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Parker looks down at his coffee mug. He swirls his hand a little, so the coffee inside moves and gives him something to look at. “But I’m not really sure we need you. We’ve been doing fine on our own for this long, and I don’t want anything to mess that up.”
I stare at him, but he doesn’t look up at me. I sigh and resign myself to possibly getting fired. “I don’t really think you’ve been doing fine.”
Parker looks up at me with his brow furrowed. “Excuse me?”
“I think you’ve been getting by,” I tell him. “But your kids need more. They do need to be taught more than just a couple hours here and there. Jackson needs a lot of help with reading, and Evie needs socialization. They can’t be alone here that much longer. And you…you need my help, whether you want to admit or not. You’re overworked and exhausted from trying to keep up with everything, and you’re so stubborn because you want to be able to do everything yourself.”
He silently listens to me talk, but I make sure to lean forward, to make sure this point hits home. “You don’t need to do everything alone. You know that old saying, ‘it takes a village’? You’re just one person. You’ve done so well by them this far, but you need help just as much as they do.”
Parker keeps staring at me. I know I should probably get up and offer to pack my bags and call Penelope for a ride, but I sit, looking back at him, waiting for him to talk.
“Well,” Parker finally says, after a long pause. He hesitates again like he’s considering saying something. “Is that what you really think?”
I’m surprised, but I try not to let it show. “Yeah, it is. Kids need an education and parents need help. That’s why my job exists at all.”
Parker’s still staring at me. He picks up his coffee and sips at it, glancing out the window. I wish, more than anything, at that moment to have the ability to read his thoughts. But I don’t, and he almost never speaks his mind, so I’ll probably never know what he’s thinking.
“Please,” I say, into the silence. “After everything I’ve seen this week—I want to help the kids. I want to make a difference in their life. I know you don’t want my help, but I think we’d both be better off if you had it.”
Parker glances at me. “You really think so?”
“I do,” I say. I don’t know why he hasn’t kicked me out on my ass yet, but I’m going to push my boundaries until he does. “I really do. Please, give me a chance.”
Parker glares at me, then looks away again. “I’ve given you a chance.”
I feel all my muscles sag at once. He definitely doesn’t sound happy about having given me a chance, but I push him anyways. “And?”
Parker’s brow furrows, confused. “And what?”
“And hasn’t that been for the best?” I ask. Parker keeps looking out the window.
“Yeah,” he says, after a painfully long moment of silence. “Things have been better since you got here. Smoother, I guess.”
I relax after hearing him admit that because something in his tone is reassuring. “Well, I guess I should go pack my bags then,” I say, calling his bluff. “I’ll have Penelope come pick me up so the kids don’t get upset.”
I stand, and before I’m able to walk away, he speaks up. “Don’t go. I think you should stay.”
I just barely stop myself from exclaiming with delight as I turn around and make eye contact with him.
“Permanently. Penelope called today. She said she can help you move your stuff up here if you want.”
I look at him with a sudden realization. “Wait, so you didn’t really want me to leave?”
Parker looks busted and doesn’t say a word.
“And you made me fight for myself,” I say, almost laughing. I sit back down in front of him and take a sip of my coffee to keep it in. “You’re just playing games with me, aren’t you?”
“No,” he says, defensively. “I just wanted to make sure you cared enough to want to stay.”
It’s a sobering thought, and laughter leaves me. I just barely stop myself from reaching out and taking his hand. “I do want to stay. Though it’s only been a week, your kids mean the world to me and I care about you too.”
I’m only a little surprised to find that I mean it, but I do. Parker and his kids have barged into my heart, and I care immensely for all of them. It happens when I work with a family for a while, but this connection feels even stronger. I’m glad—so, so glad—that Parker wants me to stay. If he hadn’t, I would’ve been heartbroken.
“Well,” Parker says, clearing his throat. “Penelope said she’d bring up more clothes for you and whatever else you needed.”
I’m struck by how much he’s already thought about all this. “Well, I’ll have to sublet my apartment so I can afford the rent.”
“Penelope said she’d take care of helping you sublet it. That way you don’t have to worry about going into town and showing it until you find the right tenant.”
