Page 131 of The Keeper

“Hi,” she said.

“Hi.” I gave her a soft kiss hello. “How was your first day?”

Despite the tumultuous events earlier that summer, Carina had landed a paid gig at the Westhaven Animal Sanctuary. Owned by a wealthy, eccentric heiress with a deep love of animals, it was, as its name suggested, a sprawling sanctuary located on the outskirts of London.

Carina had been applying to different jobs and volunteer positions all summer. Her new notoriety had worked against her in most places, since the organizations were wary of the harassment and distraction she might bring to their offices. She’d been ready to throw in the towel and try again next year when she got a call from Westhaven, whose director had been impressed by her knowledge of animals and her work with children. After several rounds of interviews, they’d hired her to spearhead their brand-new educational program for local students. It was a full-time role, and Carina had had to quit her job at RAB to accept it. So far, she seemed incredibly happy with the decision.

“It was great,” she said as we walked back to the car. “Lots of admin work to start, but that’s expected for the first day. I did get to feed some of the animals, including the cutest pair of penguins. They’re named Moe and Minnie. Plus, I started putting together a plan for the student program. There’s literally zero infrastructure in place, so I’m building it from the ground up.”

I smiled at the excitement in her voice. “Productive day then.”

“Very.” Carina’s face softened. “It really feels like things are falling into place, doesn’t it?”

I nodded, my chest swelling with relief that our summer storms seemed to have passed, once and for all.

It’d been three weeks since the Andersons and I officially signed our new custody agreement. My mother had returned to Michigan, though not before she dropped a very unsubtle hint about wanting more grandchildren in the future, and Carina, Evie, and I had settled into a comfortable routine—Carina wrapping up her work at RAB and prepping for her new job at Westhaven, Evie enjoyed the last days of summer before school started next week, and me gearing up for the new Premier League season, which started today.

Our issues with the paparazzi had also petered out after they lost interest—a normal, healthy relationship wasn’t exactly news after the initial deluge of headlines. Gallagher had cleared up the Konnect DMs issue and my former nannies had admitted they’d exaggerated their claims in exchange for my team not suing them for violating their NDAs.

Meanwhile, Oswald managed to get Evie’s tabloid photos scrubbed from the internet. I didn’t know what he’d had to do to make that happen, but when I mentioned it, his tight-lipped expression suggested he’d had to call in some big favors from quite a few people. It was his version of an olive branch, and I appreciated it, even if he’d done it for Evie’s sake more than mine.

However, it was too beautiful a day to dwell on the Andersons. Once Carina and Evie were both strapped into the car, I drove us to the ice cream parlor near my house. It was the same one we’d taken Evie to after her piano recital, and she immediately beelined toward the sundae station while Carina and I settled for classic scoops of strawberry and chocolate, respectively.

“Who’s blowing up your phone?” Carina asked. She raised her eyebrows at my screen, which kept lighting up with new texts. “Is it Vincent again? Because I already told Brooklyn to tell him that the zebras are a bad idea.”

Asher and Scarlett’s wedding was coming up in a few weeks, which meant bridesmaid and groomsman planning was in full swing. Despite the group’s combined efforts, we’d yet to convince Vincent that a zebra-themed bachelor party would not please Asher. At all.

“No, I’ve given up on him. It’s my agent,” I said. I didn’t touch my phone.

“Oooh, anything new and exciting? Did he get you a walk-on role in the new James Bond movie?”

“Carina, baby, why would I be in a James Bond movie?”

“Why not?” she asked innocently.

Amusement pulled at my lips, but a flash of nerves swallowed my good humor. “No, it’s not a movie role. I got a job offer in the US. A good one.”

Her smile faded. She set her spoon down, her expression cautious. “What’s the job offer?”

“Some football-loving rich guy is starting a youth academy to develop new talent in the States. Think of it as the American sports version of Westhaven. They’re going all out for its launch, and they want to hire me to run the entire thing. They even said they’ll base it in Michigan so I can be closer to my parents.”

Over the past month, I’d had multiple discussions with my agent about the future of my career. Word got out that I was on the fence about my Blackcastle renewal, and offers had poured in from media and other organizations who wanted to be first in line in case I did retire. The academy job paid a ridiculous amount of money, and it was one of the few non-football offers that my agent took seriously.

“Oh.” Carina swallowed. “That’s great.”

“I’m not taking it,” I said. “I’m staying in London.”

Her face flashed with relief before she bit her lip, her brows drawing together. “But you wanted to be closer to your parents…”

“Eventually. I have time before I need to make a final decision, and the academy job isn’t the right fit for me anyway. Too much paperwork and management. I hate that stuff. I didn’t tell you because I never seriously considered it, and I let my agent know earlier. He wants to discuss it more because it pays a lot,” I said drily. “Even more than Blackcastle.”

Carina’s eyes widened. “Are you sure you don’t want to take it then? That’s…I mean, Blackcastle pays you a ton of money, so if it’s more than that…”

“I don’t care about the money. Besides, I don’t want to move back to the US. London’s my home.”

“I thought Michigan was your home.”

“It used to be. I haven’t lived there in a long time. Besides my parents, everyone I love is here. My friends, my teammates…you.” I held her gaze, my stomach twisting with nerves. “Especially you.”