Page 55 of A Whole New Play

“Dallas! Get to your feet to welcome your Rough Riders!” The MC’s voice fills the stadium along with upbeat rap music as both teams prepare to take the field.

I’m surprised when Andy and Abby run back towards me rather than look for their Dad.

“Dad said he bought new puzzles for us,” Abby tells me without preamble. “Can we find them?”

“Of course!” The twins enjoy watching football, but their attention spans only last so long. Carter’s genius for providing additional activities to occupy them.

“Are you sure, Valerie?” Mrs. Jones asks me from where she and her husband stand near the end of the suite to view the field. “I can play with the twins. It’s technically your day off.”

“I don’t mind,” I reply with an honest smile. The game is long. I’ll have plenty of time to watch. But it’s not the worst that I can’t spend the entire time admiring my attractive boss from afar.

Carter’s mom returns my smile. “Okay, let me know when you need a break.”

I won’t. But I say, “I will.”

Abby, Andy, and I search the suite and find a stack of puzzles, board games, and a deck of cards in the cabinet underneath the wall-mounted TV. Carter went all out. I’m not surprised. He’s a thoughtful dad.

Together, the twins unwrap a one-hundred-piece puzzle depicting an astronaut floating in space and get to work. I offer minimal assistance.

The game has barely begun by the time the edges of the puzzle are intact. Satisfied with their progress, the twins decide to take a break to eat. I’m helping them fill their plates when Mr. and Mrs. Jones appear behind me and insist on taking over.

Not one to argue, I give them an appreciative nod, grab my water bottle, and move toward the end of the luxury suite. I sit at the end of the second row next to Carlee. Corey sits beside her.

When the whistle blows for a coach’s timeout, Carlee politely draws me into conversation, “Carter said you used to live in Houston.”

I nod. “That’s right.”

“Do you miss it?”

“I miss my best friend, but that’s pretty much it.” Houston is a crowded, busy place. And while humidity is high in most parts of Texas, Houston’s humidity is at another level. Not to mention, I associate the city with stress and being overworked. I’m enjoying the change of pace in Dallas. Or, rather, Rose Hill.

“Carter said you were an accountant.” Corey leans forward to look at me across his girlfriend.

For a second, I lose the ability to speak. You’d think living with a guy as attractive as Carter would’ve made me immune to the effect of a good-looking man’s attention, but Corey Johnson’s bright blue eyes and chiseled jawline make my stomach flutter. And I’m not even interested in him.

I swallow the lump in my throat and say, “That’s right.”

“What made you want to be a nanny?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say I wanted to be a nanny. It just sort of happened.”

“Hm.” Corey’s eyes travel my face, searching for the answer to an unspoken question. It strikes me that Carter might have told his best friend about what happened between us the first time we met.

The thought makes my cheeks heat. I take a sip of my water in hopes of hiding the reaction.

“Well, I’m glad you’re the twins’ nanny,” Carlee says, smoothly moving past the awkward silence that’d settled over us. “Abby and Andy talk about you all the time when I see them.”

Her words draw my gaze back to the twins. Their grandparents are carrying plates stacked high with snacks towards the luxury seats. Abby and Andy follow close behind, two hands wrapped around each of their cups of water.

“I enjoy hanging out with them, too” I reply.

The twins and their grandparents move to sit in the row in front of us. Abby shoots me a shy smile just before she sits. Her granddad hands her a plate. Andy’s grandmom gives him his. They begin eating the variety of greasy, delicious food.

I shake my head with a knowing grin. They’re going to be in a carb coma in an hour, tops.

Movement out of the corner of my eye catches my attention. A beautiful woman is staring into the suite from the one next to ours. She looks somewhat familiar, but it’s the way she looks like she’s searching for something gives me pause.

That pause turns into unease when her eyes land on the twins and her features illuminate with triumph.

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