Page 15 of Man Advantage

Not today.

I put up my hands and schooled my tone. “Look. Do you have any questions for Cam that are relevant to his ability to do this job?”

Bryan’s jaw worked. Then he slid his gaze toward Cam. “How’s your driving record?”

Without a word, Cam picked up a manila folder he’d left on the end table, and he handed it over to Bryan.

Bryan opened it, and as he flipped through the pages, there was a mix of calm and irritation in his eyes. As if he were relieved by the contents, but also annoyed that he had less ammunition to reject Cam.

I’d been through the folder myself. In the interest of putting my sons’ well-being ahead of my bias toward Cam, I’d scrutinized every page when he’d given it to me last night. It included a state and criminal background check, both of which were pristine. From his last job, he had a state-issued certification allowing him to work with children in the state of Oregon. His first aid training was up to date, and his CPR qualifications included AEDs. There was also a copy of hisdriving record, which had a couple of minor speeding tickets and an accident in which he wasn’t found to be at fault. That was it.

From what I’d read about nanny qualifications, he wasn’t missing a thing. He’d even taken some basic child development courses in college.

For a last-minute Hail Mary live-in nanny, we honestly couldn’t have done any better than Cam.

Bryan perused the pages just like I had, and the silence stretched on awkwardly as he (I guessed) searched for something to pick apart. I wouldn’t have been surprised if he gave Cam grief about the speeding tickets, just for lack of anything else.

Go ahead, Bryan. Then we can also talk about how much my insurance dropped after I took you and your lead foot off my policy.

And that was to say nothing about his boyfriend, who I knew for a fact had driven my childrenandhad nearly run over a fan last season while peeling out of the training center parking lot.

Do it, Bryan. I dare you.

Cam shifted on the couch. “I, um… I have copies of my credit report, too. If you need that.”

Bryan arched an eyebrow, silently asking if Cam was fucking with him. Which he might’ve been—ex-boyfriend notwithstanding, Cam wasn’t usually one to suffer assholes.

“Some people want to see it.” Cam shrugged, glancing at me with an innocent expression. “I’m an open book, so…” He spread his hands.

“I don’t care about your credit.” Bryan tossed the folder onto the coffee table with a quiet slap. “I’m not the one who has to worry about you paying rent. That’s Trev’s problem.”

I fought back an eyeroll. Cam was unsuccessfully fighting back a smile. From the glint of mischief in his eyes, I wondered if he wanted to mention to Bryan that he wouldn’t bepayingrent.

Fortunately, he left well enough alone. Knowing Bryan, he’d yank on that thread and decide Cam was just a gold digger. He was here for rent-free access to my house and would only do the bare minimum to keep from getting fired.

A comment like that would be on-brand for Bryan, which made me wonder for the thousandth time this week what in the hell I’d ever seen in him.

I didn’t let that thought linger.

Before I could speak up, Cam said to Bryan, “Listen, I know this a little weird for you. I get it. But Trev is getting me out of a really bad spot. And hopefully I can make things easier for both of you when hockey season starts.” He paused. “Anything you want to know to make this all easier for you to stomach, just ask. I mean it—I’m an open book, especially because you guys are trusting me with your kids.”

Bryan blinked, apparently caught off-guard. “Oh. Uh.” He chewed his lip. After a moment, he asked, “Has Trev shown you the binder?”

Cam nodded. “Yesterday. And I read over most of it last night. In fact…” He turned to me. “I wanted to ask you—there’s a note in the section about Zane’s food texture issues. Something about an ice cream place and asking them to put toppings on top.” He furrowed his brow. “I didn’t quite understand what that meant.”

“Oh, right,” I said. “There’s a place out in Sewickley that mixes toppings into the ice cream. The boys love to go there, but Zane absolutely does not like anything mixed in. So just mention it to the person behind the counter. They’re always cool about it.”

“Oh! Okay. Okay, I thought it must be something like that, but—” He waved a hand. “Anyway, I just wanted to make sure I was reading it right.”

I flashed a quick smile. I knew Cam was conscientious about things like that, but knowing he’d actually taken the time to read the binder and notice that kind of small detail was reassuring. It made me even more certain that I’d made the right call bringing him out here.

Apparently it had a similar effect on Bryan. Though he was still clearly not enjoying this, the hostility ebbed minutely.

“He’s really not as picky as he sounds,” Bryan said. “He likes to try new things, and he loves different flavors. Textures just really throw him off.”

“Oh, I get that,” Cam said. “My mom is like that, honestly.”

“Is she?”

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