Page 11 of Make Your Shot
My expression softens and my shoulders relax, the constricting feeling dissipating inside my chest knowing my little girl is safe and sound. My footsteps are light and I’m not sure either of them hear me as I walk to the bench, stopping a few feet away.
“Hey,” I say, my voice soft in an effort to not scare either of them. Tella doesn’t move, soft snores escaping her lips. Mia’s eyelids peel open, her head tilting away from the wall as she whips it to the side to look at me.
Her honey brown eyes meet mine instantly. “Hey.” She lets out a breath, her lips lifting into a soft smile. “You scared me.”
“Sorry,” I say, my own voice quiet. “I didn’t mean to.”
“No, no, it’s okay,” she assures me. She moves into more of an upright position rather than slouching, and dips her head down to Tella as she squeezes her arm. “Hey, Tell, your daddy’s here.”
Tella stirs awake, lifting her head from Mia’s side as she rubs her eyes. She turns on the bench out of Mia’s arm as she glances over at me. “Hi, daddy.”
“Hey, T. Are you ready to get home?”
Tella climbs off the bench and stumbles over to me, her body colliding with mine as I crouch down to scoop her up. “Mhm,” she murmurs, wrapping her little arms around my neck and resting her head on my shoulder.
Guilt washes over me. It’s well past her bedtime, yet here she is, falling asleep in the hallway of the arena, waiting for me to take her home. I glance over at Mia as she rises to her feet, closing the distance between us. “I’ll walk you to your car,” I tell her, waiting for her to fall in step with me.
“That’s okay,” she says, giving me a small smile. “I’ll be fine.”
I stare at her for a moment as we both begin to walk down the hallway. “It’s late, we’ll walk you out.”
She turns to look at me, her lips parting like she’s about to argue, but instead she shuts them, turning her attention back in front of her as we continue to walk side by side.
“Thanks for staying with her tonight,” I tell Mia as we reach the exit. I step in front of her to push the door open and hold it as she steps out into the darkness. The lights above the parking lot hum, dampened by the blanket of fog descending toward the ground.
“It wasn’t a problem at all,” she says, her tone light as she smiles. “She’s a great kid.”
“What happened with Andi and Matteo?”
“Andi said Matteo had an early appointment tomorrow and she was worried about him getting to bed too late, so I offered to watch Tella.” She pauses, her throat bobbing on a swallow. “This is me,” she says as we reach a small silver sedan. She pulls out her key fob, unlocking the door as she stops by the driver's side. “Thanks for walking me out.”
“Anytime,” I nod. Our gazes are locked and I adjust a sleeping Tella in my arms. Mia reaches up and brushes her hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear. There’s a small freckle to the left of her eye, right along her temple. “I um—I actually have a favor to ask you.”
Mia cocks her head to the side. “Sure. What’s up?”
“Well,” I pause, shifting my weight on my feet. My nostrils flare, sweat beads on my forehead, my stomach twists in knots as Mia stares back at me. Her eyes shimmer beneath the lights, the darkness almost making them look gold. There’s no judgment on herface, only patience. “I’m not sure if you know, but my nanny retired after last season and I’ve been meaning to find someone to watch Tella when I have games and practices and whatnot.”
“Andi had mentioned you were in need of some help and I was going to offer, but you beat me to it.” Mia straightens her head, a smile pulling on her lips. “I’d be more than happy to help.”
My breath catches. “Really?”
“Absolutely,” she says, nodding while pulling open the driver's side door. She bends down, her jeans tightening around her backside as she puts her bag over onto the other side of the center console. I tear my gaze away from where it drifted, heat rising up my neck as I clear my throat. “I’ve actually been having a difficult time job hunting, so this would be perfect.”
I wet my bottom lip as she turns back to face me. “It can just be a temporary thing, if that works better for you. You know, until you find a different job.”
“We can just play that by ear,” she offers, biting back a grin.
“That works too.” My own lips curving to smile at her. “We have practice tomorrow morning, but perhaps we can get coffee afterwards and iron out the details?”
“That sounds perfect. Who’s watching Tella during practice?”
I inhale deeply, releasing the air slowly. I may not have figured out a nanny situation, but I do have Nova and Riley both on standby to help during practices if Andi can’t. “I planned on dropping her with Nova.”
“Why don’t I just come before practice? I can watch Tella and we can just talk afterwards?”
I stare at her for a moment. “Are you sure?”
“I’m positive, Caleb,” she smiles, her bright white teeth peeking out from behind her full lips. “If I didn’t want to, I wouldn’t offer.”
