couch.

I freeze.

Valerie’s head rests on one of the decorative pillows my mom bought for me when I moved into my first place. Her long black hair is fanned out over the couch’s armrest. Long, dark lashes cast shadows on her cheeks and she breathes softly through slightly parted lips. She has no idea I’m here.

If she were one of the former nannies, I’d be angry to find her so deeply asleep. My mind would immediately jump to worst-case scenarios.

I’d worry about what would’ve happened if one of the twins had needed her but she didn’t hear them calling out to her.

I’d imagine what could’ve happened if there was a fire and she didn’t notice until it was too late to run upstairs to rescue the twins.

My irrational anxieties would make me so angry, I’d likely wake her with a poke and immediately tell her she was fired.

I don’t make a habit of watching the nanny cams I have set up throughout the house during the day. I’m usually not near my phone when I’m at practice or a game. But the few times I have checked on the kids when I’m away, I’ve seen how Valerie and the twins spend their days. They’re constantly running around, playing games, and doing activities. I’m not surprised the twenty-three-year-old has passed out on the couch.

And honestly, I trust that if one of my children were in need, she would wake up and help them.

I trust her.

It’s a strange realization for someone I barely know, but it’s the truth. In a short time, Valerie has proven herself someone I can rely on—someone the kids can rely on. And that is something they both desperately needed.

I swallow the emotional lump in my throat and murmur, “Valerie?”

She doesn’t stir.

I clear my throat and lightly tap the shoulder peeking out of the blanket she’s wrapped in. “Valerie?”

She bolts upright. “Andy? Abby?” Blinking away sleep, she looks around the room frantically. Seeing nothing amiss, she relaxes. Her eyes finally land on mine before looking away, running a hand over her hair.

“You’re home.” Her voice is rough from disuse. She coughs to clear her throat. “What time is it?”

“A little after midnight.”

“I’ll get going.” She pushes the blanket off her and then swings her feet to the floor.

“You don’t have to leave.”

She stills, but her wide eyes swing up and lock with mine.

Shit… I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.

“It’s late and the roads are dark leaving town,” I offer as an explanation. “You can stay in the guest room for the night and leave in the morning if you want.” Valerie usually works Mondays, but since tomorrow is a light day where I only go in to review film in the morning, I have my parents coming over to watch the twins so she can have the day off. I won’t have practice again until Wednesday, so she will get two days off in a row.

I ignore the disappointment I feel knowing I won’t see her for more than forty-eight hours.

The beautiful woman presses her lips together and shakes her head. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” Worry for her safety floods my voice. “The bed is comfortable.”

Ugh. That was lame.

I feel like a boy who’s never talked to a pretty girl before. But even as a kid, I think I had more game than I do speaking to Valerie now. There’s just something about her piercing green eyes that makes me act like a fool around her.

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