Because Ellen decided to bring Zinny to Bunco with her, Dakota took an extra Eye Candy Maid job, even though she’d worked all day at the school. Her friend at ECM, Tia, needed someone to cover one of her regular gigs because she had a bachelorette party to attend.
“He’s a great tipper, Suzette,” Tia had said. “All you have to do is dress like a schoolgirl and call him Sir. It’s kind of creepy but he’s harmless and the money’s good. I’ll even lend you my outfit.” Which was short-sleeved white blouse, a scandalously short skirt, and flats, not heels.
Agreeing had seemed a good idea at the time. Dakota reasoned that it was a one-time deal and she was helping out a friend. Plus, it was only two hours.
He lived in Pacific Heights, a very nice area, but that wasn’t surprising. She made sure she had her panic button and double-checked the address before knocking on the door. After a long while, a small frail looking old man with a walker opened the door. No wonder Tia said he was harmless.
“Hello, I’m Suzette. I think Tia told you I’d be subbing for her.”
“Yes, she did. Come in. I’m George, but you can call me Sir. Give me the contract and I’ll sign it while you change in that bathroom there.”
“Thanks.”
That’s when Dakota realized she should have tried on the costume beforehand. The skirt was a little big on her. She had a safety pin and that helped, but she had to roll up the waistband so that it didn’t look matronly. Tia was a lot bustier, so the blouse was oversized too, but Dakota just tied the tails in a knot under her breasts. It wasn’t ideal, but it would have to do.
When she opened the bathroom door, there was George, all smiles.
“You can start in the bedroom. It’s this way.” He shuffled down the hall and Dakota followed him. “The sheets need changing. And there’s a load of whites there in the hamper. Tia usually washes it all together. The laundry room is just past the kitchen.”
Dakota smiled and went about pulling the covers off and stripping off the sheets while not examining them too closely. Nothing good ever came of that.
Remembering the cheat sheet Tia had given her listing George’s personal preferences, Dakota sighed inwardly and then pretended to trip over her feet once she got to the living room. The clothes and sheets went flying and she landed on her hands and knees facing away from George.
“Oh, no,” she wailed, melodramatically. “Now look what I did. I have to pick up all this laundry.”
George was nodding, apparently pleased that she was following the regular script. As Tia had advised, Dakota took her time picking up the shirts, socks and—ew—underwear off the floor, all the while keeping her behind within George’s view and wiggling it once in a while. By the time she’d picked up every article of clothing and stood, she had indentations on her knees from the carpet.
She risked a glance back at her client and was appalled to see he had an obvious erection.
Instead of gagging, she smiled coquettishly and gave another little butt wiggle and at the end of the two hours, George included an extra forty bucks for her trouble.
As she was about to drive away from Sir’s house, she got a call from Cam.
“Hey, I just wanted to let you know I have a rock from San Jose for Zinny, but if you don’t want me to give it to her, just let me know. I saw your face last week when I offered to be her proxy rock gatherer.”
“No, it’s all right. It was just…the rock thing was something special between Zinny and her dad and I was just… I wasn’t sure if it should be off-limits or if it would make her sad or what, but it’s okay. You can give her the rock. I mean, what are we going to do? Cap the collection at four rocks? That’s ridiculous. It’ll still be special that the collection started with her dad.”
“Are you sure?” he asked.
“I’m sure. Maybe you could put your initials on the rocks you give her so we can differentiate.”
“Sure, sure. Good idea.”
There was an awkward pause.
Cam said, “So, I was, ah, thinking that when I get back into town, you should bring Zinny with you next time you come. I don’t want to tell you how to parent, but I think she needs to know how to swim.”
“You want to teach her?”
“Sure. Not a problem. I sort of feel like I owe you for letting her fall in the pool on my watch.”
“That’s…that’s really generous of you,” she said.
Dakota felt guilty too. He was right, of course, Zinny did need to know how to swim and since Ellen didn’t have a pool, Cam’s offer seemed like the perfect solution. He and Zinny got along really well and Dakota was absolutely certain he wouldn’t take any money for teaching her.
The day of the first swimming lesson, Dakota arrived with Zinny, who was beside herself with excitement. Never mind the last time the child had been in Cam’s pool, she’d been terrified. Ever since Dakota had told her Cam wanted to teach her how to swim, that was all she could talk about. She told total strangers that she’d gotten her first bathing suit and that was lime green with white polka dots. She’d even insisted on wearing it in the bathtub one night, something Ellen had not approved of.
“The bathtub is a place where we clean our bodies, not frolic.”
Sometimes Dakota thought of Ellen as the Fun Police.
She hadn’t liked the idea of the swimming lessons either and even went so far as to offer to pay for Zinny to learn at the YMCA, but Dakota vetoed that.
“Cam’s a good role model for her,” she said.
Ellen shook her head. “Men like that are only interested in themselves.”
“Cam’s not. He’s very generous.”
“Just wait. He’ll show his true colors,” Ellen warned.
As soon as Dakota opened the door—Cam had given her a key—Zinny raced inside. “Cam, I’m here! I’m here for my lesson. And where’s my rock?”
None of the dogs greeted them so she assumed they were outside in the back.
“Wow,” Cam said, coming out of the master bedroom suite. “Somebody’s an eager beaver, and I have your rock right here.”
Dakota did a second take. She had no choice really. The man was an athlete and she defied any woman not to appreciate the perfection of his body, whether he was in jeans, a tailored suit that was obviously made just for him, or like now, a T-shirt and swimming trunks.
And the way he walked… She thought about how he’d been on the ice last week and compared it to now, when he was just Cam at home. The difference was astounding. During the hockey game, he’d been so powerful, so aggressive and decisive. She’d been mesmerized in a way she’d never been before, especially by an athlete. She just had never been a sports fan. Oh, she’d gone to football games in high school, but the hot shot jocks had never appealed to her. Cam was different somehow. He wasn’t self-absorbed or cocky. He didn’t act as if he expected women to fall at his feet in a puddle of lustful adoration. He wasn’t the hockey player, Cameron Bowes. He was Cam, a guy who happened to play professional hockey.
Zinny examined the rock Cam handed her and nodded approvingly. “We have to write the name of the place where you got it. That’s the way we’re supposed to do it.”
“Okay. I’ve got a Sharpie around here somewhere.”
“I want to write it,” Zinny said.
“Okay, Miss Bossy Pants.”
Dakota followed them to the kitchen, which was where she usually started working.
“I brought you some meatloaf,” she said.
Cam stopped in his tracks. “Wait. You made a meatloaf and you brought me some? It’s not Stouffer’s?”
“Ground turkey was on sale.”
“You’re an angel. You’re a goddess,” Cam said, gazing at the foil-wrapped package like it was something cooked by Wolfgang Puck.
“You haven’t even tasted it.”
Cam knelt and whispered in Zinny’s ear. Zinny glanced at Dakota and then whispered something back.
“Really?” he asked her.
Zinny nodded.
“I have it on good authority that you’re an excellent cook. So, thank you. It won’t last the day.”
Dakota put the meatloaf in the fridge and noted there were no noxious odors coming from within. She smiled. One less thing to do today.
Cam and Zinny sat at the breakfast bar with the rock and a Sharpie.
“Write small, Zin Bin. We have to fit seven letters on it.”
“Which letters?”
“I got the rock in San Jose. Here,” he said, pulling out his phone. “I’ll show you on a map where San Jose is.”
Dakota opened the dishwasher and—miracle of miracles—saw that it was full of clean dishes. A quick glance confirmed that there were no dishes in the sink and she thought maybe you could teach an old hockey player new tricks.
A few minutes later, Zinny crowed her triumph. “Look, Koko! The San Jose rock is done.”
Dakota suppressed her laughter when she saw that the rock was practically covered with black letters, but it was actually the first rock in the collection that Zinny had written on herself. The others Thomas had done. Eventually, that awkward scrawl would make the memento even more precious.
“That’s perfect, honey, just perfect. Did you thank Cam for getting that for you?”
“Thank you, Cam. Where are you going next time?”
“I’m not sure. Nashville?”
“Okay. I don’t have a rock from Nashville.”
Zinny said it so matter-of-factly that Cam laughed.
“Good to know that I’m going to an approved city.”
“I’m sorry,” Dakota said as she finished putting the dishes away.
“It’s fine. It was actually pretty funny. Some of the guys noticed me looking around on the ground and after I told them what I was doing, they helped me out. ‘How’s this one?’ ‘What about this one?’ It was hilarious. Zinny, you got four hockey players to go rock hunting for you. What do you think of that?”
“I think it’s good. You can tell them they can get me rocks too, but not from the same cities as your rocks.”
“All right, enough about the rocks, Zin Bin. You came here to get a swimming lesson.”
Zinny’s face lit up like a Broadway marquee. “You called me Zin Bin twice.”
“Yeah?”
She put a cupped hand to her mouth and whispered. “Is that my new nickname?”
Cam grinned. “I guess it is.”
Zinny beamed. “This is the best day ever.”
“So, how about we do an hour in the pool while your auntie works, okay, Zin Bin?”
“That’s perfect,” Dakota said, knowing Zinny would love to spend all afternoon with Cam and the dogs. “Then after an hour, you will leave Cam alone and get out your books and puzzle. And is that your pouty look coming out? Remember what I said about that.”
Zinny pressed her lips together. “I’m not pouting,” she said, adorably indignant.
“Good. I’ll see you in an hour. Have fun.”