12. Kiley
CHAPTER TWELVE
KILEY
Isit on my couch, biting my nails in anxiety while I wait for my father and Jax to arrive.
Dad called twenty minutes ago and said Jax needed to talk to us at my place right away due to a family emergency.
He gave no further details when I asked him why I’m being involved and why they’re coming here.
All he said was that it does involve me and all will be answered shortly.
Well, shortly isn’t coming fast enough because the anticipation is killing me and I might not have any nails left by the time they arrive.
Since it’s a Sunday night and football season, Keegan is working at the bar, and Zander has been asleep for an hour.
Normally. I use this time to prepare my lesson plans for the week, but my mind is too busy trying to think of why Jax is coming here.
Surely it can’t be because of what happened between us in St. Louis?
I was hoping that the subject was dead and buried, but that wouldn’t classify as a family emergency, so I shot that down with relief.
The only other logical thought is that it’s about the bar, but how is that a family emergency?
I’m so confused, and I have so many questions.
A knock on my door makes me jump up and run to answer it. My dad has arrived, and I open the door wide enough to let him in. “Where’s Jax?” I ask, looking out into the hallway first before closing the door.
“He was coming from the arena, so he should be here shortly.”
I look at my watch in confusion since this is early for a game to have ended. “Was it an early game today?”
“No, there was no game. It was their annual charity gala.”
“Oh,” I respond, my thoughts wondering if he took a date. I mentally chide myself for feeling disappointed if he did. Whoa, what was that all about? His dating life is not my business. I give myself a mental shake to get rid of these thoughts. “What’s this meeting all about, Dad?”
“Let’s wait for Jax to explain.” He takes off his jacket and hangs it on the hooks I have on the wall.
I narrow my eyes at his vague answer. “So you do know what this is about?”
He nods. “Aye, I do, and whatever you decide, I’m on board with.”
Wait, what? “What does that even mean, Dad? Is this about the bar?”
He thinks for a moment. “The bar is part of it.”
“What does the bar have to do with Jax’s family emergency?”
“Not my place to tell, Kiley.” It’s aggravating how good my dad is with keeping secrets.
I keep pressing him, hoping he caves. “That makes zero sense. Last time I checked you, Mom and Keegan were the primary decision makers for O’Shea’s Pub, not me.”
“Keegan knows and is good with whatever you decide as well.”
I throw my hands up in frustration. “If this is my decision, then why am I the last one to know what the heck is going on?”
A soft, hesitant knock comes from the door. “You’re going to find out soon enough,” my dad comments while I go answer it.
I roll up on my tiptoes to see Jax through the peephole.
I unlock the door, open it and mentally shut down once I notice how incredible he looks in his tuxedo.
I can’t seem to stop my gaze from wondering up his body, marveling at the fact the man could be on a runway right now modeling.
The top two buttons of his crisp, white shirt are undone and his untied bowtie hangs loosely around his neck.
His hair is tussled in such a way that I can tell he has been dragging his hands through it.
He looks tired, but it doesn’t diminish his sexiness.
“Hey, can I come in?” he asks, and I realize that we’ve just been standing there staring at each other without a word.
I know he saw me checking him out and normally, he would’ve made some kind of cocky comment, but his mind is somewhere else tonight.
I can feel the gravity of the situation when his smile doesn’t reach his eyes.
“S-sorry,” I stutter, my throat dry from all the wetness leaving my mouth and draining down to other areas of my body. Get a grip, Kiley! I move aside and wave him in. He walks past me, and I shut the door behind him.
I follow him into the living room, where he proceeds to give my dad a hug. He looks around and asks, “Where’s Zander?”
“He’s sleeping, so we need to keep our voices down.” I point to the door across from him, and he nods. “Would you like anything to drink?”
“Water would be great.”
“Ok, I’ll be right back. Why don’t you have a seat at the dining room table and we can talk there?” I walk away without waiting for their response and grab three glasses from the cabinet.
I hear my dad asking how the gala went, and I try to eavesdrop while filling some glasses with water.
I carry the glasses back to the table and put each one of them down.
All I can gather from eavesdropping is that it was a nice event, but he was glad it had ended.
I sit down across from him and give him an encouraging smile to begin.
He turns his attention to me and gives me a tentative smile. “Kiley, I’m sorry to have disrupted your Sunday evening with this unwanted visit.”
“It’s fine,” I tell him with a wave of my hand. “I had nothing better going on.” I inwardly groan at how pathetic that sounds, considering he just came from a high-end event.
“I wish that were the case for me. Nothing going on sounds really nice right about now.” He sighs, and a pang of pity for him hits me in the gut.
“Let me get to the point so I don’t waste any more of your time.
” He leans forward and places his forearms on the table.
“As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been thinking of other ways to help O’Shea’s generate revenue to make up for your increased property tax bill, and I’ve been holding out on one other idea until tonight. ”
He briefly glances over at my dad before continuing.
“I’ve had to start thinking of what life looks like after my hockey career is over and how I’m going to keep generating revenue once I’m done playing.
I’ve been working on my real estate portfolio and slowly growing it with investment properties.
That has brought in a pretty penny, one that my accountant says I need to spend more of to avoid a high tax bill myself. ”
I nod, acknowledging that I know the tax rules.
It’s fascinating to hear that at thirty-two years old, he’s had to be thinking of his future after hockey.
He’s still so young, but I know in sports, thirty-two is considered older, and the job is physically demanding on the body.
Seems like he has a good head on his shoulders and will be setting up a perfect future financially for himself and his daughter.
“Tonight I received an upsetting phone call from Chloe, and it prompted me to call your father with an idea that will benefit both me and your family.”
I frown in concern, still not understanding what idea he could have that involves saving our bar and helping him. “Is Chloe okay?”
He nods and clears his throat. “She will be once she arrives here.”
It’s November, and I remember Jax telling me that Chloe won’t come see him until she’s on winter break. “Is she coming for an early visit?”
He studies me intently before announcing. “Chloe will be moving to Chicago for the rest of my season.”
My eyebrows rise in surprise. “Her mom is going to let her do that?” There’s no way in hell I would let my son go live with his dad for months on end.
“Gretchen believes it would be best for Chloe’s mental health.”
My stomach sinks at hearing this. “The bullying has gotten worse?”
He swallows and runs his hand through his hair. “I’m afraid so. We just can’t wait around for the school to do something. The only option is to remove her from that toxic environment.”
I see the anguish in Jax’s eyes, and it breaks my heart. I reach across the table, grab his hand and squeeze, hoping to give him some sort of encouragement. “I would do the same thing if I were in your shoes. Chloe is so lucky to have parents who fight for her.”
He squeezes my hand in return and smiles sadly at me. “I really appreciate you saying that, Kiley.”
I look at my dad and remember there’s more to this story than just Chloe. I remove my hand from Jax’s and entwine my fingers together. “So what does Chloe moving here have to do with O’Shea’s Pub?”
“I have a proposition for you,” he pauses for a moment, seeming to find the right words. “I want to become a minority investor in O’Shea’s Pub. An investment of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.”
I narrow my eyes, suspicion creeping up my spine.
“Why would you want to be a minority investor in a business that can’t give you a return on your investment?
As we’ve told you, we’re losing money. You would never get your money within this fiscal year.
Maybe not even within the next two to five years. ”
“I understand that, but the return I seek would be greater than any kind of cash flow.”
My heart pounds and I lean back in my chair, bracing for the impact of the bomb he’s about to drop because none of this makes any sense. “What could we possibly give you in return that isn’t monetary?”
“You.”
I blink a couple of times, hoping I didn’t hear him correctly. “Excuse me?”
“I need a temporary nanny for Chloe, and I was hoping that in return for my investment into O’Shea’s, you would be that person.”
Silence fills my kitchen as I try to process what Jax is proposing, but it’s the most preposterous thing I’ve ever heard.
I lean into the table and stretch my neck farther in his direction to make sure I’m hearing him crystal clear.
“Let me understand something. You want to give us two hundred and fifty thousand dollars to become a minority investor in my father’s bar, and the only thing you’re asking for in return is me to be your nanny? ”
“Temporary nanny, but yes, that’s accurate.”
I sit back in my seat in disbelief. Surely he’s joking.
Isn’t he?
“That’s the worst investment in the history of this planet.”