5. Nat
Nat
Listening to Chase on his call tells me two things.
One, he knows little about the business his parents built beyond what it is.
And two, he needs help.
Lots of help.
With the girls, and the business the four of them have inherited.
He’s making moves to give himself a break by appointing Kent Quinn overseer of the stores. It’s a smart move; the man has worked for Chase’s dad since the first store opened its doors.
That knowledge doesn’t stop me from shooting a quick message to Eli. I want all the information I can get on Kent and the business Chase appears to have no desire—or energy—to manage.
I can’t blame him. He’s spent his entire life training to play professional hockey. And now he’s been forced to give up that dream to take care of his sisters.
Theirs isn’t the first tragic story I’ve heard, but I have to be honest and admit, it’s the one that has affected me the most.
The others were part of the various charity organizations I or KAW has supported over the years. It’s one of the reasons Rogue sportswear is now one of the largest supporters of the underprivileged in the country.
Too many children go through life without the basics, and we made a pact the day we formed KAW and started our first sportswear line to help those in need.
Half of the profit the company earns is given to charity. In the beginning we picked a few different ones each year but now we have our own organization that runs numerous charities as well as giving to others all over the world.
The dilemma I have with wanting to help Chase and his sisters is they aren’t underprivileged. Yes, they lost both their parents in tragic circumstances and Chase is barely an adult responsible for his younger siblings, but they aren’t destitute.
Their parents have left them well taken care of financially.
More than. From my quick research prior to coming here, I know Limitless is a multi-million-dollar business.
I can’t work out if my need to help them is because I want Chase to play for the Rogues or something else. I need to factor in my reaction to him when he opened the door.
Is it deeper than a simple attraction to a good-looking man?
I may have met Chase for the first time today, but I know him. I’ve pored over his stats and watched too much video of him to not know who he is.
But is my need to help just because I want him as the Rogues starting goalie?
I don’t know. All I do know is, his lack of interest in running his family’s business is a point in my favor.
I think.
It’s easy to hear the frustration in his voice. See the concern in his eyes when he glances over at where I am on the floor attempting to keep Candace awake.
Despite my best efforts, I think it’s a losing battle.
Her little eyelids keep dropping and staying that way longer and longer. Although it is super cute when they pop back up, her eyes going wide as though her brain suddenly realizes she’s missing out on something.
I’ve tried to keep the noise to a minimum but the longer we lie on the floor, the harder it is to keep her occupied enough to keep those baby-blues open and focused.
Not that her eyes focus that well yet. It’s amusing to watch her go cross-eyed trying to see clearly when I wave one of her toys in front of her.
The doorbell echoes through the house above us and my eyes meet Chase’s.
“Okay, everyone good for now? We can schedule a call for tomorrow if anyone has any concerns or wants to discuss the changes after having time to think about what I’ve just laid out,” Chase offers the group on his screen.
One by one they say goodbye, leaving Chase and Kent.
“Are you sure this is what you want, Chase?”
“It’s what we need right now. I need someone to do the overseeing so I can concentrate on taking care of the girls.” His gaze moves over to me where I’m now standing with Candace in my arms. “They need me to sort things out at home before I venture into the business.”
“All right but let me know if you have questions or ideas or anything. You know I’m here for you and the girls no matter what it is you need. Your dad took a chance on me, and I wouldn’t be where I am without his support and encouragement. I owe him.”
“I’m sure he’d say you owe him nothing, but I appreciate the offer, and I’ll definitely take you up on it regarding the business.”
“Make sure you do. And give the girls our love. Jade hates that she can’t help you out right now,” Kent adds. “But with her mom living with us and the kids?—”
“Kent. Stop beating yourself up about it. Tell Jade to stop too. We’re okay. And we’ll be better now you’re taking things off my shoulders.” The doorbell buzzes again. “I gotta go. Someone is at the door.”
“Call if you need to.”
“I will. Bye.” Before Kent can say anything else, Chase disconnects the call. With a harshly blown out breath he lowers his head. “I feel like I’m letting them down.”
“Who? The people on the call?” I ask as I walk over to him. Candace is getting heavier by the second and her little head is resting on my shoulder.
“Yeah, them too. But I was talking about my parents. They didn’t struggle taking care of everything and I can barely get everyone dressed in the mornings.”
“Chase. I’m going to be brutally honest with you. Yes, you are failing at some things. But that’s to be expected. You’ve gone from being a college student whose only concern was grades and improving hockey skills, to a business owner and parent of three young girls. And you did it in the blink of an eye.”
“But—”
“No.” I hand him Candace when the doorbell goes again. “There are no buts in this. It’s a huge shift in your lives and no one, least of all your parents, would expect you to handle it all with ease. I’ll get the door.”
I don’t want him to wallow in self-pity, but I don’t have time to talk about this more right now. I’m assuming the nanny he organized has finally shown up.
I’ll be dispatching her immediately. There is nothing I hate more than lateness. And maybe it’s not my place to dismiss her but Chase needs someone who isn’t going to be late helping him right now.
The only thing I’ve ever been late for was my own birth. It will take some juggling, and I’ll need Eli to pick up some slack as well as Trevor. The two of them will have no problem freeing up some time to take some of my load while I dig in here and help Chase find his feet.
By the time I get upstairs I’ve formulated a plan of action, and as soon as I’ve seen to the tardy nanny, I’ll put it in motion.
Opening the door, I find myself lost for words.
The woman on the porch looks more like a puck bunny than a nanny and when she opens her frowning mouth my suspicions of her grow.
“Oh. You’re not Chase.” She tries to see past me into the house. “Wait. Are you his mother? I thought you were dead.”
The frown she gives me is more a sneer and for the life of me I don’t understand her motives. Is she pissed she thinks his mother is still alive?
I hear Chase behind me but don’t open the door wider. I don’t want this woman interacting with him yet. The need to protect him from whatever this is grips me tight and there’s no way I’m letting this woman near Candace.
“Can I help you?” I ask, moving through the door and pulling it snug against my back.
“Where’s Chase?”
“Mr. Hawkins is busy at the moment. Can I help you?”
“Yeah, you can let me in. I’m his nanny.”
“Are you?” I arch an eyebrow. “And what time were you supposed to start?”
“Oh, well, I didn’t know who I was nannying for, so I had to go home and get changed before I came here, and there was an accident on the?—”
I hold up a hand. “I don’t need to know anything else. Mr. Hawkins will contact the agency to let them know your services are no longer needed.”
“What? Since when?”
“Since you failed to show up at the specified time and when you finally did arrive, you’re dressed for a night on the town, not a day at home taking care of a newborn and two teenagers.”
“Teenagers?” She takes a step back. “No one mentioned teenagers. Just a baby.”
“And Chase.”
“Well, yeah.”
“How old are you?”
“Why? What’s that got to do with anything?”
“Everything when you’re expected to care for three children.”
“I’ve been babysitting for a decade and nannying full-time for the last five years while studying online for my degree.”
I have to hand it to her, once pushed she shows a backbone and while I don’t have proof what she’s saying is true, if the agency Chase used is reputable, it should be the truth.
“Good for you. But as I said, Mr. Hawkins no longer needs your services. He’ll contact your agency who will contact you. And you’ll be compensated for your time today.” I move back into the house.
“But—”
“I apologize for any inconvenience caused,” I say as I close the door between us.
I wait. I can hear her muttering on the other side of the door, and it brings a smile to my face.
I’m not a malicious person. Hell, look how charitable I’ve been with my soon to be ex-husband. But I can’t deny the little thrill I get from removing that woman from Chase’s life.
And it has nothing to do with me wanting him to accept a contract with the Rogues.
“Is she gone?”
Chase’s voice makes me jump and I spin around to face him, my back pressed to the door. “Yes.”
“Oh, but…” He drops his gaze. “I guess I don’t need anyone now.”
I study him. I can’t tell if he’s happy about giving up an active role in his family’s business or not. “Do you want to need someone?”
“No. I don’t want anyone taking care of the girls but me.” He raises his gaze to mine. “But that’s not realistic, right? At some point I’ll need to get a job. Not for money but for myself. I’ll need help then.”
“Maybe. Or the twins might be old enough to help.”
“I don’t want to put that on them. They should get to be kids, teenagers, and not have to look after their baby sister.”
“I didn’t mean full-time. Is Candace down for her nap?” At his nod I push off the door and head toward the kitchen. “How about we have that drink, and I explain why I’m here.”
“It’s not to save me from women dressed to hook themselves a man?” He chuckles. “I thought your outfit was inappropriate for taking care of a baby, but she took the cake with what she was wearing.”
“Hmm…” In the kitchen I make my way to the coffee machine. “You know how to use this?”
“No.” I glance at him, and he shrugs. “I don’t drink coffee.”
“Ah, still taking care of yourself even though you’re not playing.” It’s the first time I’ve mentioned anything to do with hockey.
He eyes me carefully and I can tell his brain is spinning. “Oh! Oh shit! I just worked out who you are!”
I smile. “And who’s that?”
“You’re Natalie Redding.”
“Yep. We established that before your call.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t connect the dots then. You own Rogue sportswear.”
“KAW owns it and I’m one fourth of KAW, so yes, I own Rogue sportswear.”
“You’re the COO.”
“Correct.”
“What the hell is the COO of Rogue sportswear doing in my”—he jolts back a step—“Do you want to buy Limitless?”
“No. That’s not why I’m here but if you were thinking of selling, I’d be interested in talking.”
“Why else would you be here? Did you know Mom and Dad? I don’t recall seeing you at their funerals but then I don’t remember much of those few weeks. Hell, lately I don’t remember what I had for breakfast most days.”
“No. I didn’t know your parents, although I did know of them. Limitless does stock our products after all.” I smile. “I’m here to see you.”
“Me? Why?”
“How informed are you about the latest in the league?”
“I haven’t watched a game since…” he trails off, but he doesn’t need to say the words. I know when he stopped taking note of NHL news.
“Well, the league announced the newest franchise.”
“Yeah, that was before. Baton Rouge Rogues. Seems weird to have a team in the south but as it’s not the first and the others have been successful, I guess they know what they’re doing.”
“Yes. The Rogues.”
“Aren’t they due to enter the league this coming season?”
“They are.”
“Have they announced the team?” There’s excitement in his voice and I hope it remains when he hears why I’m here.
“No. Well, that’s not true. We’ve announced?—”
“We?”
“KAW owns the franchise.”
“Ah, right. Makes sense. You own a sportswear business, why not a sports team.”
“Yes. But my involvement is more than owning the team. I’m the general manager.”
“Female GM?”
I don’t think he’s against it, but he is surprised by it. “Yes. Our assistant coach is female too.”
“I think I remember Blake Watts being mentioned.” He shakes his head. “Honestly, most of what I know about the hockey world has been shoved into a back corner of my mind.”
“Let’s not force you to figure this out. I’m here, as the GM of the Rogues, to offer you a contract as our starting goalie.”
His mouth drops open. If his jaw could unhinge it would be on the floor, I’m sure. And before he can argue about all the reasons why he can’t even think about accepting the offer, I step in his direction.
“Hear me out. I don’t want you to think about the girls or your family’s business or anything else. What does Chase Hawkins, hockey goalie, want to answer?”