Page 20 of Backup Plan

“Sorry, beautiful. I’m heading out of town early tomorrow, so I need to get packing.”

She twists her lips as her face falls with disappointment, but she takes the hint and backs off, thankfully.

I blow out a breath and head up to my place, and Dolores, my housekeeper, is here. Unlike Heidi, who’s a few years younger than me, she’s in her sixties and has children my age. She’s old enough to be my mother, but she’s more of a friend than a mom.

She’s funny as hell and isn’t afraid to put me in my place. And truth be told, if she were a mother figure, she’d be one who has walked in on me having sex more times than my actual mother ever did.

She’s the one who keeps this place looking like it does, and I’m eternally grateful for her. When I walk into my place after my workout, she’s in the guest room, organizing all the shit I brought home from Pittsburgh as she gets the room ready for my sister’s arrival.

“Hey, Dolores,” I say in greeting.

“Hey, kiddo,” she says. “What are we doing with all these things?” She nods to the pile of jerseys on the bed, duffel bags stuffed with gear, and cleats on the floor.

I shrug. “No clue. The jerseys we can donate, I guess. I’ll use some of the gear in the bags, but wherever I land will probably issue new cleats.”

“I’ll make a donation pile and a keep pile for you to sort through. Sound fair?” she asks.

“Thanks, Dolores.”

“Are we talking about the water bottle on your nightstand?” she asks, referring to the bottle Penny left on the nightstand. Dolores knows which side of the bed I sleep on, and she knows I’m anal about keeping surfaces clear of clutter. I guess I get that from Madden, and that’s also why she went right for the guest room since the mess in here—organized though it was—was starting to give me hives.

“No ma’am.”

She laughs. “Oh, Liam. What am I going to do with you?”

I lean on the doorway, and she tilts her head and studies me.

“You look different.”

I narrow my eyes at her. “Different how?”

She shakes her head a little. “I’m not quite sure how. Maybe a little…tired. That’s all.”

“I was up late with the water bottle woman.”

She chuckles. “When are you going to settle down?”

“Never.” I wiggle my eyebrows, and she laughs. “Truth be told, I had a nice time last night. I didn’t want it to end.”

“So why did it?” she asks.

“I thought we weren’t talking about the water bottle woman.”

“You brought it up.” She shrugs, and she’s really good at being direct with me while also being gentle. It’s one of the things I love about her. She makes it easy to talk to her, but she also loves to give me shit—which I dish right back.

I clear my throat. I guess it couldn’t hurt to get some perspective. “She’s Everleigh’s best friend.”

Dolores gasps.

“I ran into her at a bar last night, and one thing led to another. She’s going through a divorce. She’s got two kids.”

“And you gave her the night of her life, I presume?” she asks.

“More like she gave me the night of my life.” I shrug. “We had a good time. Actually, a great time. She’s just…fun. But today it’s back to reality. San Diego offered me a visit, and I have a flight tomorrow bright and early.”

“Good. Get on out of town so I don’t have to clean up your mess every day.”

I laugh as I make a face in jest that I’m deeply offended by her words, and she laughs, too.