Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

Niko

"As you can see from my client's impeccable record-keeping, he was denied scheduled visitation on numerous occasions, and other visitations were cut short by Ms. Drugov without proper notice–or any plausible reason." Jane points her glare Peyton's way.

My lawyer plays the part of Doberman Pinscher very convincingly, and it has my confidence growing as the hearing progresses. My nerves were a mess until the moment I laid eyes on Chloe on the courthouse steps outside. Something about her manner did the impossible and calmed my anxiety. I still cannot believe she has agreed to help me. I will need to find a replacement as soon as possible so as not to put her out any more than is necessary.

"Your Honor," Peyton's lawyer interrupts. "Conflicts sometimes arise. That is part of life with a young child. There is nothing malicious or underhanded going on here. Synching the schedules of three people, especially when one of them travels for work on a weekly basis, is inherently difficult."

"Okay. Enough." Judge Lopez looks up from the detailed document Jane and I put together and raises a hand before turning his gaze my way. "Mr. Drugov, your job does require a good amount of travel, correct?"

Before I can answer, Jane interjects, "Plenty of parents travel for work. In fact, it's this very job that has provided both Ms. Drugov and Ayana with the lifestyle they both enjoy. It hardly seems fair to punish a man for making a living."

The judge extends his hand again. "Yes, I understand."

"Your Honor," I say, unable to remain silent. "This coming season will be my last before I retire. It is October through May or June. Yes, I do travel during that time, but I am in town more than out of it—and I hardly have a job at all in the offseason. I have hired a nanny for any time I cannot be with Ayana. All I want is my share of time with my precious daughter."

"I propose we keep things as they are and we can revisit next summer if Mr. Drugov does, in fact, retire," Peyton's lawyer demands.

"That is preposterous," Jane bites out. "Ms. Drugov has a job as well, yet she isn't being denied time with Ayana. It is not in the best interests of the child to be kept from a father who adores her and is perfectly capable of taking care of her."

When Peyton's lawyer attempts a rebuttal this time, Judge Lopez cuts him off before turning his attention back to Jane. "I tend to agree with you, Ms. Ashford. Now, may I see some documentation on this nanny?"

"Of course," Jane responds, unable to hide the hint of satisfaction in her tone as she sifts through her stack of folders to find the documentation Chloe sent last night. "And we can do better than that. She is here in the courtroom today."

I turn to see Chloe rise to her feet behind me. She looks like a perfect combination of business mogul and elementary school teacher, even if I prefer seeing her in tight dresses that show off her figure.

"Your name?" the judge asks, and I turn back around to avoid making Chloe nervous. I did not need to bother, though.

"I'm Chloe Cooper," she says in a friendly, confident voice. "I am a semi-retired third-grade teacher turned children's hockey coach with over fifteen years of experience with young children," she says as Jane approaches the bench with Chloe's records. "My schedule is extremely flexible, and, as you can see, I am current on all my CPR and first aid certifications. I love kids, and I'm very much looking forward to caring for Ayana when her father is working."

"I see." Judge Lopez scans the papers before him.

I glance over at Peyton's table to see her sending daggers my way. She needs to grow up; it is that simple. She jabs her lawyer with an elbow and he leaps to his feet.

"Your Honor, we were not notified of this...nanny person. Why should my client's child be cared for by some stranger while Ms. Drugov is perfectly able to care for her?"

Jane stands up as well. "Ms. Drugov gets plenty of time with Ayana—more than is stipulated by the current custody order, in fact. And of course, it makes sense to arrange schedules so that childcare is needed as little as possible. But everyone in this situation has lives and jobs. Childcare is necessary at some point in every working parent's life. And Ms. Cooper is more than qualified to fill in on those occasions."

Now Peyton jumps to her feet, and I notice she's wearing a boxy suit that resembles not one other piece of clothing in her closet. She is even wearing reading glasses. "Your Honor, Ayana is all I have. Niko hardly even knows her." She dips a finger behind her glasses to wipe away a tear that is almost certainly not there. "He doesn't know her friends, what music she likes, what time she needs to be at school. He plays a violent sport where aggression is a mandatory personality trait, for god's sake!"

I open my mouth to protest, but Chloe's voice from behind me beats me to it.

"Mr. Drugov is an amazing athlete who takes his job very seriously, and for you to insinuate being good at his job makes him a violent person is preposterous!"

"What are you? His nanny or the president of his fan club?" Peyton scoffs, tears forgotten.

"I'm a former Division One hockey player. And a nanny. It's possible to be both, just like it's possible for a woman to be whatever she sets her mind to. That's a lesson I look forward to teaching Ayana."

" Damn ," Jane whispers. "I like her."

So do I. Too much to mean anything but trouble.

"My favorite part was when your ex tried faking a heart attack after the ruling," Chloe says, grinning at me from the driver's seat of her Bronco. My knees almost touch the dashboard, but it made sense to get a ride with Chloe instead of Jane. My lawyer drove me to court this morning, wanting to do some last-minute preparations.

I chuckle, feeling like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. Although the judge did not rule entirely in my favor— yet—he ordered a two-week trial of sorts where Ayana will stay with me, after which a social worker will come and interview Ayana, Chloe, and me. If that goes well, Judge Lopez will grant the shared custody I have been fighting for. Peyton was less than pleased with the outcome.

"It is a good thing she is a model instead of an actress," I reply.

Chloe shakes her head, pulling forward when the light turns green. "Well, that makes perfect sense."

"What does?"

"That she's a model. She's beautiful."

I shrug. "A lot of people are beautiful." Like you , I want to say but know I cannot. "There are ugly parts to Peyton as well."

My history with Peyton is a complex one, though it started out simply enough–too many drinks at a bar with some teammates after a tough loss. My carelessness caused Peyton's pregnancy, something I can never regret since Ayana is the light of my life. Through long talks with Ivan, I determined that marrying Peyton was the right thing to do, and maybe it was. But our marriage never stood a chance, not with all my travel and our disparate expectations of the relationship. I sometimes blame myself for Peyton's cheating as well, the straw that broke our marriage's back.

Chloe turns left onto a cross street. We are going to my house so I can show her around, but she wants to stop and change her clothes on the way since we are driving by her place.

"You don't think Peyton will try to pull anything when you go to pick up Ayana tomorrow, do you?"

"Not after the judge's warning." At least I hope not.

"He was not happy with her, that's for sure."

Chloe takes another turn into a complex of tidy modern duplexes. When she pulls into a parking spot, she turns to me. "You want to come in while I change? Make sure I don't have bodies hidden under the floorboards before you leave me alone with Ayana?" At my responding frown, she laughs and opens her door. "You should see the look on your face."

I get out too. "Why would you say such a thing? Now I want to inspect your freezer and look under your couch."

She snickers and pulls a set of keys from her purse. "Snoop away. There are no skeletons in my closet." She turns the key in the lock, glancing over her shoulder. "I prefer to keep them elsewhere."

The door swings inward, and Chloe takes a step inside. But as soon as I step forward to follow her, she jumps back, her shoulders colliding with my chest.

"What—" I begin before seeing what made her back up. The entire floor is covered in water, some of it rushing out over the threshold and under our shoes now.

"Oh no!" Chloe exclaims. "What in the world?"

I instinctively bring my hands to her shoulders, gently moving her aside. "You stay here. I will see where it is coming from."

"No! You're going to ruin your shoes. I guarantee they're way more expensive than mine."

"They are just shoes, Chloe." I glance at her feet in those sexy heels. "And I prefer yours anyway. Stay here." I don't wait for her response before stepping inside and trudging through the water. It appears to cover the entire floor, including the carpet. This furniture will all need to be removed.

I finally locate the source when I get to the laundry room off the hallway to find water streaming from the wall. I make my way through the duplex on a search for the main water shutoff. It must be a burst pipe somewhere.

"Do you want the good news first or the bad news?" I ask when I return to Chloe.

"Please tell me I didn't accidentally leave the water running. With the way my brain has been shorting out lately, that's exactly the kind of thing I might have done."

Unsure exactly what she means, I go ahead with my news. "No. You did not cause this. It is a burst pipe. The good news is that I found the valve to shut off the water to your home. The bad news is that your entire floor is soaking wet, and if we do not move your furniture, it will be ruined."

"Great." She lifts her phone, hands shaking. "I need to find a plumber–and somebody to move that furniture. Crap. I guess I need a hotel too."

She grips the phone in both hands, her thumbs working rapidly over the screen as she pulls her bottom lip between her teeth. Deep furrows work into her brow as she types. I do not like seeing her like this, racked with worry and stripped of her usual effervescence.

This is a woman who would give anyone the shirt off her back without question. She does not deserve to suffer in any way, especially over something like this.

Coming to a decision I am certain I will regret, I reach over and pry the phone from her hands, causing her to look up at me with confusion.

"Chloe. Do not worry. I will get Benny or Dan-O over here in twenty minutes to help me with the furniture. In the meantime, go inside and pack a bag. You are staying at my house."