Page 4 of Detention with Daddies

“Hey, Momma,” I greet her as she sets her bucket of cleaning equipment down beside the counter on the floor.

“Hey, my baby.” Her arms are around me the moment they’re free, and I sink into my mother’s wonderful hug. She always infuses so much warmth and love into her hugs. “How did your meeting with that doctor go today?”

“Good. I’ve been approved.” I flash her my biggest smile, and hers lights up in return—eyes crinkling with pride and joy.

“Of course you have. You are my smart girl.” She pats my cheek and breathes deep. “Theo, that smells wonderful.”

“It’s almost ready, Mom, if you want some.”

“What kind of question is that? I always want what you make. My talented children.” She smashes my cheeks in her palms before she turns to wash her hands in the sink and plant a big kiss on Theo’s cheek.

We sit and eat, and Mom chatters away about her clients, our father, her friend Sue that she saw over the weekend, even though I’ve already heard the story, she recounts it for Theo, and when her plate is clear, she pins me in place with a look.

“So, my successful graduate school daughter, when are you going to give me grandbabies? Sue’s daughter is having hersecond, and I am left behind. I don’t like being left behind.” Her hand covers mine on the table, it’s rough from working hard her entire life. Just like my father has.

“Mom, I’m twenty-six and woefully single. Why are you bugging me for grandbabies? Bug Theo for them. He’s got a serious girlfriend at least.”

The look Theo shoots me threatens violence. But all is fair when Mom is on this kind of tirade. I blink innocently at him.

“I don’t need help with Lucy. I’m sure when she wants them, she’ll more than let me know. And neither of us is ready.”

Mom waves her hand in the air between us like our comments won’t get a chance to land. “I bug you both. You need to find a man to help take care of you and give me grandbabies.”

Theo snickers, and I roll my eyes at them both.

NICK

My new group of coaches and athletic trainers from a small university in Virginia was the perfect collection of personalities to go through one of my training sessions. Responsive, open-minded, and full of questions that create a productive environment for the whole lot of them.

Their teams have been struggling to implement proper recovery programs before their athletes get injured, but we’ve been able to adjust their regimens for their injured parties to get them back to return to play.

It’s one of my favorite topics because so many training professionals tend to push heavy or excessive workloads at the wrong time. Proper rest is more important than training, although training is vastly important. Most of it is about timing, so although the new schedule seems light on work and heavy on rest, it has some important factors to push performance progress.

A few days where they have active recovery and should implement longer stretching regimens are my favorite. They’re going to see beaucoup benefits if they can master the mash-up of yoga, pilates, and tai chi I’ve recommended.

Shaking out my arms, I’m pumped as I always am after a good session. I could use a bit of recovery and downtime myself. I should put the extra energy to good use and take a quick trip to the beach for a surf before my afternoon meetings. I have a few planning sessions for some of the top athletes at the university, but those aren’t for a couple of hours.

If I can sneak out of here unseen, I might just get away with it.

I gather my notes together for their file. Stuffing them in my briefcase, I’m struck by a pretty face in the hallway. One I haven’t seen before. And her long, ruby hair, voluptuous curves in all the right places…My blood pumps even harder. Forget surfing.

This woman is exactly my type. There’s no way I’m going to pass up introducing myself.

Taking a deep breath, I check myself. Truly surprised by the strength of my reaction in seeing her. I haven’t so much as looked at another woman since my divorce, but I’m already on the move, catching up to her before she disappears from sight.

She’s peering at door numbers and the directional signs at the end of the hall when I catch up to her. Perfect.

“Hey. Need some help?” Those big green eyes turn on me, and electricity strikes me in the chest. The current doubles when she smiles. It’s so full, so beautiful. God, I’m in trouble.

Her scarlet-tinted lips quirk to the side before she nods. “Yeah, I’m looking for Doctor…Matteo Rivers? He’s supposed to set me up with a lab.”

Lucky dog.

“I can show you to his office. This way.” I point to the left, and she steps to the right to allow me to lead, falling into my lazy cadence beside her. Oh, if I can drag this out, I will. “Are you one of the new research assistants?”

Her arm brushes mine, it’s pale and covered in freckles like her nose and cheeks are. The desire to trace patterns over them is almost too hard to pass up.

“No. Not exactly. I’m working on my own project.” The pride in her green eyes shows me equal parts intelligence and passion. She has to be competent to have earned her own lab in the center. Even more so if she’s meeting with the coordinator for her placement.

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