3. Leo

Chapter three

Leo

September

M y new job was turning out to be everything I hoped for. I got to work with children in their formative years, seeing the joy of new discovery on their faces when they learned something new. Plus, my direct supervisor, Patty, had thirty years of experience for me to soak up. Getting to take Nacho to and from school every day was a bonus.

“Any big plans after work?” Patty asked as she helped me clean up after the art lesson ended on a Friday. She didn’t usually ask personal questions, so I was surprised when she added, “Maybe a date?”

“Tío Leo said he’s married to his job,” Nacho piped in, having joined us since his school day ended at the same time as ours. He often hung out and helped until I was ready to go, so not much had changed for him and I. Still, I wished he didn’t share personal information with my boss. “But my mom said he needs to put himself out there. Where is out there, Ms. Patty?”

“Nacho,” I sighed, smiling at his innocent question. “I think it’s time to get you home. Where I’ll be making you dinner before your mom gets home and then staying in with a good book.”

“You’re no fun,” Patty commented, brushing loose grey hair out of her face. She had two grown kids of her own and a first grandchild on the way, and rarely bossed me around. I appreciated her no-nonsense demeanor. She was straightforward in her praise, and it worked with my need for approval. “Still, sounds relaxing.”

“I don’t want to relax, Tío. I have the zoomies,” Nacho insisted. “Can we stop at the park?”

“Hmm, maybe.” The direct bus line up Market would take us about thirty minutes to get home, but didn’t pass any good parks. We could go around and hit the one on the Embarcadero, only adding about ten minutes on the bus. “Sure, that’s doable, mijo.”

“Have a good night, I’ll finish up here,” Patty told me with a smile. I got lucky having her as a boss. “See you on Monday, Nacho.”

“Adios, Ms. Patty,” Nacho waved, already darting for the door. I followed him out with a wave and we walked to the bus stop.

Nacho kept up a running story about his day. He was well-liked, though advanced for his age, so I was glad the charter school allowed him to go at his own pace. By the time we got off the bus at the Ferry Building, I was ready for Nacho to get his energy out by running it off instead of talking more. Being a preschool teacher was a lot noisier than being a nanny to one kid.

We walked across the busy street and Nacho made an immediate break for the climbing structure. “Be careful,” I called, and then my eyes caught on a man at the swings.

If I had ovaries, they would be exploding. The hot dad was standing there with his little girl, but this time in a dark blue suit and shiny leather shoes. Isaac and Dezi, I remembered from the month before. They were back on the swings, with the little girl giggling at her dad’s kisses.

Isaac’s suit threw me after his casual attire when we met, but we were close to the Financial District. Maybe he worked nearby and had a daycare on site? Though this was the second time I saw Isaac with his daughter at the park in the middle of the work day. It was about three in the afternoon, so he could be cutting out early. He had a commanding vibe, I could see Isaac as Mr. Quintel, boss-man.

Should I say hello? We’d only met in passing, but I did know his full name as well as his daughters. I could ask how Dezi did with her teething. I wish I was more confident, but I worried he’d think I was hitting on him.

My sister was CEO of a tech startup, so I saw his type when she hosted dinner parties. The kind of man who took charge and made decisions without a care.

The kind of man I was attracted to.

Isaac didn’t have a ring on his finger, I noticed as I approached from behind. There weren’t a lot of others around, and none of the nannies I knew, so at least he wasn’t already being ogled.

“Leo?” Isaac’s deep voice had me meeting his eyes. Without realizing it, I’d wandered only a few feet from him and Dezi. “Fancy meeting you here.”

“Hi, um, Mr. Quintel,” I stumbled over my words.

“Please, Isaac is fine,” he told me, pulling Dezi to a stop. “Mr. Quintel is my Pop.”

“Pop-Pop?” Dezi asked, looking around for her grandfather.

“No, sweetheart. Pop-Pop is at the home,” Isaac told her and I noticed his use of ‘the home’ instead of at home. He must be older.

When I saw Dezi’s lower lip start to quiver, I pointed, “You might want to start swinging her again if you don’t want a full-blown tantrum on your hands.”

“Oh, sh-sugar,” Isaac’s eyes widened and he pushed Dezi so she was swinging again and the distraction worked. “Thanks.”

“No problem,” I shrugged and leaned against the side pole to the swing set. “I work with kids her age to four every day. Comes with the territory to notice the signs early so I can nip them in the bud.”

“You’re good. Wish I’d had you around the past ten months,” Isaac whispered in a way I wasn’t sure he meant for me to hear. But I did.

“What happened in the past ten months? Has Dezi been sick?”

“No, nothing more than a cold,” Isaac assured me with a stricken look like he couldn’t imagine his little girl being sick. But all children got sick. “Oh, your frozen fruit trick helped with her teething, by the way.”

“Glad to hear it,” I smiled at him and was struck speechless when he smiled back. The man had straight white teeth, and his eyes scrunched up in a way that had me weak in the knees.

“How is the school year going?” Isaac asked, and I was confused until he pointed at the logo on my polo shirt. It had the charter school’s name.

“It’s been great. Nacho started Kindergarten and I’m at the daycare,” I told him, unsure if he really wanted to know or was just being polite. I checked on Nacho, who was climbing down and likely wanted to go for a run next. “They are highly rated and we both like it there.”

“Do you have a card?”

Looking back at him, I blinked a few times before realizing Isaac meant a business card. “Yeah, I do, actually,” I checked my pocket and pulled out one of the cards the school gave me to hand out to parents of current or potential future students. “The school’s number is on the front.”

Isaac held the card as he pushed Dezi, but then he met my eyes, “What if I want advice on Dezi’s teething? Will this number reach you?”

“Oh.”

Was he asking for my number? The man had serious Daddy energy, even if it was only for his own daughter. Daddies were my kryptonite. Or catnip? Whichever meant I wanted them but they were never as into me as I was into them. I wish I could find a Daddy into me who wasn’t just looking for the role in the bedroom

Plus, Isaac gave me straight vibes, but he may truly want to reach me for advice. If he was single, and his dad was in a home, he might be alone on raising Dezi. I took the card back and pulled a pen out of the pocket of my shorts, scrawling my cell number on the back.

“In case you have questions about Dezi, that’s my cell.”

“Thanks,” Isaac smiled and tucked the card into the breast pocket of his jacket right as Nacho ran up.

“Tío, I’m hungry now. Can we go home?”

“Sure, mijo,” I agreed, though I had enjoyed seeing a certain hot dad. “Say bye to Isaac and Dezi.”

“Bye,” Nacho said without pause before tugging me towards the sidewalk. “Can I have tamales?”

“I think I have leftover chicken and mole,” I told him, sneaking a peek back to see Isaac taking Dezi out of her swing. At least leaving abruptly got me out of the awkward situation of talking to the hot dad after giving him my number.

Who knew if he would ever use it, but a voice in the back of my head told me I’d hear from Isaac again.