Chapter 4

Nick had thought he’d dodged the bullet of having Jodie move into the coach house, since she’d been “thinking about it” for more than a week and there was still no sign of her. He’d assumed she was as thrilled about the thought of moving in as he was. Which was not at all.

So it had jolted him when Hallsy called to say she’d decided to take him up on the offer and wanted to come have a look. Shit.

They’d had a game that night, Friday, and were leaving right after the game for Columbus, where they played again Saturday night, so they’d arranged for Jodie to come on Sunday afternoon to see the coach house.

He let himself out his back door, crossed the stone patio, and tramped over the ice-encrusted lawn toward the coach house. Where the hell was spring? It was snowing like crazy and colder than a brass toilet seat in the Yukon. He’d have to turn up the heat in there so it didn’t feel like they were moving into an igloo. Although maybe if he left it freezing, she’d change her mind…

He sighed.

Both the house and the coach house had needed work when he’d moved in, but he’d hired someone to renovate the coach house so he could convince Aleks to move in. He unlocked the door and stepped inside, leaving his snowy boots on the mat. Yeah, it was chilly in here. He padded across the new shiny dark oak floor and turned up the thermostat. Then he flicked on the gas fireplace in the corner to speed up the heating process.

He looked around, rubbing his hands together. The place looked great, he had to admit, and it was a total waste sitting here vacant. He checked out the empty rooms, then heard the knock at the door. He thudded down the stairs to find Hallsy, Kendra, Jodie, and a tiny girl with dark curls walking into the house.

“Hey,” he greeted them. “Come on in.” His gaze went straight to Jodie, and their eyes met in a nearly physical jolt. Hers skittered away as she looked down and toed off her short suede boots.

He wasn’t going to think about the amazing curves under that chunky blue sweater and those snug skinny jeans. The curves he’d seen completely naked. He only wished he’d been sober for it.

The embarrassment of passing out in her bed kind of took away from the thrill of seeing her naked.

The little girl walked over to him and cranked her neck to look up at him. “You are vewy big,” she stated. “Like a giant.”

He blinked down at her.

“I’m afwaid of giants.”

She didn’t look afraid. Not even a little. Her steady brown eyes studying him actually made him a little nervous. “I’m not a giant.”

“This place is gorgeous, Nick!” Kendra said, walking into the middle of the living room. “You did a great job on it.”

“I didn’t do much.” He shrugged. “Hired a designer and she made it all happen.”

“Mommy, I need to go potty.”

Oh Jesus. Panic flared in Nick’s chest. He stared at the girl.

“Okay, Zee. Um, bathroom?” Jodie looked at Nick and grinned. “She’s been out of diapers for a few months, don’t panic.”

“Main floor bathroom is right there.” He pointed.

“I’ll take her.” Kendra reached for Zyana’s hand and whisked her toward the bathroom. “You look around.” They disappeared inside, closing the door.

Nick shook his head. “I know nothing about kids.”

Jodie walked into the kitchen area, surveying the stainless-steel appliances, white cabinets, and the set of five lights suspended above the island. “This is beautiful.” She opened a cabinet door.

“The kitchen’s small,” Nick said.

“It’s nice,” Jodie replied, still looking around. “Lots of cupboard and counter space for a small kitchen. I like the island.” She peered at the cabinets beneath it. “And this sink is awesome.” It was a farmhouse-style sink the designer had convinced him to install. “Microwave too and, wow, this fridge…” She laughed, opening the double doors. “So much room. We had a tiny little fridge in New York, and our stove only had two burners. This is luxury!”

She was definitely a chatty chick.

“The main floor is basically one big room.” Nick gestured at the living area. The island separated the kitchen from the living and dining area. “You can put a seating arrangement around the fireplace, and there’s room for a small dining table. Or you could just put stools at the island.” He laid his hand on the cold granite. “Sorry, it’s still a bit cool in here; I just turned the heat up.”

Jodie nodded, going on her toes to peer out one of the windows above the sink. “I have stools, actually. And instead of a dining table, I might put a desk there and use that as office space.”

“There’s a laundry room there.” Nick pointed to another door, which Jodie opened and poked her head into. “It has storage space as well.”

He heard the toilet flush, then water running. Then the door opened, and Zyana skipped out, followed by Kendra. Luckily he’d left a couple of towels in there.

“The bathroom’s lovely,” Kendra said.

Jodie then peered inside at the pedestal sink and toilet. “It is,” she agreed. “Love the wall color. Gray could be depressing, but with the bright white tile and trim, it’s really nice.”

“Bedrooms are upstairs.” Nick pointed to the staircase. “And two more bathrooms.”

“Wow.” Jodie laid her hand on the newel post and set a foot on the stairs. “Coming, Zee?”

Nick followed them upstairs where he showed them the two bedrooms and bathrooms, and the door from the master bedroom onto a small deck.

“This is my woom.” Zyana plunked herself down on the floor of the smaller bedroom and crossed her arms, still wearing her bright pink parka.

Jodie smiled at her. “Yes, I guess it is. Do you want to live here, sweetie?”

Zyana nodded.

“Okay then. Now for the most important question.” Jodie turned and met Nick’s eyes. “How much rent are you charging?”

“Rent?” He stared at her blankly.

“Yes. Rent. How much?”

“I don’t know. Nothing. The place is sitting here empty.”

“You have to charge something.”

“I don’t need the money.”

“I don’t care. I’m not staying here like some kind of charity case. I’ve been looking around, I know how much the going rates are for rental houses.” She winced a little. This would very likely be out of her budget.

“I’m not charging you rent,” he said again.

“Yes, you are.” She crossed her arms, and they moved out into the hall. She pressed her lips together and lifted her chin. “How much?”

“Okay, fine. Two hundred dollars.”

“Two hundred? Are you kidding me?”

“No, I’m not kidding. You asked, I answered. Take it or leave it.”

She glared at him. Then she sighed. “Fine. We’ll take it. And thank you.” Without Kendra and Max there, she added quietly, “I wish I had another option, and I’m sure you do too, but I do appreciate it. Hopefully it won’t be for long.”

“It’s fine,” he said gruffly. “And don’t worry. I won’t pass out in your bedroom and scare the shit out of you.”

Her lips quirked. “Good to know. Also, you’re not a pedophile, are you?”

He choked. “What?”

She grimaced. “The guy renting out the last place I looked at seemed weirdly interested in the fact that I have a little girl.”

“Jesus…” He stopped himself from swearing with a glance at Zyana. Too bad the only words that came to mind at that moment were curses. It left him speechless for a minute. “No, I’m not a pedophile.”

“I was pretty sure of that,” she said cheerfully. “Didn’t think Max would set us up with a creep.”

He shook his head. For fuck’s sake. She sure as hell couldn’t move in somewhere where the landlord was a goddamn sick pervert. “Do you have a lot of furniture?”

“No. Our place in New York was really small. My stuff is in storage, I just have to arrange for it to be delivered. I’m not sure how long it will take.”

“Well, any time is fine for me. We’re actually off for a couple of days, but we leave on Tuesday for San Jose. We’ll be gone a few days…games in L.A. and Anaheim too, so if you need help I won’t be back until Saturday. I’ll give you keys though.”

“Perfect.”

“I’ll give you my phone number too, so you can call or text if you have any questions or problems.”

“All right.” She pulled out her cellphone, and they exchanged numbers. “Okay, Zee, let’s go back downstairs.”

“Can I peek up there?” Kendra asked when they’d all returned to the main floor. “Just curious.”

“Of course.” Nick waved a hand, and Kendra and Max ran up to check out the second level.

Alone again, he watched Jodie and Zyana look out the big windows into the snowy yard. “I can make a snowman,” Zyana said excitedly. “We have a yard!”

“No, honey, the yard isn’t really ours,” Jodie said. “That’s Nick’s yard.”

“Of course, she can use the yard. She can build a snowman.”

Jodie glanced at him. “That’s okay. We’ll stay out of your way.” She straightened. “Well, I have lots to do now. Next on my list is finding childcare for Zee. That should be even more fun than finding somewhere to live.” She rolled her eyes.

He had no clue about that, but it struck him that as a single parent she had a lot on her plate. She was running an apparently successful business, which he knew from Kendra. Making sex toys for women—yes, Kendra’d taken a lot of ribbing from the guys on the team over that, but it never fazed her. Jodie apparently was of a similar mindset given her lengthy discussions about sex the night of Max’s party.

“It’s great, Nick!” Kendra said as she and Max returned. “What an awesome little house! This works out fantastic.”

Sure. Fantastic. He had a feeling his quiet hermit life was about to be blown up.

---

Jodie managed to arrange for the storage company to deliver her furniture and other belongings on Saturday. Between business stuff and checking out daycares for Zyana, the week had been crazy. “Why am I doing this again?” she asked Kendra after a visit to a daycare center in Lake View on Friday.

Kendra handed her a glass of wine. “Because you love me and you’d miss me if you stayed in New York.”

She accepted the wine. “Right.”

“I feel bad, Jodie.” Kendra sat too. “All this upheaval.”

“It’ll be fine. It’s just a bit overwhelming right now. But at least I have somewhere to live!”

“Yes, and it’s awesome. How was the daycare?”

“It was good, I think. It’s a perfect location and seemed really nice. It’ll be great for her to be around other kids.”

“True. So tomorrow, ten o’clock the movers arrive.”

“Right.”

“Too bad the team’s away, or Max would come help.”

“It’s okay, I don’t expect him to help.”

“Well, I’ll be there anyway, and if I can’t help move furniture I’ll take Zyana for ice cream or something so you can get stuff done.”

“You’re awesome.”

“I’m just happy you’re going to be close, because the truth is, I’d be the one who missed you guys so much if you’d stayed in New York.”

Jodie was lucky to have such a great best friend and business partner. Kendra had made being a single parent so much better.

The next day they arrived at Nick’s coach house well before ten, but the movers didn’t show up until nearly noon. At that point, Zyana was bored and hungry, so Kendra made a run to McDonald’s. As they were eating, the movers arrived, of course, so Jodie directed them while scarfing down her hamburger.

So much to do. God. She’d need to get to a grocery store to buy food, get things unpacked and put away, make beds…it all pressed down on her like a two-ton weight.

Despite being two hours late, the guys who delivered her things were great, helping her place furniture in position and putting their beds together. She gave them a big tip when they were finally done in late afternoon.

Kendra, as promised, took Zyana out for a walk to a nearby park, which gave her an hour to go crazy and unpack as much as she could. Then Kendra drove them to Target to pick up some supplies for the next few days.

At Target, Zyana picked up a pad of reusable elephant stickers. “Mommy, can I have dis?” She held it up.

“No, sweetie, not today.”

“But I want it. It has stickers, see? Elephants. Like Wooby.”

“You have lots of things at home to play with. We just need to find them,” she added.

“But I like elephants.”

“You have other elephants.”

“I don’t have dis! I want dis!”

“Zyana. Stop. I said no.”

Zyana’s bottom lip trembled and pushed out as she set the pad down and folded her arms. Jodie tried to get through the checkout as quickly as she could, recognizing the signs of Zyana’s temper.

Back at the coach house, Kendra helped carry in the shopping bags, then checked her phone. “They just landed,” she said, referring to the team.

“Go home and see your man,” Jodie said with a smile. The team had been away for a few days on their road trip. “We’re good here.”

“Okay.” Kendra looked around doubtfully.

The place was a disaster. But oh well.

“We have a conference call Monday morning with Gavin from Pink Sugar,” she reminded Jodie.

“I know.” She remembered. She’d have to bring Zyana to the office yet again for the call. Having your own business meant flexibility to do those things, but it wasn’t ideal. It would be nice to be able to focus on one thing at a time.

They were getting there.

“Bye, cupcake,” Kendra called to Zyana, who was digging into a box and tossing everything around her. “Can I have a hug?”

“No.” Zyana’s bottom lip pushed out.

Kendra gave Jodie a wide-eyed look. Luckily Kendra knew Zyana well enough that she understood this. “Sorry.” Jodie grimaced.

Kendra laughed. “Good luck.” She crossed over to Zyana, bent, and kissed her hair. “There you go, cupcake.”

Jodie locked the door behind Kendra as it was getting dark out. She turned to her daughter. “Zyana, please stop throwing that stuff around. What are you doing?”

“Looking for my elephants.”

“Oh. Well, I think those boxes are up in your bedroom. Let’s go up there and see if we can find them, and I’ll make up your bed.” And then make something for dinner and get Zee to bed because she was obviously not in a good mood.

They found the colorful plastic elephants, but after searching through every box, Jodie could not find their bedding. “Shit,” she muttered under her breath. “Where could it be?”

“Now I need Wooby,” Zyana said, referring to her stuffed elephant. “Where is Wooby?”

“Did you bring her from Kendra’s place?”

Zyana’s face crumpled. “I don’t know.”

“Well, let’s look for Ruby downstairs. Are you getting hungry for dinner?”

“No. I just want Wooby.”

Jodie’s patience was wearing thin, but they went back downstairs to hunt for the stuffed elephant. This search was unsuccessful.

Zyana started to cry. “I want Wooby!”

“I know, honey, I know. I’ll text Kendra and see if she’s there.” She sent off a quick message.

“We need to go get her!”

“Not tonight. We’ll get her tomorrow.”

“Noooooooo!”

Well, this was going well. Maybe food would distract her. “I’m going to make macaroni and cheese for dinner, okay?” One of Zee’s favorites.

“I don’t want macawoni and cheese! I’m not hungwy!”

Nonetheless, she made the macaroni and cheese, trying to put away things and still look for Ruby at the same time. When she filled a bowl for Zyana and got her seated at the island, Zyana pushed the bowl away, folded her arms on the counter, and laid her head down on them. “Don’t want dat.”

“You have to eat supper, Zee.” She knew her child had to be hungry. She was just way overtired. There’d been no nap today, and all the upheaval was probably stressing her.

“No!”

Jodie forked up some pasta for herself and shoved it in her mouth. She was starving. “Come on, honey, eat some. Then we’ll get ready for bed.”

Except they had no sheets or blankets or pillows, for God’s sake. Could the movers have lost them? What was she going to do without bedding tonight?

Her phone buzzed. She picked it up. Text message from Kendra read, I don’t see Ruby here.

Well, at least that meant Ruby was here somewhere. Probably.

“Did you take Ruby to the park?” she asked, cringing at the thought that the precious elephant could have been left there.

“I don’t know.”

“Eat some dinner, please.”

“No!” Zyana reached her hand out to push the bowl away and shoved it off the counter. It crashed onto the wooden floor (luckily the bowl was melamine), the spoon clanged, and macaroni and cheese shot everywhere.

“Zyana!” Jodie’s eyes bugged out in horror. Now she wanted to have a meltdown herself. “Look what you did!”

She knew her child well enough to see that Zyana was upset about making a mess, but was past being able to control her emotions. “I don’t care! I don’t care! I want Wooby! I want Wooby!”

She climbed down from the stool and ran to the door.

“What are you doing?”

“Going to get Wooby. I going to Kendra’s.” She couldn’t unlock the door, but she was trying, and when she couldn’t open it, she started screaming. “I want out! I want out! I want out!”

It would’ve been funny if it was someone else’s child, but Jodie was tired herself, and she couldn’t stop the tears that sprang to her eyes. “Stop, Zee. Stop.”

She didn’t stop, screaming at the top of her lungs, stomping her little feet.

There was a loud rap on the door and a deep male voice yelled from outside, “What the hell is going on in there?”

Then a key turned in the lock, and the door opened.

Jodie leaped forward to grab Zyana so she didn’t try to make a break for it into the snowy darkness. Zyana screamed louder, twisting in her arms. “Let me go! Let me go! Let me go! I want Wooby!”

Nick appeared in the doorway, his face thunderous—eyebrows drawn together, lips thin, jaw tight. “What the…” He stared at the screaming toddler, then at the macaroni and cheese all over the floor, and then his gaze swept around the space at the half-unpacked boxes and all the crap Zyana had been tossing everywhere.

Oh God. Oh dear God.

“Uh, hi,” she said to Nick over Zyana’s screams. “Welcome home.”