Misadventures with a Manny Read online

  Especially since Phillip was waiting.

  “Charlie is quiet today.”

  Phillip inhales deeply as he takes a long pull of a soda. “Yeah, it’s been like that a lot. He has his outbursts, but there are days when he doesn’t talk at all. But then he’ll be cool. It’s stressing Vera out, which stresses Riana out, and well, you know how that all stresses me out.”

  I smile. Phillip is a damn good man. “I’m gonna try to talk to him when we get home.”

  “Good.” He then looks over at me. “It seems to get worse when it’s almost time to go to his dad’s for the weekend. I told Vera I didn’t like this setup.”

  “Yeah. When does she get downtime with them?”

  “Exactly. It’s dumb.”

  “Does Charlie not like it there?”

  “I think he loves his dad, but he’s still angry. The boys tell me that he goes over there and just plays video games, doesn’t really talk to anyone. Not even the boys.”

  “Man, that sucks.”

  “It does. He’ll be okay, though. I’m okay.”

  I scoff. “After four years of binge drinking and eating.”

  Phillip pats his flat stomach. He was really overweight when we graduated, but when he met Riana, he went on a diet, and now he thinks he is hot shit. Never does thank me for all the work I put in his ass. “But now, I’m sexy.”

  I roll my eyes as I lean back, threading my fingers behind my head as I look out to the fields. The twins are on one field while Charlie is on another. It’s worked out great. I can sit in the middle and watch both practices. I am finding that though Elliot is quiet, that boy could take out a grown man, and Louis is quick and has a sick wrist shot. Charlie is the whole package, though. He reminds me of myself, knocking dudes out and scoring with ease.

  It is fun to watch.

  But it reminds me of the Ellenton kids.

  Man, I miss them.

  Clearing my throat, I ask, “How long do you think she’ll keep me on?”

  Phillip sits up. “Vera? I’m not sure, but I suspect until Charlie is old enough to drive and is doing it well enough to care for the twins.”

  So maybe three years.

  Three years of not only falling in love with another family but yearning for Vera.

  Yeah, that won’t be hard at all.

  “I’ll need to keep my feelings shut down.”

  Phillip’s brows furrow together. “Huh?”

  “I don’t want to get attached to them and then be left behind.”

  He slowly nods, though his eyes are on the field. “I hear you. I still think you should get into teaching. Maybe part-time, as an aide or something to get your foot in the door. You could do that now so that when this is over, you teach full-time.”

  “I thought about doing that, but my sister asked me to help with her baby during the day so she can work. I told her I would.”

  He shakes his head. “Jenny would understand if you need to get a second job.”

  “I know, but I want to help with the baby.”

  “And you’re hoping that this gig might go full-time.”

  I shrug. “Maybe. I mean, it wouldn’t be awful if it did. I like the boys.”

  “They’re good kids, but I really don’t think, despite how Riana feels, that Vera will pull them. Simon is a piece of work. He wants them at the same school he went to.”

  “I understand that, but I want to keep my options open.”

  “Do you, man?” he asks, his eyes wild with annoyance. “Just don’t be surprised when I say, ‘I told you so.’”

  “Oh, you will. First chance you get.”

  “You know it,” he says, sending me a grin, and I laugh. “But really, I can’t thank you enough for helping us out with Vera and the boys.”

  “It’s not helping you guys out. I’m getting paid.”

  “Yeah, but I know how particular you are about families you work for, and they don’t meet your standard.”

  He’s right. I usually work with families that have young kids so I can grow with them. Long-term commitment, rather than bouncing from job to job. But this family is different. I knew Charlie and the twins well enough before, and I enjoy them. It doesn’t hurt that Vera is really nice to look at. My dating game has taken a back seat to my families the last few years, but something about Vera just makes me want to be close to her. I get the feeling she’s strong—stronger than her broken marriage portrays her. And she wants to succeed in parenting as much as she has in her job. I know I can help her with that. It’s one of the things I want for them. For me too. She loves her boys. She loves being a mom, and she wants them to be happy. I want to help make them all happy, which is why I took this job. That means I need to ignore the raging hard-on that comes whenever Vera walks into a room.

  It’s been a really long time since a woman has had me wrung this tightly, and I blame it on the fact that Vera has this air about her that suffocates me but also reminds me that she isn’t looking for anything. I don’t see a position on Vera’s team as a lover. Or anything, for that matter. She is busy with her kids and her job. She has no time for anything else, and I can’t blame her.

  I’m just her manny.

  “True, but the first day is going well.”

  He scoffs. “Well, let’s see if that changes when Simon gets here.”

  A light bulb goes off with the reminder of Vera’s ex. “That’s why you’re here. You know I can handle a jerk-ass ex.”

  Phillip laughs as he nods. “I don’t doubt that, but I wanted to be here for a buffer. Vera didn’t tell him about you yet.”

  My brow quirks. “Why?”

  “Apparently, and don’t tell her I told you this, he wants the boys for the spring break she’s scheduled to have them and some other shit. Riana told me their call this morning ended with him calling her a bitch and before she could tell him she hired a manny.”

  Rage fills me within seconds. “Bastard.”

  Phillip nods. “That he is, so she wouldn’t call him back.”

  “Understandable.”

  “Yeah,” he agrees.

  Just as I look up, Charlie is running toward me, pulling off his helmet. I hand him his water bottle.

  “Thanks,” he says between taking in deep breaths.

  “You look great out there,” I say, gesturing out at the field. “Keep low, though, when the defense is coming for you.”

  He nods, downing most of the bottle. “I keep getting cut off when I cut left.”

  “Then cut right,” I say, moving my hands that direction. “Keep them on their toes. You can’t always cut left.”

  “It’s my strong side.”

  “I get that, but if you can go both ways, you’ll be an all-around player. Cut right, shoot left, and go bottom right corner if you can.”

  He slowly nods and then smiles, as if it just dawned on him. “I’ll try that.”

  I smack his thigh. “Attaboy. Go kick some ass.”

  Charlie grins before handing the bottle back to me, and then he runs off while pulling his helmet back on.

  I put the water bottle down, and Phillip eyes me.

  “That’s the most I’ve heard him talk in a while.”

  “Just gotta know how to reach kids. You’ll learn it with yours coming.”

  He scoffs, shaking his head. “Don’t remind me, I’m still shaking in my boots.”

  “You’ll be great.”

  “Maybe I can just hire you to teach me your ways.”

  “Ha. You can’t afford me,” I tease.

  As his laughter dies off, my attention turns to the twins. They are running up the field, and I laugh when I see they’re on the same line together. “Oh, they messed up putting those two together.”

  Phillip laughs. “Oh, yeah. I wonder why they’re just now doing that?”

  “I’m not sure, but I like it!”

  Phillip nods as he scoots to the edge of his seat, and I do the same, resting my elbows on my knees as the boys rush up the field. Ell