A Game Changer Read online

  Except, I didn’t have the first goddamn clue.

  Emma

  I’d been waiting for an opening for work since the day I handed my application to the agency and they promised me that I would be contacted the following week. Two weeks later, I could practically see my phone collecting dust where it sat on the thrift store table I’d shoved against the farthest wall of my cramped apartment.

  When the agency finally called, I was beyond thrilled. It was a rush interview request, at the most extravagant hotel in Denver. I was too relieved to ask questions or even think twice. I immediately agreed, not even bothering to ask why the interview was at a hotel.

  I arrived ten minutes early, looking as presentable as my secondhand wardrobe could make me. I didn’t have money to buy myself new clothes, but I’d managed to scavenge a plain black sleeveless dress and topped it off with a gray cardigan. I braided my dark hair, applied a small amount of makeup on my face, and hoped that I could charm my employer enough to make them hire me.

  As directed, I went straight up to room 708 and I rang the buzzer next to the door. A moment later, the door swung open to reveal the most gorgeous man I’d ever laid eyes on.

  His dark hair was short and tousled—like he’d just rolled out of bed—and the scruff of beard on his chiseled jaw made me swallow hard. So did the way his black t-shirt stretched over his chest. His brown eyes bore into mine and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

  “Hello,” he said, his voice deep. Holy smokes, this guy.

  I blinked. “Hi. I’m Emma Smith.”

  Like a veil lifting, his eyes filled with clarity and his lips curled into a smile. He opened his door, beckoning me inside.

  I was hit by his masculine scent the moment I entered his hotel room. I looked around, noting how clean and neat it was, aside from the one suitcase with rumpled clothes thrown on top. I searched for toys or kid stuff but saw nothing. Nor did I see a woman’s things, leaving me to wonder where his wife or partner was.

  I frowned. For the first sixty seconds of a job interview, I already had too many questions.

  He cleared his throat and I turned around to find him sprawled on the bed, his chest bare and a sexy smirk on his face.

  My mouth almost dropped at the sight of my possible future boss looking like he was posing for a sexy calendar. And when did he lose the shirt?

  He chuckled and I knew it was mostly because I resembled a frightened animal. “Look, I don’t know how you found out I’m here in Denver. I don’t even know how you found my hotel room and I’m not sure whether or not I should be flattered or scared by your stalking skills, but I know why you came here.”

  For the interview.

  He knew about the interview so why did he look like he was ready to devour me? I couldn’t speak, completely stunned at what was going on. And stalking him? What was that about?

  He continued to speak. “But I’ll wrap my mind about that later. You came at the perfect time, so what the hell are you waiting for?”

  “What?”

  He laughed. He actually laughed. “Strip.”

  Did he just…

  “What?” I blurted out.

  He sat up and I could actually see the bulge forming in his pants. I looked away like my eyes were on fire, but he’d already seen me glance at it and he laughed even more. “Baby, I like role play on most days but today I just want a release.”

  Oh hell, no. Did this guy…? “Er, I think I might be in the wrong room.”

  His eyebrows shot up in surprise. “What are you talking about?”

  “I’m supposed to be here for an interview,” I said and then motioned to his—him. “Not… that.” As though ‘that’ could be conveyed with a flap of my hand.

  His eyes narrowed. “Interview for what?”

  I chewed on my bottom lip and replied, “I’m the nanny.”

  “Shit.” He got off the bed, held up a hand and said, “One moment.” He grabbed his phone and headed outside at the small balcony that his room offered.

  I just stood there, completely dumbfounded at what was going on. I was not the kind of girl that men came on to like that. I didn’t have bedroom eyes like this man did. I barely had living room eyes.

  After two minutes he came back, flushed and with his head bowed.

  “I’m so sorry,” he said. “I don’t know what came over me. Well, actually, I do, but I should’ve asked properly.”

  I looked down at my plain dress and worn purse, wondering what about me had prompted such an invitation. I thought I looked presentable, not... “It’s fine. I should’ve just said it the moment you opened your door.”

  “Could we have a do-over?” he asked. I nodded. He exhaled loudly and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m Zach Pennington.”

  I smiled and stuck out my hand for him to shake. “I’m Emma Smith and I’m the new nanny for your little girl.” I glanced around the sparse hotel room again. “Is she with her mom right now?”

  Something flashed in his eyes and he turned away. “Payton’s not here but we can go see her. Could you just give me five minutes to get ready? Have you eaten? You can order room service for breakfast. Anything you want.”

  He was nice when he wasn’t propositioning me, I had to give him that.

  I politely declined and sat on the couch as I waited for him to get ready. He was done in just a few minutes and he rushed me out of the room. “I’ll explain everything in the car.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “To the hospital,” he answered once the two of us were settled in his car.

  The hospital? Was his daughter a patient? I tried to sit on my confusion and curiosity and waited for him to explain.

  He looked at me and smiled apologetically. “I’m really sorry about earlier… Emma, right? Is it okay if I call you Emma?”

  “Sure.” With those lips he could call me anything he wanted, and I’d come.

  Zach Pennington had a charming blush, as well as dimples to die for. “I feel really bad about the whole, um, misunderstanding.”

  Presumably he meant the part where he expected me to jump on his lap—which would probably not feel bad at all. I shook my head. “It’s fine. So where is… Payton? With your wife?”

  “I don’t have a wife.”

  I wasn’t supposed to be happy with his answer. This sexy, gorgeous man didn’t have a wife. But then again, maybe Payton’s mother was his girlfriend or something like that. Still, the thought that he could be single woke up the butterflies in the pit of my stomach.

  “Payton’s my niece,” he began and my eyebrows rose in surprise. “Her parents…” He sighed. “My brother and sister-in-law died in a car accident on Sunday.”

  Holy moly.

  I wasn’t expecting that.

  Zach stopped the car at a red light and turned to me with a solemn look. He ran a hand through his wet hair, combing through it as he waited for me to reply.

  I swallowed hard. “Was she…?”

  “She was in the car with them, but she’s okay. Drunk driver. Car’s a total write-off. It’s a miracle that Payton’s okay.” He looked back at the now-green light and gave a bitter kind of chuckle. “Relatively speaking,” he added.

  My mind flashed back to when I was six and was in the car with my Dad. I’d loved driving with my father in his taxi, listening to music and reading street signs. It was just him and me, since my mother had died giving birth to me. Yeah, apparently that doesn’t just happen in old books.

  When he was killed by a fare, the community went into shock but it broke me. After that, my life was a series of foster homes until I aged out. The day you turn eighteen, something magical happens and you’re able to be an adult and fend for yourself.

  At least, that’s the theory.

  “—live in Florida,” Zach was saying, and I turned my attention back to him. “But I’m going to have to arrange to move here, now.” He winced, as though the idea was painful.

  “You’re taking custody of her?�
� I asked.

  “It was what they wanted.” He shrugged, but I doubted it was that easy to contemplate. “Something similar happened to us when we were younger. Dean was the one who practically raised me,” he said quietly. His eyes were fixed on the road but I could see the tears that he tried to keep at bay.

  “I’m sorry. Couldn’t you take her to Florida?” As soon as I said it I wanted to kick myself. Way to lose the job before you get it, Emma.

  “She needs to stay in her own home, around familiar things and people.”

  I nodded.

  “The problem is,” Zach said, his hands tightening on the steering wheel, “I don’t have a parental bone in my body and I’m always working, which is why I hired you.”

  The word ‘hired’ made my ears perk up. So did the word ‘bone’ but I focused on the job part of his statement. I straightened in my seat. “I’m hired? But you haven’t asked me any questions.”

  “You seem nice,” he said with a small smile. “Like the kind of woman that Maggie would have approved of. My assistant says that the agency is top notch and has the best people, and I’m paying them a small fortune, so…”

  His assistant? This man was so confusing. One minute it was like he wanted to hold his niece like she was a crystal flower and the next minute he was delegating everything, as though she were a temporary inconvenience.

  “I see,” I said slowly, unsure how I felt about this.

  “Also, I really am sorry about earlier, so I thought it’d be better to skip the formal interview and just hire you on the spot.”

  “Oh. Okay. Thanks?”

  He glanced over at me. “That is, if you still want the job?”

  “Yes!”

  “Okay, then.” A smile tugged at his mouth.

  “Okay, then!” I almost hugged him but refrained from doing so, immediately remembering that he was my boss and that it was completely unprofessional. “Oh my gosh, thank you so much. I’m going to love that kid like my own.”

  His eyebrows rose as he stopped again for a red light. “You haven’t even met her yet. You might change your mind.”

  “I’m good with kids.”

  “Good quality for a nanny,” Zach said with a chuckle.

  I didn’t think that Payton would be a tough kid. She was going through a lot of hard emotions right now, but I felt fairly confident that I could help her since I went through it too. “Nah, I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

  Zach quirked a smile. “Confident. I like it. Oh, do you mind if we make a quick stop? I promised to get Payton a teddy bear last night, and the ones at the hospital gift shop suck.”

  Awww. “Not at all.”

  I bit my lip to stop myself from smiling. My lips kept curving up in spite of my efforts as we parked at a big box store and headed inside.

  “What’s she like?” I asked as Zach scoured the toy section for a very particular bear.

  He shrugged. “Cute. Smart. Beautiful. She’s the sweetest kid I’ve ever met, but my opinion might be biased since I’m her uncle. Plus, I’m not exactly around a lot of kids.”

  He kept going on and on about how amazing Payton was and as he did, my interest in meeting the little girl continued to build. By the time we finally arrived at the hospital, I was nearly giddy with excitement.

  I wasn’t the only one, though.

  It was impossible not to notice how everyone greeted Zach. Blushes and coy smiles from women and broad grins and high fives from the guys. A few people stopped him for a picture, to which he surrendered without protest.

  Was he a celebrity?

  From bits and pieces of conversations he had with people, I came to conclude that Zach must be some kind of professional athlete. The questions were piling up in my mind, but they would have to wait until later.

  He stopped at a door and turned to me, his face almost entirely covered by the giant teddy bear. “I’m not sure how she is right now,” he said to me from behind the bear’s head. “Anderson’s already here and he texted me that Payton hasn’t been talking. She’s upset, so I’m not totally sure how to tell her that I got her a nanny.”

  “Let me do my magic then,” I said, trying to sound self-assured. Assuring.

  He paused for a moment as he looked at me carefully. Whatever he was searching for in my face, he found. The butterflies rose in my belly again.

  “Okay,” he said, then opened the door and stepped inside. “Hi sweets, look what I got you.”

  When I stepped into the room, I saw a little girl almost swallowed up by the huge hospital bed. She looked small and weak and looked like she just woke up crying. My heart broke at the sight of her and I watched as Zach moved closer and handed her the bear.

  She reached out to touch it, and as her little fingers smoothed over the fake fur her eyes welled up.

  “Daddy told me he’d get me a big bear for my birthday,” Payton said softly and then broke down crying.

  Zach stood in front of her, completely speechless. He obviously had no clue how to comfort the little girl.

  Show time for Mary Poppins.

  I moved forward and pushed him aside gently. I sat on the bed and touched Payton’s shoulder. “Hi, Payton.”

  She looked up, her big brown eyes brimming with tears. “Who are you?”

  “My name’s Emma,” I said softly and I touched the big bear beside her, “Did your uncle get this for you? Wow, it’s so pretty.”

  “Daddy was supposed to get it for me.” Her tone was forlorn, not sullen.

  “Your daddy told your uncle, I’m sure.”

  “I’d rather have Daddy here than this bear.”

  For a moment I was surprised that the pieces of my heart made no sound as they shattered on the linoleum floor. I reached out and pulled her in my arms for a careful hug. I didn’t want to overwhelm her, but the compulsion to hold her was impossible to overcome.

  “I’m sure he’d rather be here in person, too. But your daddy’s still here, sweetheart. So is your mommy. They’re in your heart, aren’t they?”

  “But I’m never gonna see them, ever again.”

  “Every time you think of them, they’re with you. Did your Mom and Dad ever tell you what you were made of?”

  Her lip trembled. “Sugar and spice and something nice?”

  Zach gave a strangled laugh behind me. “No, sweets.”

  “Half of you is your mom and half of you is your dad. So you see, they’ll never leave you.”

  “Which part is me, then?”

  “All of you,” I said.

  Payton frowned.

  “Do you like Oreos?” I asked. Rhetorical question, right? “Well, you’re like the cream in the middle of an Oreo. The cookie can’t exist without you holding the other parts together.”

  She nodded, as if my weird analogy made sense. Thank god.

  I pulled away from her slightly and reached for a tissue on the little hospital tray table. “Now, I hate to see that pretty face crying. Your mommy and daddy would hate to see you sad.”

  “Then they shouldn’t have died!” She sniffled with a giant snorking sound and glared at me. “They… broke my cookie!”

  “Aw, hell,” Zach mumbled. “You’re killing me, smalls.”

  “Sometimes things happen that we don’t want to, but that doesn’t mean that we meant for it to happen,” I began to explain, repeating the words one of my foster parents once told me when I had broken down in their house when I was younger. “And that doesn’t mean that our lives are gonna stop because it happened.”

  I pointed at Zach. “You still have your uncle. There are some who have none. I didn’t have an uncle.”

  Payton looked at me with pity. Her sobs had turned into sniffles as she snuggled closer to me. “Who are you again? I forgot.”

  “I’m Emma,” I told her and kissed the top of her head, “And I’ll be helping your uncle take care of you.”

  She nodded her head as she hugged me tightly. “I don’t think Uncle Zach would do a good job taking care
of me by himself,” she whispered confidentially in my ear.

  I giggled and turned to Zach, who had sank on a chair and looked at us incredulously. I played with Payton for a while until Zach stood up and motioned for me to go outside with him. I turned back to Payton and told her that I’d be back soon; there was just something I had to discuss with her uncle.

  “So, what do you think?” Zach asked as we took a seat in the waiting room.

  “What do you mean?”

  He shrugged. “Payton.”

  “She’s wonderful.”

  “You were great with her earlier. Knew the right words.”

  I smiled and looked away. “Let’s just say I had someone say something similar to me.”

  “You were an orphan?”

  “Were?” I tamped down the acid tone of my laugh as I looked into Zach’s warm brown eyes. “It’s not really something you grow out of. Yes, I’m still an orphan. I only had my Dad and after he died I went into care. I wasn’t lying when I said I didn’t have an uncle, or anyone else who could take me. Payton’s lucky to have you.”

  “Is that why you wanted to be a nanny?” He looked genuinely interested.

  I sighed. “To be honest, I wasn’t expecting to nanny an orphaned girl. But I guess the reason I fell into this situation is because I know how to handle her.”

  “So, you’re okay with all of this?” Zach asked, his eyes turning serious. “Because I really need your help with her. When the season starts I’ll be all over the place, not to mention training. I can’t squeeze taking care of a child into my schedule.”

  His words took me aback. Just when I thought he honestly cared about his niece, she didn’t compare to his job with balls or sticks or whatever the hell he did. Though I suddenly rankled with resentment, I had to push it down.

  Payton needed someone to take care of her the way a parent could. I might not be her mother, but I knew what it was like to need a parental figure. It would be better as a team effort, though I got the feeling already that I wouldn’t be able to depend on Zach for bedtime stories and cutting up dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets.