Tight Ends & True Crime (Houston Pumas #2)
Chapter 1
CHAPTER 1
CARLIE
You know how they say that one person ruins it for everyone? That’s how I feel about my preschool teaching career. And to be technical, it wasn’t just one person. Most of the parents at the private preschool where I taught in Arizona were great. You know, the kind that show up to parent-teacher conferences with a harried smile—both of us knowing that neither of us has time for this—listen to me praise their kid, and nod along with “yeah, of course” expressions. And even the few times I had to give bad news, they’re all like, “Oh, we’ll for sure work on that at home.”
Except when their kid is the next Albert Einstein and it’s your fault for holding them back from curing cancer.
My sister Jenna laughs so hard right now at the story I just finished telling her, her husband, and his brother Jett. I had a set of parents that threatened to have me fired for allowing the cleaning staff to mop up a finger-painting masterpiece that their daughter smeared on the floor of the classroom.
To be fair, it did have a startling resemblance to The Starry Night .
“There’s no way,” Jenna says, her shoulders still shaking at my impression of the father’s indignation over the whole thing.
“They couldn’t believe I didn’t even get a picture first. Apparently, they also didn’t realize that twelve four-year-olds participated in the destruction of the masterpiece before I even called in the cleaning reinforcements. At least two kids slipped and fell on it, smearing paint everywhere . There was also some puking involved. Unrelated to the artistry, and mostly due to pure dislike of cottage cheese.” It feels good to laugh about this now, especially since my audience is also laughing at the incident. It’s weird how entertaining someone else with your own misfortune can be cathartic.
“It sounds like after all that, you need a vacation,” Jett says. His eyebrows rise in a knowing way as he eyes Devin and Jenna.
Yeah, I quit my job after more incidents like the mini Jackson Pollock than I can count, but helping out with Jenna’s kids while she gets their second GetAwayHome property ready is like a vacation. For one, her kids are angels. It shouldn’t be allowed, but it’s true.
Maybe my bar is just really low at this point.
It’s Jenna and Devin who need the vacation with all the stress with the second property. Jett, who’s a pro football quarterback and unbelievably rich, would bail them out the second he got a whiff of trouble. He says that’s what brothers do. Which is why I’m sworn to secrecy that Jenna and Devin need to get vacationers in this house as soon as possible. The mortgage on this new property is higher than the others, and it’s stretching them thin without the house bringing in anything. Jett would push twice as hard for Jenna to move into the house next door to his, which he also owns. But my sister is being stubborn about it, insisting this is her business and she’ll manage it how she sees fit. I think she’s crazy not to take a free house that Jett genuinely wants to provide for them, but Jenna will be Jenna.
Besides, they are going to get a vacation. Jett’s flying them out with him to Maui for his teammate’s wedding celebration, and Jenna can go knowing her kids are in good hands with me.
“Why don’t you bring Carlie with you to Maui?” Jett says to Jenna.
I know Jett well enough to know that he’s not the kind of guy that assumes everyone can throw money around the way he can. After winning a championship with the Houston Pumas football team this year, his agent has already negotiated a monstrous new contract for him, and he’s always paying for something for Jenna and Devin. Just like with the house, Jenna hates it a little bit. Like she thinks she’s mooching off of him, even though I can see it makes him happy to spend the money on his family and friends.
So I laugh at his suggestion. “I’m not sure at what point you missed that I just quit my job and I’m living with my sister.”
Jett returns the laugh but shakes his head. “My treat.”
Jenna narrows her eyes at Jett in confusion, like she knows he’s up to something but hasn’t quite gathered what yet.
“That’s a great offer,” I say, giving him a rueful smile. “But I promised Jenna I’d babysit. I can’t back out now.”
Jett doesn’t even open his mouth before Jenna shakes her head. “Jett,” she says with a scold. Devin laughs silently, covering his face in his hands.
“Listen,” Jett says, holding up his hands. “Ava and I want to help, and the resort has some great activities for kids and babysitting. They’d have a blast, Jen.”
I see the thoughts swirling through Jenna’s head. My sister and I are close, so it’s easy to guess the track her thoughts have taken. They can’t afford this right now. That’s why they didn’t plan on taking the kids, especially since Jenna would never ask for more from Jett than he’s already giving them.
“Jett,” she says again. “This is too much.”
Inwardly, I want to face-palm. I’ve reminded my sister a few too many times how much money her brother-in-law has and how she needs to chill.
Jett barks with laughter. “Everyone in Texas knows how much money my new contract is. I could take you and the kids to Maui every weekend and it wouldn’t be too much. I could buy a house for you and it wouldn’t be too much,” he says pointedly.
She ignores the insinuation. “You need to get some kids of your own to spoil.”
Jett smiles, and the expression on his face says soon, very soon . “Then they’ll grow up to be entitled.” His smile turns to a teasing smirk.
Jenna looks over at me. I hold back my own laugh. Like I’m going to turn down a week-long getaway in Maui.
“I don’t get to say no, do I?” Jenna shakes her head again. “Jett, you’re too much.”
Jett glances over at me, catching me grinning from ear to ear. “Carlie doesn’t think so.”