Page 17 of Learn Your Lesson

Then again, I couldn’t imaginehavinga husband, either.

My hormones were being pesky little buggers as I watched Ava nearly smile in her father’s arms. He had said something to her to make that almost-grin appear, and then she started rambling on with her own stories. It was the most I’d heard her talk.

And I stood there on the other side of the room with a half-eaten cookie in my hand and my stomach flip-flopping.

I’d always wanted a family. When I was younger, I’d imagined having the opposite of what my mom and grandmother had. I pictured a little house with a little yard, a husband who adored me and worked with me as anequal partner, and maybe two or three little ones running around.

Of course, after my one and only experience with a member of the opposite sex, I realized how delusional that dream was.

But just because a dream is nonsense doesn’t stop it from existing.

Ava said something that made Will frown a bit, and his gaze scanned the room until he found me.

Those deep brown eyes locked on mine, and I thought I saw his furrowed brows bend even more before the corner of his mouth twitched into the best sort of smile he could manage. He said hello to a few people in the room as he passed, and when he made it to me, he dipped his chin.

“Well, how was your first hockey game?”

“Entertaining and informative,” I answered. Then, I narrowed my eyes. “Wait, how did you know it was my first?”

“I told him,” Ava volunteered.

“Ah, I see. Ratting me out already, huh?” I reached forward to tickle her side, and she squirmed away with a playfulness in her eyes that was new to me — though she still didn’t smile.

“I’m glad you could come,” Will said, and when I brought my gaze back to him, I saw the sincerity behind that statement.

“It was nothing. Honestly. I had a great time.”

He nodded, his lips pressed together as he checked the time on his watch. “Do you have a moment to talk about the week ahead?”

“You can have me all night, if you want.”

I said it as a joke. At least, Iattemptedto say it as a joke. I meant it in the self-deprecatingI’m a loser with nosocial life, so yeah, I have timeway. Instead, it came out like a poor excuse for a flirt, which promptly made my eyes widen in horror and my cheeks burn so fiercely I felt like I had a sunburn.

Thankfully, Will just arched a brow with an amused quirk of his lips. Then, he set Ava down and told her to go talk to Maven for a moment before launching into what to expect over the next several days.

They were in the middle of a home game stretch, he explained, but since the next games would be on Sunday and Tuesday, Ava wouldn’t be allowed to come. He’d need me to be home with her and getting her to bed at the usual time.

I pulled out my phone, taking notes on the times he had practice, the times when he could pick her up or drop her off versus when he needed me to, and when to expect him home to relieve me each evening. He informed me that the gate and house codes would be emailed to me first thing in the morning, and that he’d have a binder on the ins and outs of the house ready for me when I arrived to watch Ava.

By the time he finished speaking, he looked more worried than he had when I’d showed up with Ava at his practice yesterday. He let out a long sigh, his eyes searching mine.

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?”

“Mostly.”

“Mostly?”

I dug into my purse and fished out the folded check from that morning. “This is too much.”

Will glared at the paper in my hand, then slid that glare to me. “Hardly. You deserve every penny for how you’re helping me out.”

“This is almost twice what I make in a month.”

That made his jaw clench. “Well, now I’m even more adamant that you take it. You should be paid three times that amount for what you do.”

My neck flushed, and I shook my head, looking down at my shoes as I tucked the check away.

“We fly to Boston on Wednesday,” he explained. “But my uncle should be able to care for Ava in my absence. I get back late Thursday night, and I have the day off on Friday. Would you have time to discuss next steps then?”