Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

DANIELA

ONE WEEK LATER

I could barely hear my text message notification over Isaac's wailing. He'd been crying nonstop for the past hour, and after trying everything I could think of to get him to stop, the best I could do was get a few minutes of peace at a time before it started back up again. I was at my wit's end and about to burst into tears myself.

How did single parents do this? How did they go to school full-time and take care of an infant? Or, hell, how did they even manage to hold down full-time jobs and have kids?

I was really praying that the nanny I was interviewing today would end up being the right fit. Of the three other women I'd interviewed in the past week, one had sat there glaring at me when I'd explained that I was in school full-time, and the other two hadn't been able to make their schedules work because they also worked with other families.

Shifting Isaac so I was holding him with one arm, I pulled my phone out of my pocket to check the text I'd just gotten.

Braden

Hey, Dani. I haven't heard from you since we left my lawyer's office on Tuesday, so I wanted to check in and see if you've found a nanny for Isaac yet. Not trying to rush you. I know it's a huge decision. Just making sure you don't need anything from me.

Damn it. In the middle of the chaos that had been this week, I'd actually forgotten that I had a sort-of deadline for finding someone…and I only had six more days. Even though Morgan had told me she'd watch Isaac for my first "date" with Braden if I hadn't gotten a nanny started by then, I still wanted to at least have someone lined up.

I let out a sigh and hit the button to call him back instead of texting, since the crying only got worse whenever I tried to put Isaac down.

"Hey there, beautiful," he answered.

Stop it. Stop being so damn charming, I silently pleaded as tears stung my eyes. I hate myself enough already.

"Oh, man. Sounds like you're having a rough day," he said before I had to come up with a response to that.

"That's putting it mildly," I sighed. "He's been like this for an hour, and I've tried everything to get him to calm down and nothing's working. If it doesn't stop soon, I'm taking him to urgent care to make sure nothing's wrong."

"Anything I can do to help?"

"Just pray that nanny number four ends up being the right fit," I muttered. "She's supposed to be here soon for an interview. I hate to tell you this when you're already doing so much for me, but her rate's higher than the other three people I've interviewed because she's looking for full-time hours. But I've figured out I need someone who can work exclusively with Isaac. The first two girls I talked to had other families they worked for too, and with my school schedule, I don't have any flexibility."

"Don't worry about the money, Dani," he said softly. "I promise, whatever she's charging, I can afford it. I already told you, the only thing I care about is you finding someone who's a good fit. Just make sure she can handle working some nights so you can be with me."

"I know," I told him, trying the bouncing from the knees trick that one of the church ladies had taught me…to no avail.

A knock sounded at the door, and I breathed a silent prayer of thanks that I had an excuse to stop talking to him. Because the more I talked to him, the more he made me forget what he'd done to my sister. And I couldn't do that. I couldn't forget that this was a business arrangement because I was desperate for help, and that he was only helping me because he didn't know who Isaac really was.

"Look, I've gotta go. She's here," I said quickly.

"Okay. Text and let me know how it goes. And if you end up taking the little man to urgent care, I'll take care of the bill."

Yet again, how could he be this kind to a baby he didn't even know, but not have even had the balls to tell my sister to her face that he wanted nothing to do with his own son? It just didn't make any sense.

After the stress of the past hour, a few tears spilled over my cheeks as I used every ounce of strength I possessed to keep from asking that question out loud.

"Thanks," I said quietly. "I'll let you know."

Quickly ending the call, I rushed to the door – still with a screaming baby in my arms – just as there was another knock.

"Hi. Carolina?" I asked as I opened it.

"Just Lina," the woman, who looked like she was in her early thirties, said in a thick Latina accent. "And you're Daniela?"

"Yep. Call me Dani," I told her as I stepped to the side to let her in and then shut the door behind us. "And this grumpy little guy is my nephew, Isaac. Thank you so much for meeting with me on a Saturday. Sorry it's a little bit of a mess in here."

"It's completely fine." She smiled. "Looks like it's been a tough morning."

I nodded. "He's been wailing like this for an hour. I'm thinking about taking him to urgent care just to make sure nothing's wrong."

"May I?" she asked, holding her arms out.

"Sure." I handed Isaac off to her.

He didn't completely stop crying when Lina took him, but he did quiet a little.

"Hola, guapo ," she murmured as she started to bounce and sway back and forth. "Mucho gusto. Me llamo Lina. ?Cómo estás hoy? " Hello, handsome. It's nice to meet you. My name's Lina. How are you today?

Heading to the couch, she knelt in front of it and laid him on his back. She picked up his legs and started to move them back and forth, mimicking a bike pedaling motion, then gently massaged his stomach. After a few minutes, an awful sulfur smell filled the room and he immediately quieted.

Yep, she was the one. Not only because she'd helped me get him to stop crying, but also because she'd immediately started speaking Spanish to him.

"Okay, you're officially a miracle worker," I chuckled, sniffling a little bit.

She laughed softly. "It was just a little gas, wasn't it, nene?"

"Now I feel stupid," I mumbled. "I swear, I tried burping him and it didn't do anything."

"Don't feel stupid. Babies don't come with instruction manuals," she said as she picked him up and cradled him in her arms, then sat down.

"He's normally such a happy baby," I sighed as I sank onto the couch. "That's why I was scared something was really wrong."

"No. Sometimes you just have to help them work the gas out a little more. Pumping their legs or gently massaging their stomach usually works, or sometimes a warm bath can help too. Is it okay if I put him in that swing while we talk?"

"Yes, of course."

Lina took Isaac over to his baby swing, carefully placing him in it and turning it on, and then came back to sit next to me on the couch. "So, you said on the phone that you're in school full time?"

I nodded. "Yeah, which is why I'm actually glad you're looking for full-time hours. I've been doing the best I can since my sister died, but I need a reliable caregiver for him, especially because I'm starting med school in the fall."

"School's almost out, though, right? Are you still going to need the full-time help over the summer?"

"I think so. I'll definitely be around more over the summer, but I have some commitments I need to keep, and I'll be glad for the help regardless. I should probably also mention I might need you at night occasionally. My, um…my boyfriend plays for the Dragons, and I promised I'd go to some public functions with him and let him take me out once in a while so the press can see us during the off season."

The last sentence burned my throat coming out. I hated calling Braden Hicks my boyfriend.

He was the bane of my existence. The reason I'd had to bury my sister. The father of this precious little boy, who he couldn't have cared less about.

"That's not a problem," she said with a smile. "As long as you give me some notice so I'm prepared, I can stay late some nights."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Perfect. I love that you were speaking Spanish to him, by the way. My dad was Cuban, and my sister always used to speak Spanish to Isaac while she was pregnant. She always told me she wanted him to grow up knowing about his heritage."

Lina let out a soft chuckle. "I'm glad. My family came here from Colombia when I was a little girl. Sometimes the Spanish just slips out."

"So, when can you start?" I laughed a little, but I was only half-joking.

"As soon as you need me."

"Um, my boyfriend is actually going to be taking care of your salary, so if it's okay, I'll give your contact information to him so he can set up the payment information over the weekend. Then we'll have your start date on Monday?"

Again with calling him my boyfriend. Except this time…this time it had slipped out a little easier.

No. I couldn't let myself go down this road. This wasn't real. None of it was. The only part of this that wasn't fake was the financial help he was giving me in exchange for four months of putting on a charade. A charade I still wasn't sure if I could pull off.

"That's perfect," she said. "If you could also give me your school schedule and any nights you know you'll need me to work right now, that would be helpful."

"Yeah, of course. Let me go grab something to write it all down."

I got up and went into my bedroom to grab one of my notebooks and a pen, but before I wrote it down, I pulled out my phone and texted Braden.

Me

Lina's a perfect fit for us. I told her I'd give you her contact info so you can call her to set up her payment info. I'll text you her number when she leaves.

Braden

That's amazing. I'm glad you found someone you like. I'll call her and get everything squared away as soon as you send me her number.

A lump rose in my throat, and I swallowed it back down as I started to write down my school schedule for Lina.

After a whole month of barely making it and being an inch away from a nervous breakdown, I finally felt like I could breathe easier. And the utter relief that washed over me at the knowledge that I didn't have to do everything on my own anymore was almost enough to make me forget that the person who had put me in this situation in the first place was the one offering me a way out of it now.

Almost.