4. Kevin

KEVIN

“Daddy, look. Snow.”

I finished shoving the pan of chocolate chip cookies in the oven and whirled around. “Oh, Lexi. No, honey. We don’t have time for this.” Standing on her stepstool where she’d been helping me make a batch of cookies, therefore causing it to take twice as long and putting us behind, she flung flour from its canister, coating the cabinets and herself. Hustling across the kitchen, I pulled the container out of her reach.

She giggled maniacally and scooped some of the spilled flour up off the counter, and she threw it in the air right over her head. “Snow.”

What a mess!My first childcare appointment for Lexi would be here at any moment. This woman, Ms. Meyer, had been my top choice to watch over Lexi, so I’d been hoping to make a good impression. Hence, baking cookies to make the house smell good and dressing my daughter in one of her super-frilly dresses Margie gifted her for Christmas. I really should’ve known better, but I was running on a lack of sleep from spending my days with my daughter and my evenings working into the wee hours of the morning.

Once I pushed past the roadblock of Tom’s memory, I realized everyone had been right. Mom had only been gone a couple of days, and I was exhausted already. Between my mother’s concern that I’d ruin my health and Margie’s recommendation I use the same agency that she’d used for their children, I’d admitted the truth. I needed help, and everyone could tell, even if I hadn’t wanted to admit it.

A bright, slightly mischievous two-and-a-half-year-old needed undivided attention whenever she was awake. The casual days of working from home while caring for her had turned into a chaotic mess of zombie-like wakefulness and sleepless nights. Something had to give.

The sound of the doorbell ringing made my daughter shriek, “Bell, bell. Answer door, Daddy.”

It had to be Ms. Meyer. I’d chosen to interview her first because she didn’t need living accommodations and had years and years of experience. Hopefully, I’d be able to cancel the other two appointments.

“Okay, Lex-Lex. I’d hoped we’d be able to make a better first impression, but it is what it is.” I pulled her out of the top of the stepstool with its child-proof back bar that kept her from falling backwards onto the floor and swung her into my arms.

An impatient knock sounded from the front door. “Door, Daddy. Hurry.” She kicked her little legs, nailing the back of my thigh. Ouch.

“Okay, honey. No kicking, remember? It hurts Daddy.”

“Sorry.” She patted my chest, leaving behind a white handprint, and I sighed.

Right, the flour. Ugh. When I put her down, I’d be dusted in the white stuff, too. Here I’d been so proud that we’d managed to get twelve cookies on the baking sheet without any mess or mishap, but I knew better than to turn my head for even one second. After unlocking the deadbolt, I put my hand on the doorknob. “We’re going to meet a nice lady. Are you ready?”

She clapped her hands happily with a shrill, “Yes.”

A smile sprung to my face. This kid brought me so much joy. Opening the door, I was ready with an enthusiastic greeting until I saw the pinch-faced woman standing ramrod straight with her arms hanging rigidly at her sides and a carpet bag hanging from one arm. Had this lady channeled the women who’d been standing in line, hoping for the job as governess on Mary Poppins? Clearing my throat, I held out my hand, “You must be Ms. Meyer. I’m Kevin, and this is my daughter, Lexi.”

Lexi screamed, “Hi,” and the dour-faced woman’s lips tightened.

“Please come in,” I said, even though I kinda wanted to slam the door in her face. From her body language, I was fairly certain that our little family of two wouldn’t be a good fit for her. Rather, she wouldn’t be a good fit for us. There was nothing wrong with Lexi or how I was raising her.

Lexi continued to chant hello at the top of her lungs since Ms. Meyer had yet to acknowledge her, so I whispered, “Inside voice,” and she nodded, dropping her mumbling down to a barely audible whisper. We hadn’t even had cookies yet, and she was running on high from having company. Or maybe she’d snuck a few chocolate chips when I wasn’t paying attention. Scanning her face, I thought it was doubtful since there would definitely be evidence of that particular treat on her face.

Instead of stopping in the entryway, Ms. Meyer swept into the house and down the hallway that led to the kitchen. I followed after her, a little bemused. I’d planned to take her into the family room. In fact, that was the only room ready for a visitor. Plus, was it just me or was it weird she hadn’t said a word yet?

“So, maybe we should head into?—”

Ms. Meyer clapped her hands together, one decisive motion that made me jump and startled my daughter into silence. She spun in a slow circle, nose wrinkling in disgust. I knew our breakfast dishes were still in the sink, and I hadn’t put away the baking ingredients yet, but the room wasn’t disgusting or anything. I knew that for a fact. My mom had deep cleaned like she expected the house to stay shiny until she returned in the spring.

“I really think we should?—”

She sniffed. “Clean up the child? Yes, I agree.”

I blinked and looked down at Lexi, who gazed back up at me uncertainly. I didn’t blame her. This lady wasn’t giving me warm and fuzzy feelings either. Our social circle was relatively small; my mom, George, Margie, their children, and my coworkers, who spoiled Lexi whenever I took her into the office with me, so she wasn’t used to being treated so… “I’m sorry. We were baking cookies for our meeting, but a little flour won’t kill her. I’ll change her after we finish.” Which would definitely be sooner than later at this rate.

I paced nervouslyin front of the couch, watching for my next interview. I’d confirmed with the young lady, Ava, last night, ensuring that she’d arrive during Lexi’s naptime. Unfortunately, she’d called ten minutes after she should’ve been here to say she’d gotten lost. In this day and age, with GPS on cell phones, I had my doubts, but I was feeling a little desperate. The only person left to meet after her was a man who also needed living accommodations, and I really didn’t know how I felt about moving someone into my house.

But after a quick glance at the clock, I was also pretty sure I didn’t want someone who’d obviously not left even close to on time or lived so far away it didn’t make sense for her to drive this far. Sighing, I scrubbed my hand down my face. Maybe I was making too big a deal out of this. I worked from home, rarely had to go into the office, and kept my own hours.

As much as I’d love to have concentrated work hours, preferably more of a nine-to-five schedule like the rest of my coworkers, would it really matter if the babysitter was occasionally late? It wouldn’t be too hard to make up the time. Of course, that was if her experience, or lack thereof, wasn’t a problem. She’d been through the agency’s training, which included CPR, she had her own vehicle, and she took college courses in the morning. Surely—hopefully—she’d be fine.

There was no way she’d be worse than Curella Deville from this morning. What a dreadful woman. She’d terrified me, so it was beyond me how anyone would leave their child alone with her. Did people hate their offspring? I’d gritted my teeth to make it through that interview, hating that Lexi was even exposed to her.

A cute little white Jetta pulled up in front of the house, and my jaw dropped. How in the world did a twenty-year-old afford wheels like that? Maybe her parents bought it for her. Was I going to judge her for that? No, after all, Lexi was a result of my parents helping fund my dreams coming true. The young lady sat in her car long enough for me to wonder if I should go to the front door and open it to spur her on. Lexi would be awake sooner than later, and after the disaster earlier, I really didn’t want her to deal with meeting another person yet. Especially if this wasn’t going to work out. Which would mean I’d have to keep my appointment with my last prospect later this afternoon, and Lexi would definitely be wide awake for that.

Finally, Ava exited her vehicle, stopping and pulling her sunglasses down her nose to slowly peruse the neighborhood and then the front of my house. Well, alrighty, I hoped my two-story home met her approval. Wanting to get this show on the road, I strode to the front door and flung it open. The petite young lady grinned and waved as she quickened her step toward me. Maybe there was hope yet. “Hi, Mr. Wadsworth. I’m Ava. I’m so sorry I’m late.”

Friendly, check. Polite, check. Bubbly, check. Yep, Lexi would like her. I stretched out my hand. “No problem, Ava. Come on in.”

We shook hands in the entryway, then I directed her to the family room like I’d planned. I gestured for her to have a seat on the couch, and I took the chair across from her. “So, Ava, tell me about yourself.”

“Well, I’m a college student, as you know from my resume.”

“Yes. What are you studying for?”

Her eyes sparkled. “Marketing. I want to work in a city for one of the big clothing companies.”

“That’s cool.” I’d printed out the resumes the agency had emailed me, so I held hers in front of me. “It doesn’t mention anything here, so I was wondering how you discovered you like working with kids.” A carefully couched question for, why should I trust you with my baby?

Her bright eyes dimmed, and her lips slanted to the side. “I actually don’t know. I mean, I needed a job, and my friend landed this great nanny gig through the agency. She makes a ton of money doing it, too. She told me about it, and when I looked into it, they said as long as I pass all of their classes and get my first aid certification, I’d be good to go.” She held up her hands at her sides. “So here I am.” She paused as if she was choosing her next words carefully, then continued on. “Honestly, I was kind of hoping for a gig like my friend Shelly’s. She picks up two brothers from elementary school, feeds them a snack, helps them with their homework, and then just kind of chills until their parents get home.”

“Oh,” I said, disappointed and annoyed that my time had been wasted—again. Why did she even come if this wasn’t what she was looking for?

Her bright smile returned again. “Don’t worry, though. I don’t mind helping you out with your kid. When the agency told me you were flexible with the hours, I figured, why not? I go to class in the morning, let you work in the afternoons, and then I have my whole evening free. Sometimes Shelly has to stay late so the parents can go to dinner or whatever.” She wrinkled her nose. “I mean, I guess, but I’d rather have my nights open to do my own thing, you know?”

Forcing some semblance of a smile and hoping it didn’t come out like a grimace, I nodded. “Yeah. I so get it.” And I did. Ava would definitely not be interested in watching Lexi at night. Not that it should matter to me. I wouldn’t be leaving Lexi with someone just to go out and hook-up. And I hadn’t gotten CJ’s number, so what were the chances of me running into him again? It was highly doubtful that going out would help me suddenly run into the man of my dreams.

“So where is she?” Ava looked around like Lexi was hiding under the couch or something. “It’s a girl, right?”

“Yes, Lexi. She should be up from her nap soon.” But did I want Ava to meet her? As sweet as she really seemed to be, Ava had no experience, and it sounded like she only wanted to take babysitting for a test drive. Did I want my child being exposed to someone who might not come back after a week?

On the other hand, hiring Ava would mean I might get at least a few days of work time during the afternoon, and it would get my people off my back. I knew they wanted the best for me, but damn, give a guy a break. Then, there was the added bonus that I wouldn’t have to interview Chris Armstrong. I really didn’t love the idea of someone living in my house, and his employment came strictly with room and board.

“Aww. Is that her?” Ava pointed behind me.

I turned in my seat to find my little peanut standing in the doorway. Her curly black hair was in complete disarray, and her thumb had found its way into her mouth, which only ever happened these days when she was waking up from sleepy time and still really tired or ready to go down. “Hello, Lex-Lex. You up from your nap?” I asked as I scooted out of my chair, sunk to my knees, and held my arms open to my daughter.

Her thumb popped out of her mouth, and ignoring the stranger in our living room, she squealed and ran to me. She was halfway across the room when I realized why she must’ve woken up. As I embraced her, I looked over her head to snicker at Ava. “Sorry. She’s still potty-training, so I put her in pull-ups for naps and bed. If my nose is correct, someone needs to be changed, and then I’ll introduce her.”

Ava’s face went green as she shook her head. “Oh, I didn’t know that I’d have to change her and stuff. I’m not really into that.”

“You knew she was a toddler, right? The agency said they included all the pertinent details in the information they sent you to see if you were open to an interview.”

She scrunched her nose again as she stood up and eased around the couch. “They did, but I thought that meant she’d be”—she flapped her hands around—“past all that.”

“Unfortunately, no.” By now, Lexi was wider awake and much more interested in Ava. She squirmed in my arms, trying to turn and see this new stranger I’d brought in. Lexi reached her arms out toward the young lady, who practically fell down tripping backward with her arms out like she was warding off evil.

“I think I better go. Thanks for your time, Mr. Wadsworth. She’s a cute kid. I hope you find someone, but…maybe this isn’t for me.” Then she fled, out the door, and into her little car.

Lexi looked up at me with wide eyes. “Poop, Daddy.”

Scrunching my nose, I nodded. “Indeed. Let’s get that smelly thing off of you, and you can pick new underwear for the rest of the day.”

“Cars. Cars. Cars.”

“Of course you want Cars. What was Daddy thinking?” Laughing, I carried her toward her bedroom.