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He pushed the file towards me. I checked through and gasped at the pay. It was almost three times my previous pay. I quickly appended my signature and pushed the file back to him.
He checked his watch and blew out a breath. “Phew, I’m late. I trust you can take it up from here.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Just call me Adrian. Here’s my number in case of any emergencies. I would give you a tour but, like I said, I’m late. So please figure it out.”
The rest of the day went by quickly as the girls and I baked another batch of cookies like I promised. While Rose took an active part in rolling out the cookie dough, Aurora simply watched from the corner. It was, however, a huge surprise when I was pulling out the cookies, and I felt a hand pulling at my dress.
“Zoey. Are you our new mommy?” Aurora asked, looking up at me.
“Sweetheart. I’m your nanny. I will do mommy duties, but I’m not your mommy.”
“Why can’t you be our mommy?” Rose joined the little inquiry session.
“Because. I’m sure your dad will get you guys a mommy soon. In the meantime, I will be here for whatever you need.”
I had been so distracted tending to the girls that I totally lost track of time. When the huge clock struck another hour, I looked up to see that it was 3 pm. Aurora was sprawled in my lap, snoring softly while Rose, who was a few feet away, rolled on her back.
Carefully, I laid Aurora down and got my phone. I quickly dialed Olivia’s number.
“Hey, luv, could you please pick Jason? I can’t leave here.”
“Fine. I’ll have Joe stand in for me. But you owe me one.”
While they slept, I tidied up the playroom and kept their toys in the appropriate places. I went to the kitchen and did the dishes. The freezer was almost empty, and there weren’t many groceries to work with. I couldn’t leave the girls by themselves, so I had to make do with what was available. I prepared stir fry pasta while making sure I avoided ingredients Aurora was allergic to.
It was a few minutes past 5 pm when Adrian drove in. My heart thudded as I looked around to ensure everything was in order. The sound of the door opening was followed by footsteps. When he came into the playroom, he had his buttons undone, and his hair was ruffled. I lifted my hand to my lips to indicate keeping his voice down. He must have gotten the memo as he walked closer to me. Awfully close, he bent his head and whispered in my ears.
“Tell me, Zoey. How was your first day?”
- ULTIMATUM
ADRIAN BLACK
As the weeks skirted by, we developed a familiar but pleasing routine. I awoke almost every day to open the door for Zoey. After taking a quick shower and general preparations for work, I walked downstairs to the sound of pans and the sweet smell of spices and flavors, courtesy of Zoey’s amazing cooking. Next, together we’d go into the girl’s room and wake them up. That was usually the easy part. In the weeks following her employment, I decided that it would be appropriate for the girls to get homeschooled through elementary classes. Call me paranoid, but I wasn’t about to let them out of a safe zone, especially Aurora, who had tons of allergies. So, after having a filling breakfast with the kids, I’d leave them in the safe care of Zoey, whom the girls have grown to love.
Weekends were my favorite times as I got to be with the kids. We’d go on little ‘dates’ and adventures. It was usually a walk in the park—which has proven to not only be therapeutic but also helps the girls release pent-up energy—an ice cream date or a coffee date at this amazing café that Zoey introduced to us. Of course, the kids were never allowed caffeine.
In the little over two months since Zoey started working for me, hiring her has proven to be one of the best decisions I made that year. The girls absolutely adore her, and since she brought Jason around frequently, they had someone in their age bracket around. We were all thriving, the kids, Zoey, and I. Zoey is still as much a mystery as she had been since the moment I hired her. Something, an emotion that bore a semblance of guilt, always seemed to seep into her eyes along with the want. It was as though she knew something that I didn’t, but I couldn’t press her. A woman’s mind was tricky waters that I had no interest in navigating. That also included shoving the intense attraction I had for her into a deep bottomless pit.
Speaking of tricky waters, another such thing was predicting my parent’s next move. Even at thirty, they still saw me as their little boy and had no regard for boundaries whatsoever. That would explain why their car purred to a halt in front of my house and why they stood at my door at 9 am on a Saturday with huge smiles and a lot of gifts for the girls.
“Hello, Mom. Dad. This is quite a surprise,” I greeted politely.
“It’s been a while since you came by the house, and you seem to be keeping young Rosie and Aurora from their grandparents,” Mom said in her custom scolding voice. I had heard it enough times to be able to tell, along with all the other tell-tales. A deep scowl and two wrinkles on her forehead. Like a frown but more intense, and it gets the message across, always.
“Will you at least invite us in?” Dad asked impatiently. I wasn’t surprised. The old man had never been one for patience or a show of affection.
“It’s good to see you too, Dad. Please come on in,” I ushered him in and threw my hand around Mom, who was busy looking around the house. I mentally prepared for a lecture on why I should do better and make the house into a home. The home décor was simple, just how I liked it. Zoey had passed some comments about how masculine the raven black couch was, but it was comfortable, and the kids loved how overstuffed it was, so it remained.
“The house feels empty and cold,” Mom said, pulling her jacket tighter to drive her point home. “By the way, where are my princesses?”
“In the playroom. Let me go get them.”
“Hold on. Maybe just not yet, son,” Dad cut in, and he and Mom exchanged a knowing look. One I knew too much and dared to assume had to do with their unannounced visit.
“Alright. What’s up? Out with it. I know y’all have something to say, so…”
