Page 93 of Delayed Penalty

We all look over and yep, Flora is having the timeof her life, skating around with Locke and a whole horde of kids.

“Man really tookfamily dayto heart,” Keller remarks with his arms crossed over his chest.

“You’re just sad your mom didn’t want to be your date, huh?”

“Actually, I was more upset your mom turned me down. She was busy?—”

“Don’t finish that sentence, Keller!”

Lawson charges after him, but he skates away. Hutch and Fox take off after them.

“Dammit,” Coach Smith says. “Boys!”

Then he joins in on the kerfuffle. It’s chaos, but that’s the beauty of hockey. It’s wild and rough and certainly never boring.

Hayes looks down at me. “I should probably go help. You good?”

I wave him off. “I’ll stay with the girls. Go rescue Keller. He might need it.”

“Oh my god. Don’t let Lawson hear you say that. He’ll never shut up if he knows you like him.” Rory rolls her bright green eyes.

“I don’t understand how you put up with him half the time,” her twin says with a shake of her head.

“Honestly, me either. But he’s Lawson, so…” Rory smiles as she watches his teammates try to wrestle Lawson off Keller, completely smitten with the exhausting man.

That same bitter taste from before climbs its way back up my throat. They’re so free with their feelings and looks and touches, and I want that too. I look over at Hayes, who has given up on helping keep Lawson and Keller separated and is now over with Flora, teaching her how to skate backward.

He’s changed so much since I first met him. He’s not so on edge all the time, relaxing into his guardian role. He’s become patient and gentle. Watching them, you’d never think they’re uncle and niece. They’re more like father and daughter, and it warms my heart to know he’s loving Flora like she was always meant to be loved. She deserves it, and he does too.

“How is Flora doing with Pickles?” Rory asks as we begin a slow lap around the 200-foot rink. “Everyone adjusting okay?”

“They’re both great,” I tell her. “The cat even sits on the edge of the tub with her while she showers. They’re infatuated with one another.”

“I love that. My cat, Hades, is the same way. And of course, Lawson takes Daisy everywhere, even places he’s not supposed to.”

“Still cannot believe he snuck her into a movie theater,” Auden says.

Rory just shrugs like she expects nothing less, and I’m sure she doesn’t at this point.

“So, how are you liking working for Hayes?” Auden asks. “It’s been what, two months now?”

I nod. “Yeah. It’s going great, actually. I wasn’t sure at first because I’ve barely babysat, but Flora is like the easiest kid ever.”

“Wait. If you hadn’t nannied before, how’d you get into this whole thing with Hayes?”

“Actually, it was my mother’s doing. She knew Hayes because he’s a regular at her bakery, and when she found out he needed a nanny, she sort of volunteered me. I happened to be between jobs at the time, then one thing led to another, and…well, here we are.” I shrug.

“Wow. That’s amazing. You like it, then?”

“I do. It’s the best job I’ve ever had.”

The words tumble out of me before I even realize what I’m saying, and the craziest part is that they’re completely true. Thisisthe best job I’ve ever had, and I don’t just mean because of the money and the sweet, sweet benefits. I genuinely like nannying. I like playing with Flora and I like teaching her. Those little moments when everything clicks for her… I don’t know. They make me happy, make me feel like I’ve accomplished something. This truly has been the best job for me, and I’ve hada lotof jobs.

“Have you thought about taking that and doing something else with it? Maybe teaching?”

“Auden,” Rory scolds out of the side of her mouth. “Geez.”

“What? I was just curious. She’s got that spark in her eye, the same one you get when you talk about animals or when Hutch talks about hockey or me when I talk about building something—passion.”

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