Page 33 of Bad Nanny

“Hi.” My greeting came out slightly higher than expected, and I cleared my throat. “Hi.”

“Hey.” She laughed as she grabbed her purse and sweater off her bed. “All ready when you are.”

Her faint tropical scent washed over me as she stepped into the hall. It took all my restraint not to pull her to me and kiss the shit out of her. It was going to be a long night if I wanted to keep my hands off her. But did I want to?

We headed into the garage, and I opened the passenger door of my car for her. As I walked around to the driver’s side, I took a deep breath. It was hard enough controlling myself when we were alone, but being in a car with her would be pure torture.

Once I was behind the wheel, I glanced over at her. “I’m going to be honest with you.”

Josie paused buckling her belt, a frown replacing the soft smile that had been on her face. “If you want to cancel, I’ll understand. I was surprised you even asked me out.”

“No, I don’t want to cancel.” I reached over and tucked her hair behind her ear, leaving my hand against her cheek. “I’ve made up my mind. I want to spend time with you. It’s just...” With a sigh, I dropped my hand and pressed the ignition button.

“It’s just what? Please don’t tell me the age difference, my dad, or the employee thing worries you.” I heard the annoyance in her voice.

I put the car in reverse and started backing out. “I don’t date. I’ve had maybe two girlfriends.”

“Maybe two?” She laughed, and I looked over to find her smiling again.

“There were a few more that I hung around with, but it wasn’t really anything.” I shrugged as I pulled out onto the street. “I, uh...enjoyed myself in my younger years. A lot.”

“I’m not judging.”

Did that mean she enjoyed herself too? The thought made me irrationally jealous.

The question was on the tip of my tongue, but I decided that I didn’t want to know. “What I was going to tell you was that I have no idea where we’re going. Lex planned it and said it would be fun, but fun for him usually means trouble for me. He literally sent the address fifteen minutes ago, so I didn’t have time to look it up.”

“You let one of your brothers plan our date?” She nudged my arm with her elbow. “I’m proud of you.”

I glanced over at her with raised eyebrows. “Proud of me? I’m a grown-ass man who can’t even plan my own dates.”

“It’s pretty spontaneous. And as for planning your own dates...it doesn’t have to be anything fancy with me. I’m easy to please, whether you get your ideas from your brothers or from good ol’ Google.”

I chuckled, more at my own dirty thoughts than at what she’d said. “Easy to please, huh? I’ll remember that.”

My brothers wanted me to go on this date, so there was no reason to be nervous. They wouldn’t have planned something that wasn’t good.

“So, what are your plans with your puppet degree? You mentioned you did some volunteer work at schools. Is that something you’re going to pursue further?”

She shifted in her seat, looking out the passenger window. Had my question made her uncomfortable? Her dad had been on her ass about getting a job, but I didn’t think talking about her plans would be a sore spot for her.

“I’m not sure what I want to do.” She tucked some hair behind her ear. “There are a lot of options and paths I could take. What about you? Was the sports apparel business something you always wanted to get into?”

I was disappointed she didn’t elaborate more about her plans, or at least explain all the different options she had. I’d done a little research and had been surprised to find everything from entertainment to puppet therapy to nonprofit work. After watching her with Delaney, I thought she’d be great at puppet therapy.

“Not even close. I played football and was ready to go pro after college, but my dad got sick at the beginning of mysenior year, and I decided family and the business were more important. I don’t regret it, though. I’ve grown to love the business.” When I’d started my MBA instead of the NFL, I’d wondered if I was insane, but trying to imagine myself now as a pro athlete was a little nauseating.

“Let me guess, you were a quarterback and the captain. It would fit your personality.” Her voice was playful, and I couldn’t say I disliked her teasing me.

I made a wrong-answer buzzer sound. “I was a wide receiver. Lex was a quarterback, and he actually did sign with a team in the second round of the draft, but he tore his meniscus, and they cut him before he even graduated. I at least made the choice to walk away—he had the choice made for him.”

“How did he get injured? Isn’t the draft in late spring after football season?”

Her knowledge of the draft schedule surprised me, but then again, she came from a sports household.

“It is. Frat party dance-offs and too much alcohol don’t mix.” There was a reason sports teams had strict rules about players’ extracurricular activities, and Lex learned that the hard way.

“Yikes. It all seemed to work out for him, though, and now all three Badden brothers are taking over the sports apparel industry, one team at a time.”

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