If possible, would Thursday at two in the afternoon be a good time for you to come in for an interview?
Best regards,
Jennifer Harrington
With shaking hands, I typed a reply. I’d make it happen.
Come Thursday morning I prepared everything for the college student I occasionally hired for childcare when I went to interviews.
The drive was about three hours, depending on the traffic, and I wanted to leave early so that I had leeway if something went wrong.
At ten thirty, she hadn’t arrived.
Tony was picking up on my anxiety spike. “What’s wrong, Daddy?”
I gave him a tight smile. “Irina hasn’t called and isn’t here yet.”
“Oh.” He went back to reading his book. Not that he could read fluently, but he definitely recognized a lot of words and could remember stories from me reading them to him.
Five minutes later, there was finally a text from Irina.
I’m sorry, my car broke and I have a migraine anyway.
I gritted my teeth.Fuck.
I dug out my phone and called the ranch’s number.
It took four rings, then a slightly breathless voice answered. “Blue Creek Ranch, Jennifer speaking.”
“Ah, Mrs. Harrington? It’s Malachi Trevino.”
“Mr. Trevino! How can I help you?” Her tone was pure warmth. Like a mom. Which she was, based on the website.
“Well, I was about to leave to make sure I’m there on time, but my babysitter just bailed.” I hung my head and held in a sigh.
“That’s not a problem, Mr. Trevino. If you want to bring your child with you, they can hang out with me. Your interview is with my son.” Her voice didn’t change at all until it got more playful as she added, “I’ve raised ten of my own. Trust me, it’s no hardship.”
I swallowed hard. “Are you absolutely sure? He’s a good kid. Really quiet and polite.”
She chuckled. “I’m sure. Even if he wasn’t. If he can make the trip, he’s welcome here.”
I exhaled. “Okay. Okay. I’ll… I’ll stop for some travel snacks and things, but we should be there around two, give or take.”
“I understand this is a change of plans and if it delays you any, I know you’ll text or call me to let me know. It’s not easy being a parent, and if you’re doing it on your own…. Just take a deep breath and drive carefully. I’ll see you in a few hours.”
Holding back sudden tears I nodded even though she couldn’t see me. “Yeah. Thank you. I’ll see you then.”
I lifted my gaze. “Tony? You’re coming with me. Grab Mr. Raven and whatever else you need. You have five minutes.”
Grumbling, he began to do as told. “Is it a ranch?” he asked, sounding mildly disgusted already.
“It is. You know that’s the kind of work Daddy does.”
“I guess.”
Ten minutes later, we were on the way.
I wasn’t sure what to think about Jennifer Harrington. She seemed really nice and warm on the phone, but you could fake that. Or just sound better than you were in reality. The fact that she’d mentioned the single parent thing probably meant that she felt sorry for me.
