Page 46 of Nanny for the Athletes

First, we fed the dogs dinner. That involved herding them into their individual kennels, which wasn’ttoodifficult since they were all excited to eat. Braden helped by throwing the giant bags of dog food over his shoulder and hauling them around to each kennel for me. Where I usually struggled with them, he hefted the weight with ease. Soon, the kennel was silent except for the sounds of kibble being devoured.

“Now I try to wear them out before bed,” I explained as the dogs wolfed down their food. “It’s important to get all their energy out so they sleep through the night. Not to mention one last chance to go potty.”

“And after that?” Braden asked.

“After that, I’ll take care of all the paperwork for the dogs being discharged tomorrow morning. That should take about half an hour.”

Braden clapped his hands together. “Here’s the plan. You go ahead and get started on the paperwork. While you do that, I’ll play with the dogs and wear them down before bed.”

“You called me the coach, but you’re calling your own plays,” I said with a teasing smile.

“Quarterbacks do that all the time.Calling an audible.”

“I thought you were a Wide Receiver?”

He shrugged. “Don’t tell Chrissy.”

I went into the office and began the paperwork. I offered a paperless system, but most customers wanted a paper copy. I couldn’t wait until that trend died and everything was digital. I had bought my printer on Facebook, and it was constantly giving me trouble.

I heard shouting out in the field, so I got up and gazed out the window. Braden was jogging around the field with the dogs stretched out in a long train behind him. He abruptly changed directions, catching the dogs off guard and sending them into a frenzy of barks. Eventually, he turned around and spread his arms wide. The dogs overcame him like a tidal wave, but he laughed and shouted and wrestled with them on the ground.

He’s like a little kid. Happy and carefree. It reminded me of a term I had seen online:himbo,the male version ofbimbo. He was extremely hot, but also very easy to please. Andeagerto please, just like his Golden Retriever, Pickles. I had to remind myself that he had played in a professional football game that afternoon, and was still running around to help me.

I was finishing up my paperwork when he returned to the kennel. Sweat glistened on his tan skin, accentuating the muscles of his forearm and neck. “Everyone is back in their kennels,” he said, running his fingers through his blond hair. “Loki tried to get in the closet again but I stopped him. Little shit.” He said it with a smirk.

“I really appreciate your help! Without you, I wouldn’t have evenstartedthe paperwork for another half hour.”

“My motivations are partly selfish.” He casually planted a hand on the wall and leaned against it, a move that was probably calculated to make his arm muscles bulge as much as possible. “But I did feel bad for you. It sucks having Claire dumped on you at the last minute, without any warning.”

“Seems like Logan did the same to you guys. When did you find out you’d need to babysit Claire tonight?”

Braden snorted. “He texted usduring the game.We didn’t see the message until the game was over and we were getting ready to fly home.”

“Is Christian going to be fine watching her alone?”

“Oh, totally. Chrissy has a soft spot for kids. He always stays longer than everyone else after the game, signing autographs and taking selfies with all the kids. He definitely wants several children of his own someday.” Braden scratched his cheek, then winced when he realized it was muddy.

“You’re a mess after wrestling with the dogs,” I pointed out.

“Yeah. Mind if I get a shower before we go out? Just let me grab my suitcase…”

I checked on the dogs in the kennels, then led Braden inside my grandma’s house. I still thought of it asherhouse, even though it was mine and I was actively living here now. I wondered if that feeling would ever go away.

“Wow,” Braden said when we walked past the dining room. “It looks like a Goodwill in here after their holiday sale.”

“Claire decided to play dress-up. I kind of feel bad because I got mad at her for going through my grandma’s stuff.”

“She seemed fine when we picked her up.”

“Except she refused to give me a hug goodbye,” I muttered.

Braden shook his head. “Nah, that wasn’t about you at all. She’s got some issues. I know it’s rude to speak ill of the dead, but her mom was a real wacko.”

“Yeah, what’s up with that?”

“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you all about it when we go out.”

“The bathroom is there to the right of the dining room,” I said, gesturing. “I’ll shower when you’re done.”

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