Chapter 10

Chapter

Ten

Ryan looked up as the three women stopped in front of him, and Boyd stepped back to make room, his eyebrows raised.

"You know Aelin," Rhonda stated.

Sean and Country's conversation fizzled faster than wet Pop Rocks.

Ryan straightened, his hand still on his glass. "I do. Hello." He needed to just look at the puck. It wasn't a crime to notice, and if he was going to survive the summer, he needed to stop acting like a deer in headlights every time she entered his field of view.

Aelin nodded. "Hello." Her cheeks were rosy, but she'd just been on the dance floor.

Ryan stopped letting his eyes slide past her. When she lifted her chin, he met her gaze head-on. A soft puff of air left her lips.

"Your kids go to school together?" Rhonda prodded.

Ryan cleared his throat. Might as well get it out in the open. "Right. They're both in grade four at Meadowbrook. My plan for childcare this summer fell through. She's nannying Amaya this summer."

Boyd coughed as if he'd just choked on his beer. When he finally composed himself, he shot a look across the table that Ryan ignored.

"That's in my spank bank." André took a long swig and finished his glass.

"Your what?" The woman next to Aelin frowned.

André leaned over the table, but Kelty cut him off. "He's saying it's his secret fantasy. To sleep with his nanny. Which he doesn't have because he's not in a relationship and doesn't have kids."

André looked wounded. "I have a dog. They have dog nannies."

Boyd laughed. "Not as hot. She has to be at your house late at night, like, "Oh, I just put the kids to bed, I didn't know you were back from that meeting?—""

Rhonda smacked his shoulder. "This is their real life. You realize that, right?"

Boyd scoffed. "I was kidding!"

André leaned into Aelin. "Serious question. Did you have a third party conduct the background checks, or did you check each other's backgrounds?—"

Rhonda let out an exasperated sigh. "This is your best behaviour? So disappointing." She motioned for Aelin and her friend to go back to the dance floor.

As soon as they were gone, Country grinned like a Cheshire cat. "Not sure how you forgot to mention that on the entire drive over."

Ryan shrugged. "Didn't seem notable."

Country shook his head, seeing right through his bullshit. "Okay. Not notable. Got it."

Ryan tapped his fingers on the table. "We only finalized things earlier this morning."

"In person?" André asked matter-of-factly.

"Over email."

André nodded. "So are you going to sit here the rest of the night and pretend your new nanny isn't a total smoke show? That it never once occurred to you?—"

"I'm not blind." Ryan tipped his glass and sipped the dregs.

André let out a relieved sigh, putting a hand on his heart. "You worried me for a second. I thought we weren't going to be able to talk about it."

Ryan held out his hands. "There's nothing to talk about."

Polk snickered. "Right. You, the guy who hasn't gone on a date in three years, is spending the entire summer with a Jennifer Aniston doppelganger and there's nothing to talk about."

Ryan shot him a look. "Can you not?"

Polk held up his hands. "Hey, I'm just saying. If I had a nanny like that, I'd be working from home a hell of a lot more often."

Country laughed. "You already do work from home."

"It's a euphemism." André grinned. "He has to bale hay and chill."

Ryan raised a hand to the server making rounds and ordered another beer. "How long do you think ‘til this is out of your systems?"

Sean grunted. "This one's going to have a long half-life. Settle in."

Ryan fingers tightened around his empty glass, the condensation slicking his palm. He glanced over to the dance floor to see Jenna and Kelty had joined the others. They laughed and danced, carefully staying in their group so there wasn't room for the men who circled them like piranhas to cut in.

The Dusty Rose was packed, and yet he had zero problem finding Aelin in the crowd. She spun, her hair fanning out around her, and Ryan swallowed hard.

André forced him out to the floor to line dance. He normally would've put up more of a fuss. Kara always wanted to go dancing, and he'd never made the time. It felt wrong to do it now without her. But this was a matter of survival. The momentary guilt was easier to handle than the looks he got anytime Aelin raised her arms over her head and shook her hips.

When he got back to the tables, the girls were doing a second round of shots. He tried to notice anything other than the way Aelin's lips glistened in the lights or how her skin was dewy from dancing.

He successfully avoided her until an hour later when he walked out of the washroom.

"Ryan!"

He turned and found Aelin resting against the rail next to the bar. She waved, and the alcohol in his system convinced him he didn't want to be rude. He walked over to her. "Having a good night?"

She nodded, her smile loose and relaxed as she leaned in to make her voice heard over the music. "Just waiting for Rhonda and Megan."

"In the washroom?"

"Yep. Wardrobe malfunction."

He wasn't totally sure what that meant, but he smiled. "I'm surprised you haven't been accosted yet."

She gave an amused grin. "By who?"

"Every guy in here. They've been staring at you all night."

Aelin rolled her eyes. "Not true." Her shoulders curled, making shadows shift over her collarbone and a gap form along the top line of her shirt. Ryan tried to keep his eyes up and failed.

Aelin sighed. "I don't care about guys anyway."

"No?" He wet his lips.

"This isn't really my scene." She swayed and put a hand on his chest to steady herself.

Ryan was like a light that had just been clapped on.

Aelin's eyes widened, and she snapped her hand back so fast, she almost slapped the railing behind her. "I shouldn't have touched you."

"It's fine?— "

"No, it's not fine. Now I'm going to think about it." She scrunched up her face.

Ryan's heart beat like a bass drum. She was going to think about it? His brain laser-focused like he'd just slammed a Red Bull. How was she going to think about it? What was she going to think about it?

Aelin exhaled. "I already think about you with that toolbox and the time I saw you on the couch."

Ryan's brow furrowed. The couch? He'd never been on the couch at her place. "When was that?" he asked, hoping it wouldn't stem the flow of deeply intriguing information.

Aelin rolled her eyes. "I was spying on you. Not on purpose, I would never do that on purpose."

"Right."

"The tablet was still on after Bailey went to bed, and you were sitting on the couch with your—" she motioned to his chest. " All of that out , and now I see it all the time. Especially when I open my garage."

She was a talkative drunk, and he was going to lose his damn mind. She'd been watching him over video chat? He was about to drag her off into a corner and ask her what she thought about the first time they met or when they talked at the choir concert. He was hanging on to his last thread of self-control when Rhonda and Megan appeared next to them.

"Hey, there." Rhonda's eyes narrowed. She put a hand on Aelin's shoulder. "You good?"

Aelin beamed up at her. "So good. Ryan's here. He's still not smiling though. Did you know he only smiles when he's watching Amaya?" She lifted a hand and pressed it against his cheek. "He's so serious all the time. Maybe sad?"

"Ooookay, I think it's time to go." Megan shot Ryan an apologetic look. "This is my fault. I wanted her to have a good time and forgot she's a lightweight."

"It's fine." Ryan's cheek burned where she'd touched it. Megan and Rhonda led Aelin to the door, and his head was a rock tumbler, spinning her words until they shone.

He's so serious all the time. Maybe sad?

"Hey," Polk stalked toward him. "Jenna's ready to head out."

Ryan nodded and walked back to the table to pay his tab.

Now I see it all the time. Especially when I open my garage.

Each sentence was like an oasis. A hit of pure euphoria. How long had it been since he'd heard a woman was thinking about him? Of course he noticed women looking in his direction or the small flirtations at the pub after games or on nights out, but he'd perfected the art of looking not interested. Women didn't make advances when he refused to make eye contact or didn't smile when they made a bid. It was second nature for him to shut things down before they even started.

He'd done all of that with Aelin, and somehow she'd still noticed him. Thought about him. The sheer desperation it brought out in him sent adrenaline surging through him.

The ride home was uneventful. Polk and Country were half asleep, and Jenna was listening to a sports commentator. By the time they got to the house, Ryan only needed another twenty minutes to fully sober up.

He used the washroom and rested on the couch until his alarm went off, then got in the car and drove home.

_____

His head felt thick when he answered the door to Laura, Russ, and Amaya on the doorstep at eleven.

"Morning, Dad!" Amaya threw her arms around him. Was she always this loud?

"Morning, babe."

Amaya dropped her bag on the floor, slipped off her shoes, and ran into the house. Probably straight for her tablet. He ignored the thought that he should check if Aelin was somewhere behind the camera.

"How did it go?" he asked.

Laura beamed at him. "We all had a lovely time. She's such an amazing girl. You're doing a great job, Ryan."

The compliment settled into him in layers, and he read the subtext. We see you're doing this by yourself. We were afraid not having Kara would ruin her. We lost our daughter, but at least we have her.

Laura glanced over at the manila envelope sitting on the counter. Ryan pulled the door a little closer to his shoulder.

"Did you have a good time last night?" Russ asked, noting his sweatpants and T-shirt.

Ryan nodded. "Yep. Great."

He gave an approving smile. "Two weeks?" He stepped closer and put out a hand.

Ryan shook it, then gave Laura a hug. "See you soon. Love you."

"Love you." Laura waved, and the two of them walked back to the car.

Ryan had barely closed the door when Amaya burst into the hall. "Dad! Can Bailey and I have a sleepover tonight?"

He blinked. "You're going to her house first thing in the morning. Tomorrow's the first day of summer break."

Now I see it all the time. Especially when I open my garage. Ryan dragged a hand through his hair.

Amaya's shoulders slumped. "I know, but if I went over there, you wouldn't have to get up so early, and then the start of summer would be reeeally special." Her eyes grew to the size of an anime kitten.

"I thought we were going to watch a movie?" His phone buzzed on the kitchen table, and he reached for it.

"Bailey's mom says it's okay with her if it's okay with you." She bounced on her toes .

Ryan read Marc's message on his screen.

Emergency. Look at the soil contamination report ASAP

Ryan swore under his breath and opened his email. Soil contamination? What were the chances?

"Dad . . ." Amaya whined.

He scanned the beginning of the report.

Incident Summary

On June 22nd, 2024, during the early excavation phase of the Downtown Parking Garage project, the construction crew encountered unexpected environmental contamination in the form of chemically contaminated soil. The soil appeared discoloured, emitted a strong chemical odour, and preliminary on-site tests revealed elevated levels of hydrocarbons and heavy metals, indicating potential contamination from previous industrial activity on the site.

Details of Discovery

Time of Discovery : 10:45 AM, June 22, 2024

Excavation Depth : 6 feet below ground surface

Area Affected : Approx. 50 square meters in the northeast quadrant of the project site

Initial testing was conducted using a portable gas analyzer, and soil samples were sent to a laboratory for further testing. Results confirmed that the contamination consists of the following:

Hydrocarbons (e.g., benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene)

Heavy Metals (e.g., lead, arsenic )

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) at levels exceeding threshold limits.

Well, shit.

That was going to set back their timeline.

"Okay." He nodded at Amaya, and she jumped up and down. Ryan flipped to his phone contacts. He found Aelin's number and dialled.

He opted not to explain the entire situation and instead just let the girls do the work. Bailey was working on her mom just as hard, and it didn't take much convincing. Unfortunately, hearing Aelin's voice brought back every minute of their time at the Dusty Rose.

Was she thinking about him with his shirt off right then?

Without the alcohol clouding his head and rerouting his blood south, the idea of her looking at him—wanting him even a little bit—made him feel like he'd just been hit with a taser. He couldn't allow his head to take off in that direction. It wasn't fair to Kara or Amaya, and he was going to be seeing Aelin all summer.

He needed to backpedal whatever had happened that weekend to the safety of a professional relationship. She was his employee.

"Dad, I'm getting in the car!" The door slammed as Amaya disappeared into the garage.

Countdown to trial run: fourteen minutes.