Dakota loved her job. Working for Cam had been a dream come true so far. He was by far the best boss she’d ever had. He was understanding when it came to Zinny. He was funny. He didn’t ride her ass constantly to make sure she was doing her work.
He wasn’t hard to look at either, which had become more of a problem than she’d anticipated. But if the shoe were on the other foot, she’d expect a man to keep his lewd looks to himself, so she couldn’t expect less of herself.
And yet, she sometimes felt his eyes on her and instead of creeping her out, like with Sir, it made her feel the tingles all over.
She was just coming home from a fairly easy day’s work since Cam was off on a road trip and therefore wasn’t prepared for Ellen’s pronouncement.
“Zinny is in her room playing Mermaid Quest,” Ellen said as Dakota came back from putting her purse and coat in her room. Ellen didn’t like things laying about, especially if they weren’t hers.
“That’s nice,” Dakota said. “Did she get a good grade on something?”
“No, I needed to talk to you about something important.”
Dakota got a glass of water and sat across from Ellen. “Okay. What’s up?”
“I’d like to know if you would consider giving me custody of Zinny.”
Dakota almost choked and Ellen was actually quite lucky not to have had water sprayed in her face.
“What are you talking about? No. Rose and Thomas entrusted her to me.”
“Unfortunately, neither Rose nor Thomas are here to see what’s happening. If they had, I’m sure they would not have made the decision they made.”
“I don’t understand. What exactly is supposed to be happening that’s so gosh darned bad for Zinny? Because I’ll tell you right now, I will swear on a stack of Bibles that Cam has nothing but good intentions toward her. Not only did he give her excellent advice on how to deal with the bullies in the schoolyard, he’s spent hours of his own time teaching her how to swim.”
“It’s actually what he’s doing to you that I’m concerned about.”
Dakota was completely bamboozled. “Cam’s not doing anything to me except be a better friend to me than anyone I’ve ever known. He’s paying me a lot more than I’m probably worth—”
“Exactly,” Ellen said with narrowed eyes. “You think I don’t see what’s going on between you two? I saw the way he looks at you. I’ve seen all the fancy underwear you have.”
“That was for my job at Eye Candy Maids,” Dakota protested. “It’s not for Cam.”
“You’re not exactly helping your case, Dakota,” Ellen pointed out. “The bottom line is that you’re not a fit guardian for Zinny. Do you think I want my only granddaughter raised by a prostitute?”
Despite the fact that this word was uttered in a very low register—they were both very aware that Zinny was in the house—Dakota heard it loud and clear.
“What did you call me?”
“I believe there is nothing wrong with your hearing,” Ellen said, her arms crossed. “As I was saying, I’ve consulted with a family law attorney to see what I can do about taking over Zinnia’s guardianship before she’s corrupted by the depraved household you’re wallowing in.”
For the first time in her life, Dakota was rendered speechless.
Ellen got an envelope from the small secretary she used to pay bills and handed it to Dakota. “You have five days to move out of this house, as I will not put a roof over the head of a person who sells her body for sex. I would advise you to let Zinny stay here for the sake of stability with her schooling and her sense of belonging, but I doubt you will do this. Everything is there in the letter I just gave you.
“I want you to know I harbor no ill will toward you, Dakota, but you have to know this is all your fault. If you hadn’t been so greedy and made such a horrible choice, I wouldn’t be forced to do this.”
Dakota ended up laughing. It was either that or shout obscenities at the acidic witch. There was nothing she’d have liked more than to fling an F-bomb in Ellen’s face, but she couldn’t, not with Zinny just a few yards away. Instead, she decided to say nothing at all. She didn’t want to waste the breath.
Instead, she took her phone, went to her car for privacy and called Cam.
Every single guy on the team bus was busting a gut at seeing Cam in the dropped crotch pants and Cam could do nothing but stand there and take it.
They were on their way from their Seattle hotel to play against the Cascades, a division rival. Seattle was a pretty eclectic city and the way their arena was set up, not that many people would see him exit the bus. Still, photos would be taken, laughter would ensue, he’d definitely get some weird looks, so he’d put it off as long as possible.
The worst of the fallout would occur with his own teammates. Didn’t matter that he’d explained his deal with Urban Streetwear to them all. Didn’t matter that some of them made questionable fashion choices themselves. They’d taken one look at him getting onto the bus and immediately started laughing their asses off.
“All right, all right,” he said, after a full two minutes of guffaws. “That’s enough, assholes.”
“Your mommy dresses you funny,” someone called out.
“Christ, is that pants or a dress?” someone asked.
“It’s pants.” He made his way to a seat in the back of the bus as quickly as possible.
“Someone must have dared you,” Paul said. “Because there is no way in hell you’d wear those saggy ass pants otherwise, especially not to a game, where you knew you’d get shit for it.”
“That about sums up the situation,” Cam admitted. “Dakota didn’t think I had the balls to wear these in public so I had to prove her wrong.”
At that, he got several understanding nods. As men and athletes, reputations were important. They’d all been there, done that. The Dare was a time-honored institution that forced men into making difficult, bad and often embarrassing choices, but it couldn’t be helped.
“But,” Cam added, “there’s a reciprocal dare in action. I get to choose a weird piece of clothing for her to wear, so I’m open to suggestions. It can’t be revealing because she has to wear it to pick up her niece, Zinny, from school.”
Several heads bent to their phones and within moments, guys were texting him links. One was a sweatshirt that said “I’m awkward.” There was a pink knitted beanie that looked like a brain. Another, from Noah Brinkworth, was a T-shirt that said, “Guess what,” with a picture of a chicken with an arrow pointing at its rear end.
“Brinks, I don’t understand this shirt.”
“Guess what? Chicken butt!” Noah said.
Cam looked at him blankly.
“It’s a… Kids say that all the time to each other. Didn’t you ever say that?”
“No.”
“Nope.”
A bunch of heads shook back and forth.
“Never heard of that.”
Noah scowled. “Damn it. You’re all old fogies, that’s what you are. Shoot.”
Cam and Paul exchanged subtle nods. Cam actually had heard of that saying and apparently Paul had too, but it was just too much fun to fuck with the rookies.
Cam laughed as his phone rang. He sobered when he saw it was Dakota. She didn’t usually call him when he was out of town, so this had to be reasonably important.
“Hey,” he said. “What’s up?”
All he heard was a hiccupping sob that sounded like his name. His gut clenched and he immediately sat up straight.
“Dakota, what’s wrong? Is it Zinny? The dogs?”
“No, no, Zinny and the dogs are fine. It’s—it’s Ellen.”
“What’s wrong with Ellen?”
“She’s… Oh God, she’s trying to take Zinny away from me.” She dissolved into more sobs.
Cam swore out loud. A few of the guys turned their heads at the sound, but he held a hand up and turned toward the bus window.
“Hey, hey, it’s going to be all right,” he said.
Shit, this was like something off a daytime talk show. It had been obvious at Thanksgiving that Uptight Ellen hadn’t approved of Dakota’s job as an Eye Candy Maid, but so what? It wasn’t as if she was still cleaning guys’ houses in her panties. She worked for Cam now as his legit housekeeper and personal chef. There was no porn-y aspect to it at all, so what was Ellen’s problem?
“Cam, she can’t do that, can she? I don’t know what to do. I don’t know where to go. I can’t let her take Zinny away from me. Zinny’s all I have. Rose trusted her to me.”
She was still crying, babbling hysterically and it was killing him. Christ, he was sweating.
“Dakota, shhh. Calm down, sweetheart. Everything’s going to be fine. Nothing’s going to happen tonight. These kinds of things take time. We’re flying back home right after the game, so first thing tomorrow, we’ll get a lawyer and we’ll find out what’s going on.”
“I’m sorry to bother you while you’re away but I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know who to call.”
So she’d called him. Despite the shitty situation, he felt a warmth in his chest that she’d reached out to him for help. And damned if he was going to let her down.
“No, you did the right thing,” he told her. “It’s okay. Does Zinny know what’s going on?”
“Not yet. I came straight to the car so I could call you, but I’ll have to tell her eventually, I think. Or maybe not. I don’t want to poison her against her own grandmother, but I don’t know. God, I can’t think straight.” Her voice sounded steadier even if she was sniffling. “Ellen told me I have five days to leave the premises.”
“What kind of fuckity fuck fuckery is that?” Cam yelled.
A hush fell over the bus and a quick glance told him every person on it was riveted on him. He covered the mic on his phone and said, “Sorry, guys.”
“She doesn’t want to live under the same roof as a prostitute.”
“She called you a prostitute? I can’t fucking believe this woman. You told her we’re not sleeping together, right?”
“I…no. I don’t think I actually did. I was too shocked by everything. But I’ll tell you one thing, I’m not staying here one more night. Zinny and I are going to pack what we can and go to a hotel. Then first thing tomorrow morning or maybe even tonight—because who knows if I’ll be able to sleep after this—I’ll get on the Internet and look again for a cheap apartment. This time I’m going to lower my standards or reevaluate my budget. I’ve been trying to find something near you so I won’t have to drive so far, but everything in your neighborhood costs an arm and a leg.”
“Actually, that’s not true,” he said, making a split-second decision. “I know the perfect place. It’s got two bedrooms and a pool. Cheap rent too. Dirt cheap.”
“Cam, I only need one bedroom. Zinny and I can share.”
“The only thing is,” he said, ignoring what she’d said, “the kitchen isn’t attached.”
“What?”
“And there are these two dogs you have to deal with. And a needy hockey player.”
There was a pause and then she said, “Are you crazy? I can’t move in with you.”
“The hell you can’t. The Black Hole is ninety percent cleaned out. It has a full bath and a separate entrance, so you guys can come and go as you please. I’ll even charge you a fair rent, because I know you’ll insist on paying rent. Come on. At least go to the house tonight and sleep on the idea. Don’t waste money on a stupid hotel.”
She huffed out a breath. She was a proud and independent woman, but she was intelligent too. She’d realize what a great idea it was once she got over the shock of Ellen’s opening salvo.
“All right, but only temporarily,” she said with a sigh and a sniffle. “Zinny’ll be excited.”
He could picture that too. Zinny was going to jump up and down like she had pogo sticks instead of feet. She always looked unhappy when Dakota gathered up their things to go home at the end of the day. She loved Zeus and Gizmo—a fact he’d have to remember and capitalize on when the time came to really convince Dakota she should move into the suite above the garage.
She sighed heavily. “Okay, so I’d better get packing. Thank you, Cam. You’re a lifesaver. I was having a serious meltdown.”
He ended the call and texted Garth even though it was after business hours. You know any good family law attorneys? My housekeeper needs one.
Garth replied a few seconds later. Delicate question...do you need a straight family lawyer or someone who also has immigration experience?
Straight family.
Okay. I’ll get you the name tomorrow.
Thanks.
He put his phone in the little flap on his pants and stared out the window. Someone came to sit next to him. It was Yale Baxter. Baxter was one of the veterans on the team, calm and steady, on the ice and off. They’d been friends for a few years.
“You okay, buddy?” Yale asked.
“Yeah. Zinny’s grandmother basically declared war on Dakota.”
“I gathered as much. I heard the word lawyer, so it’s a custody thing?”
Cam nodded and told Yale the basics.
“So, thank God we’re flying back home tonight,” Cam said. “I’ll have all day tomorrow to help her figure out what to do.”
“Find a lawyer first,” Baxter said. “As good a one as she can afford.”
“I’m already on that. My agent knows some people.”
“Okay, good. If that doesn’t pan out, I know someone too.”
Cam only had a very hazy idea of Yale’s rocky home situation. He kept his private life pretty private.
“Thanks, man. Appreciate it.”
The bus merged onto the freeway as the atmosphere gradually settled back into something resembling normal. Some of the guys in the front started arguing over the Seahawks game the night before. Many were sipping coffee they’d snagged from the hotel before they left. The coach and the assistant were busy looking at their tablets.
“So…tell me to butt out if you want,” Yale said, “but I don’t want you to get caught in a bad situation. Considering all the shit going down about sexual misconduct these days, you need to be very, very careful about toeing the line with Dakota. I saw the picture, dude. She’s a pretty girl.”
“There’s nothing going on between us, unfortunately,” he added.
“Unfortunately?” The beginnings of a scowl wrinkled Yale’s forehead.
Cam sighed. “Yeah. I thought we could just be pals and that over time I’d forget how hot she is and think of her as my HPC.”
“Jesus,” Yale said. “Every day there’s another pop culture acronym I need to learn.”
“HPC isn’t pop culture. I just got tired of saying housekeeper-personal chef.”
“Oh, I get it.” Yale chuckled. “Okay, so you want to start something with her, a relationship?”
He may as well commit to something he’d known for a while now. “Yes.”
He had no idea when she’d become more to him than the hot cleaning lady, but she had. It had been a gradual thing, like back home in Saskatchewan when it would be winter for months, all ice and snow and frigid temps, and then degree by degree things began to warm up until one day, you noticed all the green shoots and buds popping out and “suddenly” it was spring.
It shouldn’t have come as a surprise. She was an amazing woman. She had sass and determination. She could cook like a mo-fo. She loved his dogs. Her sense of humor was both silly and sharp, and she was so sexy, he had to purposefully not think about her in that Walmart underwear or risk an embarrassing hard-on.
“You think you might go the distance? Get married?”
Cam almost laughed. “Shit, man. Slow down. I don’t know. Been there, done that, have the divorce papers to prove it.”
“How long ago was that again?”
Cam sighed. “Long enough so that I almost never think about it, but recently enough for me to be nervous about getting married again.”
He’d been young and so in love that he’d turned a blind eye to Morgan’s faults. Marrying her had been a disaster, and even though marriage was the furthest thing from his mind right now, he acknowledged that Dakota was nothing like Morgan. Nothing.
“So, you’re taking it slow. Good idea,” Yale said. “Because this is going to be tricky.”
“No shit.”
“If you start a relationship, you’re going to have to stop paying her or Grandma is going to have some actual evidence to back her claim.”
“Agreed. Which makes it even trickier. How do you tell a woman you want to take things to the next level, but oh, sorry, that means you don’t have a job anymore? It’s not like I can say, ‘Baby, you never have to work another day in your life because I’ll take care of you.’”
“Not if you want to live.”
“Right?” Cam said with a laugh.
“Okay, look. Your lady has all this other shit going down right now, so your timing’s not terrific. My advice, just lie low for a little while and keep the status quo. Let her figure out what’s going on with Zinny and all that, because you don’t need to add one more thing to her plate. She’s already got too much shit hitting the fan. Just be there for her as a friend and when the dust settles? That’s when you make your move. You’ll have already established yourself as a guy she can depend on and if she’s worth your time, she’ll realize that.”