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Tyler wiped the back of his neck, grimacing at the sweat. It was too warm, even for it being Dallas in mid-July. But maybe he was just used to a milder, Canadian summer.

The air conditioning of the local Starbucks was welcome relief as he stepped into the line. It was a weekday and plenty of young people were getting their morning coffee before shuffling off to whatever they did in downtown Dallas. Out of habit, he readjusted his Jays hat. Slowly, in the few days he’d been in the large southern city, Tyler was quickly realizing he had a little more freedom when it came to hanging around in public without being recognized. But old habits die hard.

There was a petite girl in front of him with long dark hair. She was dressed more casual than the rest of the young business people, shorts and sandals, and had her iPhone out. She fidgeted back and forth on her feet and her free hand tapped her collarbone.

“Hey,” Tyler nudged her, making her jump. “I think it’s your turn.”

She jerked forward, turning her head. “I-oh- sorry. I wasn’t paying attention.”

She ordered her iced coffee with a shot of vanilla and placed her name before shuffling off to the side. Tyler did the same, ordering his own drink, before pulling out his own phone and replying to his curious sisters’ questions.

Any cute girls down South?

Tyler rolled his eyes at Candace’s question, but found his gaze traveling towards the girl who’d been so preoccupied in line.

None with any names yet. Take that any way you like.

Tyler’s drink order was eventually called out, just as the girl’s was, and they were placed on the pickup counter next to each other. Quickly grabbing the cups, they each went their separate ways, clambering through the still thick crowd. Tyler began sipping his drink, before grimacing. It wasn’t a regular iced frap. In fact, it wasn’t his cup at all. Across the side was the name Noel.

“Hey!” he called to a figure exiting the door – the girl. She didn’t turn around, head down and busy with her phone. Tyler rolled his eyes and went after her. He called again, “Hey! Noel?”

She stopped now, with the same disgruntled look on her face as she sipped Tyler’s coffee.

Extending the cup, Tyler approached hers. “This is yours.”

She checked the cup and sighed. “Can’t seem to keep my head on straight today. Tyler?”

He nodded as the swapped cups. “I’m not a fan of vanilla in my coffee.”

She looked down at her cup and frowned. “To each his own I suppose. If only Starbucks could learn how to spell my name.”

“Perks of having an easy name, I suppose,” he mimicked.

She chuckled lightly. “It’s always the two ‘l’s and the extra ‘e’ that kills people.” She cocked her head to the side and squinted at him. “I’m running late. Thanks for bringing me my coffee.” Noelle slipped her cell phone back into her purse.

He wondered what she did for a living with the way she was dressed, but rushing off the way she did. Tyler didn’t give it much thought, instead turning the other way and following the directions on his phone. It wasn’t a long walk to the diner that he’d agreed to meet a few new teammates at and soon he found himself entering another air conditioned building.

The Benn brothers, Jamie and Jordie, and a former Boston teammate, Rich Peverley, sat at a table in the corner, heads bent. When they heard his footsteps nearing their table, Jamie stood up, clapping the young forward on the back.

“Welcome to Dallas.”



Noelle burst through the doors of the hotel in downtown Dallas – slightly late, slightly sweaty from her sprint from the car, but well caffeinated.

“Sorry, sorry, sorry!” Noelle shuffled passed a group of hair and makeup artists, no doubt dodging their angry stares, and towards a crowd of producers.

“Noelle,” Lani, the executive producer, smiled a little too wide. “So good to see you!” He air-kissed both her cheeks. “Are you ready?”

“Um,” she nervously patted her face, trying to subdue the oils that were not doubt present after her jog into the building.

“Not to worry, not to worry,” he waved a hand. “We’ll have Manny fix you right up. You can watch Sophia do her promos to get an idea of what you should be doing.”

Noelle smiled enthusiastically, but on the inside she was gritting her teeth. When Noelle signed on for a reality show that was, she would learn, practically like a circus – vicious lions and all – she’d hoped for some extra money and maybe some free swag, all while doing her job with the kids. She hadn’t intended on dealing with girls like Sophia when it came to nannying.

Sophia was petite, blonde, naturally tan, and had the biggest hair in Texas – Noelle’s polar opposite. She came from the South and had the southern belle ‘charm’ act down pat. Noelle had yet to see any genuine kindness come out.

“Noe!” a childlike giggle burst through the air and Noelle was heaved forward when a speeding mass crashed into the back of her legs.

“Jackson!” his mother, yet another producer, sighed. “I told you, this is just like when the cameras are with mommy – you have to be quiet.” She pressed a kiss to her son’s forehead as Noelle scooped him up.

Jackson was one of three Bittner children that Noelle spent five days a week with, sometimes well into the night. The youngest at six, Jackson, had two older siblings. Nathan was eleven and Corrie was thirteen. The three of them had popped up on their mother’s, Eileen, own reality show featuring her bakery – which meant Noelle did too. As luck – or maybe bad luck – would have it, the same television network brainstormed the idea of a show about the women making home lives easier. And so, the Dallas Nanny Diaries was born.

“Ready for your close up?” Eileen tapped on her iPad. “We’ll get you better lighting.”

“She was born ready, Mommy!” Jackson giggled. “Right, Noe?”