Page 6

This was a mistake.

I’d known it would be the moment I left the house and made the impulsive decision to meet up with the rest of the team at the Angry Boar.

It was Saturday night, and Evie was at a sleepover party at Briana’s house. I was still keyed up after saving five goals during today’s match—the other team’s attack had been relentless—and I’d thought having company would do me some good. Plus, the guys had promised to help me find a proper nanny when I texted them a few days ago. Maybe they had updates or new solutions for me.

But I should’ve known she would be here. She always was.

“Hi.” Carina gave me a tentative smile.

I couldn’t have smiled back if I’d wanted to; my whole body had locked up. I responded with a short nod instead.

Since I couldn’t leave now without raising suspicions, I took a reluctant seat next to her. It was the only open spot at the table, which was fine, but the six of us were squeezed so tightly into the booth that it was impossible to move without my leg touching hers.

Irritation prickled my skin, more at myself than at her.

Carina was Carina. Her best friends were dating my teammates, which made her a close acquaintance at best. I didn’t know her well, but there was nothing I inherently liked or disliked about her. So why did I tense up every time I was around her?

It was as infuriating as it was baffling.

“How’s your nanny search going?” Vincent asked me. “Any luck with Adil’s suggestions?”

Adil Chakir was a midfielder and the self-appointed admin of the Blackcastle group chat, aka the person who kept adding me back into the chat every time I tried to leave. He’d lost his shit when I’d texted them for help the other night and made me take a picture with the Blackcastle Baddies calendar he’d created last holiday season to prove I hadn’t been kidnapped before he sent me a firehose of “solutions.”

Said solutions included sending Evie to boarding school (no), putting out an open call on social media (no), and hiring Adil’s second cousin twice removed, who currently worked as a dog groomer but had “experience taking care of human children sometimes” (absolutely not).

He wasn’t here tonight because his family was in town, but I could only imagine what else he’d come up with since the last time we talked.

“I’m going to pretend you didn’t just suggest I take his ideas seriously,” I said. Vincent snickered. “And no, it’s only been two days. I’m going to look around some more and see if there are any other agencies that can help.”

I already knew the answer, but I was trying to stay optimistic. So far, Evie’s friends’ parents had been looking after her, but I couldn’t rely on them forever.

Carina reached for her drink again. Her elbow touched mine, and I almost jerked my arm away before I forced myself to remain still.

I wished I’d gotten a cold drink before I sat down. Between the packed tables and sticky leather seats, it was a fucking inferno in here.

I rolled my shoulders. Shifted in my seat.

But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t relax.

Asher’s gaze slid from me to Carina. “Speaking of help, do you have any conditions for what you want your next gig to be?”

“Nothing illegal, unethical, or unreachable by Tube,” she said. “Other than that, I’m not picky.”

I frowned. I thought she worked at RAB. Was that no longer the case? I vaguely remembered something about her having a second job, but I couldn’t remember what it was.

She lifted her hair off her neck, and the faint scent of oranges mixed with something flowery tickled my nose.

I turned away and tapped my fingers against the table. I could feel the knots multiplying in my shoulders. I really needed a drink. Maybe I⁠—

“You should be Noah’s nanny.”

My head whipped back around so fast I almost got whiplash.

Carina froze, her hands still in her hair as she stared at Asher with a deer-in-the-headlights expression.

“What?” she squeaked.

“Noah needs a nanny. You need a job. It’s perfect,” Asher said. “He mostly needs help in the afternoons and on the weekends, when Evie’s not in school. That should fit with your RAB schedule, especially now that you can work from home.”