Read Online Hip Check (New York Blades) by Deirdre Martin - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Deirdre Martin
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extending his hand to both Hannah and Michelle to shake. “I’m David.”
“I was just telling Michelle and Hannah all about you,” Marcus said, flashing a charming smile.
“Good things, I hope.”
“Only good things.” Marcus regarded Hannah and Michelle. “Hannah is a personal chef for a nightmare couple, and Michelle is the nanny for a little orphaned girl who’s being neglected by her rich uncle.”
“Marcus!” Michelle said sharply. She shook her head at David as if to say,
That Marcus—you know what he’s like.
“Her uncle is a professional athlete who knows nothing about kids in general, never mind an eight-year-old girl.”
“You live in?” David asked.
“Yeah. You?”
“With a baby? Yeah.” He looked down at the “blob of cotton candy” in the stroller fondly. “This is Abby.”
“She’s a cutie,” said Hannah.
“She is, but she’s starting to teethe, so I’m bracing myself for some tears.”
“Sounds like you’ve done this before,” Michelle noted.
“I have.”
“How’d you get into it?”
“HEL-LO, other people here,” Marcus huffed, waving a hand in front of Michelle’s face. “Other people who already know this information.”
David appeared not to hear him. “Lost my job in construction. My brother and sister-in-law needed someone to watch their baby, and I volunteered to do it. I wound up really loving it. So here I am.”
“Yes, here you are,” Marcus said sweetly before turning to Michelle with a glare. Michelle glared back. Geez! She was just being friendly with the guy.
“There’s a group of nannies and their toddlers who meet Thursday mornings at the playground at Eighty-third and Riverside,” Michelle continued. “You should check it out. Best gossip in town.”
David laughed. “I will. Thanks.” He crouched down to check out Abby. She was drooling. He pulled a cloth out of a baby bag, and gently wiped her mouth. “Yup. Teething definitely on the way.”
There was something sweet about a man tending so carefully to a baby, whether it was his job or not. Michelle was seeing more and more mannies these days. She wondered how he was with older kids.
“Well, it was nice meeting you,” David said. “I really need to get home and put her down for her morning nap.”
“I hate that expression, ‘put her down,’” Marcus murmured to Michelle with a shudder. “It sounds like you’re putting a dog to sleep.” He turned on a bright smile for David. “It was lovely seeing you again. Hopefully I—we’ll run into you again soon.”
David smiled. “That’d be great.” He waved good-bye and strolled away with Abby.
“Isn’t he a doll?” Marcus sighed.
“He does seem sweet,” Hannah concurred. “Are you going to ask him out?”
“Maybe. Maybe not. We’ll just have to see how it goes.”
9
“Yo, Saari: you
haven’t said dick about the new nanny. What gives?”
Esa was sitting at a table at the Wild Hart pub with the usual Rat Pack of teammates: the Mitchell twins, Rory, David, and Ulfie. Tully Webster had passed on the invite, saying he needed to get home because one of his kids had a bad head cold, and his wife needed him to help out. He stared pointedly at Esa as he said it. Esa stared back until Tully broke eye contact. What the fuck? Esa had thought. As if he wouldn’t do anything if Nell were sick?
Esa downed some Guinness. “What do you want to know?”
“Is she hot?”
Jason shook his head. “I knew that was the first question you’d ask, man. You’re so predictable.”
Esa thought a moment. “I wouldn’t say she’s hot. She’s cute.”
“Cute can be hot,” Ulf persisted. “What’s her name?”
Esa was irritated. He wanted to hang out, not talk about Nell’s nanny. “Her name’s Michelle, and I haven’t really noticed if she’s ‘cute hot.’ I’ve just been trying to let her do her thing. Stay out of her way.”
“I had a dog named Michelle once,” Ulf volunteered.
Eric stared at him in
“I was just telling Michelle and Hannah all about you,” Marcus said, flashing a charming smile.
“Good things, I hope.”
“Only good things.” Marcus regarded Hannah and Michelle. “Hannah is a personal chef for a nightmare couple, and Michelle is the nanny for a little orphaned girl who’s being neglected by her rich uncle.”
“Marcus!” Michelle said sharply. She shook her head at David as if to say,
That Marcus—you know what he’s like.
“Her uncle is a professional athlete who knows nothing about kids in general, never mind an eight-year-old girl.”
“You live in?” David asked.
“Yeah. You?”
“With a baby? Yeah.” He looked down at the “blob of cotton candy” in the stroller fondly. “This is Abby.”
“She’s a cutie,” said Hannah.
“She is, but she’s starting to teethe, so I’m bracing myself for some tears.”
“Sounds like you’ve done this before,” Michelle noted.
“I have.”
“How’d you get into it?”
“HEL-LO, other people here,” Marcus huffed, waving a hand in front of Michelle’s face. “Other people who already know this information.”
David appeared not to hear him. “Lost my job in construction. My brother and sister-in-law needed someone to watch their baby, and I volunteered to do it. I wound up really loving it. So here I am.”
“Yes, here you are,” Marcus said sweetly before turning to Michelle with a glare. Michelle glared back. Geez! She was just being friendly with the guy.
“There’s a group of nannies and their toddlers who meet Thursday mornings at the playground at Eighty-third and Riverside,” Michelle continued. “You should check it out. Best gossip in town.”
David laughed. “I will. Thanks.” He crouched down to check out Abby. She was drooling. He pulled a cloth out of a baby bag, and gently wiped her mouth. “Yup. Teething definitely on the way.”
There was something sweet about a man tending so carefully to a baby, whether it was his job or not. Michelle was seeing more and more mannies these days. She wondered how he was with older kids.
“Well, it was nice meeting you,” David said. “I really need to get home and put her down for her morning nap.”
“I hate that expression, ‘put her down,’” Marcus murmured to Michelle with a shudder. “It sounds like you’re putting a dog to sleep.” He turned on a bright smile for David. “It was lovely seeing you again. Hopefully I—we’ll run into you again soon.”
David smiled. “That’d be great.” He waved good-bye and strolled away with Abby.
“Isn’t he a doll?” Marcus sighed.
“He does seem sweet,” Hannah concurred. “Are you going to ask him out?”
“Maybe. Maybe not. We’ll just have to see how it goes.”
9
“Yo, Saari: you
haven’t said dick about the new nanny. What gives?”
Esa was sitting at a table at the Wild Hart pub with the usual Rat Pack of teammates: the Mitchell twins, Rory, David, and Ulfie. Tully Webster had passed on the invite, saying he needed to get home because one of his kids had a bad head cold, and his wife needed him to help out. He stared pointedly at Esa as he said it. Esa stared back until Tully broke eye contact. What the fuck? Esa had thought. As if he wouldn’t do anything if Nell were sick?
Esa downed some Guinness. “What do you want to know?”
“Is she hot?”
Jason shook his head. “I knew that was the first question you’d ask, man. You’re so predictable.”
Esa thought a moment. “I wouldn’t say she’s hot. She’s cute.”
“Cute can be hot,” Ulf persisted. “What’s her name?”
Esa was irritated. He wanted to hang out, not talk about Nell’s nanny. “Her name’s Michelle, and I haven’t really noticed if she’s ‘cute hot.’ I’ve just been trying to let her do her thing. Stay out of her way.”
“I had a dog named Michelle once,” Ulf volunteered.
Eric stared at him in
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