Page 54 of The Nanny and the Beefcake
“After that, Madelyn met us at the police station. We didn’t know what she was doing there, but it turned out to be a godsend. Before the arresting officers could book us, Madelyn intervened. She dropped the whole nanny match revelation, then, since she’s a close friend of the chief of police, she worked out a deal to get the charges put on hold.”
“That woman knows everyone,” Penny supplied, shaking her head.
“But how does donkey racing fit in?” Mitch asked.
Libby rubbed her temples. The whirlwind of a night had her brain ready to explode.
Raz tapped her shoulder. “I’ve got this, plum,” he said, then addressed the group. “The police chief gave us an ultimatum. Libby and I had to agree to train and compete in something called the Ass-in-Nine Burro Race to represent Denver’s first responders. If we don’t do it, they’ll charge us with lewd behavior.”
Mitch ran his hands down his face. “I did not see that coming.”
“The race is held in Rickety Rock. A town near—” Libby began when Rowen snapped his fingers.
“It’s near Aspen,” the nerd announced.
“Yes, Raz and I agreed to live there for the summer and train for the race,” she answered.
“And after that, I’ve got my fight,” Raz finished, shifting his stance nervously.
Maybe the beefcake wasn’t the conceited, cocksure fighter who’d oozed buckets of confidence in front of the press.
Penny shook her head. “I’m the writer here, but even I couldn’t have cooked up something like that.”
“It’s pretty insane,” Libby answered.
“And what about Sebastian?” Mitch asked. “He should be arriving soon, right?”
At the mention of his son, Raz’s throat constricted as he swallowed. “He arrives with my grandmother in a couple of days, and then we’ll figure out when we can head to Rickety Rock.”
“This is encouraging news!” Rowen exclaimed—looking downright upbeat.
“There are plenty of words that could describe tonight. I’m not sure encouraging is one of them, mate,” Raz answered.
“I was remarking on the proximity. We’ll be in Aspen for much of the summer,” Rowen continued.
“Each of us has a place up there,” Mitch explained, gesturing to Rowen and Landon.
“And we’ve got Phoebe and Oscar signed up for a bunch of Bergen Adventure Camps in the area. Sebastian might enjoy it, too,” Charlotte added.
“Is he into outdoor activities?” Mitch asked.
Raz parted his lips and…nothing. Not a word escaped. But after a few seconds, which felt more like a few millennia, the man rebounded. “Sure, I think he’d enjoy that.”
Harper raised her hand. “Yeah, not everyone can escape to million-dollar mountain homes. Some people stay in town and wake up early to teach piano lessons to booger-eating elementary school children. Just saying.”
Penny wrapped her arm around H’s shoulders. “You’re always welcome to stay with us when you have time. And on that note, now that we know Erasmus and Libby are okay, it’s time we let them get settled in. Not to mention, it’s way past Phoebe and Oscar’s bedtime.”
“Come on, guys. Can you show us the way to the game room, Raz?” Rowen asked.
“Libby?” came a voice—Raz’s voice. Something was off. She couldn’t read him. Was that sadness in his gray eyes—or trepidation?
“Yes.”
“I’ll be right back.”
“And I’ll clean up the rest of thetorpedoeswhile you’re gone,” she answered, hating this awkward energy simmering between them. Then again, their lives had been turned upside down and inside out in a matter of hours.
Raz nodded, then filed out of the foyer with the men, giving her a much-needed moment alone with her girls.
