Page 40 of Matched with Her Athlete Boss
"How's the new house, Trey?"
"It's really good. I'm starting to settle in." I use the brush to scrub at the cooked-on sauce from the casserole.
She laughs. “It's about time. I was going to send over a crew of people just to get it all put together.”
"Mom, let's be honest. That crew would've been you and the girls."
She gives me a hug around the waist, and I lean into her a bit since my hands are wet from the dishwater.
"I just want to make sure you live a life that you're proud of."
I understand where she's coming from, but I'm also irritated that she can't let me do what I need to do on my timetable. It’s her constant hovering and taking over that has made it so I can’t even hang up my own television.
"Mom, I am happy. I've achieved something most only dream about. I'm taking steps to find someone to spend my life with, but I need you to cool your jets about it. Let me do this without feeling like there's a deadline I'll never meet."
She takes a step back, her face sobered.
"And as far as the house is coming," I continue, "I hired someone to take it over."
"Really? Who?"
I smile as I think of Kenzie in my home. I’m excited to see what she does with the place, but I’m more curious about whether she’ll follow through on the dating docuseries.
"Her name is Kenzie. She's one of Dani's friends. You know, Miles’s wife?"
My mother thinks for a moment, wiping at the large serving dish while she thinks. "Did she come to the game when Miles invited me to sit in the box?”
With a nod. "Yes, she was with them."
I have to visibly change my expression when I think of Kenzie's scowl during that first meeting. Mother would latch onto that as the perfect start to a relationship and I'm over here just happy to be friends with the woman who knows a lot about hockey and doesn't use me for the photos.
But does that mean I'm using her for my own comfort in this whole matchmaking contract? I really wish she would send me some kind of answer.
"They were all lovely. Maybe you should take her out on a date."
"We’ll see, Mom," I say, handing her the last dish to put in the dishwasher. "I mean, I hired her to do work for me. Isn’t that a little weird to be dating someone who will see every embarrassing piece of artwork or macaroni necklace you kept from my childhood?"
She gives me a resigned smile. "Your future wife will see all that anyway.” I give her a frown and she says, “All right. If you're working on it, I'll back off."
We finish up and walk out to the family room where my sisters are playing a heated and intense game of Nerts at the card table in the corner. My dad’s focus is on the football game on TV.
I take a seat on the couch where my dad has a game on the TV and open my phone. The niggling feeling from a few minutes ago has me wondering if I should've persuaded Kenzie to be part of my madness. There’s a whole lot about her background that I haven’t learned yet, and probably should’ve asked before convincing her to take part in the matchmaking event.
Me:I’m sorry I kept bugging you about Love, Austen.
I stare at the screen for several moments as if she'll be available to answer right away.
When the screen goes black, I turn the phone over and focus on the game in front of me. It looks like it's a rerun, but my father's first love is and always will be football, followed closely by hockey.
My phone buzzes and I turn it over, acting as though I'm a teen waiting for his first crush to call him back.
Why did I just think that? Kenzie isn't a crush, although there are a lot of things that could make her fall into that category for me. Then again, she's not into the dating scene and I’m ready tonotbe alone at home. The perfect night would be ordering in takeout, getting comfy in a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, and then cuddling on the couch with my blanket and my girlfriend/fiancée/wife…pending the status of our relationship.
That only brings up the memory of the blanket conversation with Kenzie. I can’t help but smile as I think of the bantering.
Kenzie:It's fine. Hillary told me it's time to get back on the ice anyway.
Me:How is dating related to skates?
