Page 117 of Hot for the Hockey Player
“And Damon got suckered into prep cook duty?”I teased, earning a smirk from my son.
“He’s a great sous chef,” Maverick answered, carrying the tray of bacon and the fruit salad to the table.It was already set for four people and there looked to be freshly made whipped cream in a bowl as well.
Grinning at me, and wearing a tight, white T-shirt, and those delicious gray sweatpants of his like they were tailored just for him, he returned to the kitchen, then brought back a glass of orange juice and set it in front of me.“You always take care of us.How about you let us take care of you for a change?”
“Careful, or I could get used to this.”
He shot me another wink.“Would that be such a bad thing?”
A moment later, we were all sitting around the table, eating breakfast like some perfect, happy family.Even though we shared dinner together last night, and had several other nights as well, breakfast just felt different.It felt more intimate.Probably because Maverick stayed the night, and we were all in our pajamas with pillow creases on our cheeks and eye crusties.There were no false pretenses here.Everyone was at their roughest and rawest, and I kind of loved it.
“These are delicious pancakes,” I said, stabbing my fork into another whipped cream and maple syrup slathered piece.“So fluffy.”
“The trick is a little bit extra baking powder,” Maverick said.“Gives them the bubbles.”A playful, almost wicked glint flickered in his gaze that had my whole body heating up.
I sipped my orange juice to cool off.“I’ll have to remember that.”
“What time is your cheese thing?”Laurel asked.
“Eleven-thirty,” Maverick answered.“If you’re interested, I’ll book some more classes, and maybe next time, you can come with me.”
My daughter simply shrugged.“I’d be down for some cheese making.”
“I have some editing to do,” Damon said.“And that marketing lady, Alice—she’s intense, by the way—wants me to jazz up your intro.So I’m going to work on that.”
“She is intense,” Maverick agreed.“If she gets to betoointense, let me know and I’ll handle her.She’s brilliant at what she does, she’s just …a lot.”
Damon lifted one shoulder and grabbed a piece of bacon off the communal tray.“It’s fine.She’s right.It needs to be—”
“Jazzier?”Laurel asked with a snicker.
“Basically,” her brother replied, deadpanned.
“Well, let me know what you need from me.And make sure you take breaks and stuff.She brought up child labor laws and now I’m panicking.I don’t want to work you too hard, and I’m definitely going to fairly compensate you.”He glanced at me.“Should Damon and I have like a proper contract or something?Could I get in trouble?”
I finished chewing.“Technically, you should have written parental permission from me.While in school, legally, he can work up to a maximum of sixteen hours a week.Between seven in the morning and seven at night.Three hours a day during the week, and up to six days a week.When hiring minors in Washington State, you must get a minor work permit endorsement on your business license.”
He swallowed and his face went pale.“I don’t have a business license.”
All I did was twist my lips.I figured he didn’t.“You must get a completed parent authorization form and verify the minor’s age.He can be paid no less than eighty-five percent of the current minimum wage.”
“Oh, I’ll definitely pay him more than that.More than the minimum wage too.”
“And lastly, according to Washington State law, if an employer, knowingly or recklessly violates the requirements of Washington Sate Revised Code 49.12.121 or 49.12.123 the employer is guilty of gross misdemeanor punishable by up to three hundred and sixty-four days in prison or by a fine of no more than five thousand dollars.Sometimes both.”
Everyone at the table stopped chewing and just stared at me.
Laurel was the first to speak.“You asked her lawyer stuff.You’re going to get the lawyer.Like she’s reading from a textbook.”
“Apparently,” Maverick said, his eyes glittering at me.
“You got her on a roll and once she’s moving, there’s no stopping her until she reaches the bottom of the hill,” Laurel added.“It can be annoying sometimes.”
Damon snorted.Maverick just gaped at me a little longer.
“Hey,” I said to my daughter.“Let’s hope you neverneedmy lawyer help, hmm?”
My daughter rolled her pretty eyes.
