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“Sorry,” I said. “I got a little lost in my own world there for a second. Yes, of course, I will check on your friend and clean his room. Is there anything, in particular, you would like me to do?”
Laughing, he said, “Just see if you can give him some tips for getting the baby to stop crying. I know he’s doing his best, but he’s lost. He needs all the help he can get. Sloane and I help as much as we can but we don’t have kids, so half the time, we’re just guessing. I am hoping that talking with someone who has been through it will help him see there’s light at the end of the tunnel.”
I nodded, and then since my new tag was done drying, I stood up and thanked him once again for being so understanding. “And thanks for my new badge too.”
“It’s really not a problem,” he said with a grin. “Have a nice day, Katya.”
I began my morning rounds and wondered more about who this single dad is that Harry asked me to check on. I had met a lot of single moms over the years but very few dads.
Chapter Three
Zane
Afteranothersleeplessnight,I dozed off while feeding Kenlee. It wasn’t on purpose but who knows how long I would’ve stayed asleep if someone hadn’t started knocking on my door. I opened my eyes to see sunlight streaming in through the window, and Kenlee was asleep in my arms. The knocking continued, so I sighed and tried to get up as quickly as possible. It was just after 1:00 pm, so it wasn’t like it was early in the morning, but I hadn’t been expecting anyone, so my brow furrowed as I made my way to the door and peered through the peephole. But before I could see anything, the person knocked again. It wasn’t a loud knock, but it was enough to wake Kenlee, who started crying right away.
“No, no, no,” I said, both to myself and to whatever jackass was on the other side of the door. “She was sleeping so soundly!”
I furiously opened the door, ready to go off on whoever was responsible for my crying child. They might not have deserved it, but they were damn sure going to get a scolding regardless. I was too exhausted to play nice. My eyes met the curious gaze of a young maid with blond hair, and I twisted my mouth into an angry scowl. I pointed to the ‘Do not Disturb’ sign hanging from my door handle, and said, “Can you not read?”
Nervously, the woman took a step back and started wringing her hands. “I’m sorry, sir,” she said. “ I saw you had the ‘Do not Disturb’ sign on your door, but your friend Harry sent me to clean your room.”
“Harry sent you to specifically cleanmyroom? Why?”
“Uh, well… he… um… he mentioned that your room might be in need of some tidying up, because you have a young child at home and he was worried that you were maybe feeling overwhelmed. But—”
“Oh I get it,” I said, narrowing my eyes and going to shut the door in her face. “He sent you to check up on me, is that it? Sloane told him what a wreck I was yesterday when she came around, and now he wants to make sure that everything is fine. Well, you can go back and report to him that I’ve got it all under control. I can take care of myself, and my daughter, on my own, thanks.”
“I understand, sir,” she said. “... It’s just that I know how difficult it is to take care of a small baby by yourself, much less keep anything clean. So, if you’re sure you don’t need someone to come help you tidy up, then I’ll go… but the offer still stands if you change your mind.” She then smiled at me once more and started down the hallway. I started to walk back into my room, and then remembered I was actually out of clean towels and needed the sheets changed, so I poked my head out of the door once more and called after her.
“Oh, uh…” I cleared my throat, feeling a bit of my pride being wounded in real time as I had to ask this woman to come back. “Actually…”
She looked over her shoulder with a smile. “Yes, Sir, what can I do for you?”
“If…if you wanted to come in and clean the room,” I said knowing there were frat houses in better condition than the pigsty I was living in. “I guess I could use some fresh linens… and the tub could use a good scrubbing. I haven’t been able to stay on top of cleaning with the baby and all, so if youreallywanted to help, then there are some things you could assist me with.”
The woman nodded politely and came back to the door. She entered the room, and I read her name tag as she walked past me.
Katya. That’s a pretty name.
She set her cleaning supplies down and surveyed the room. “It isn’t that bad Mr. – I’m sorry, I am afraid I didn’t get your last name.”
I laughed, knowing it is just like Harry to send her down here without giving her all the information. “That’s okay. My name is Grey, Zane Grey.”
“Thank you, Mr. Grey. I have seen much worse than this. Don’t worry, I will have the room looking brand new with minimal disruptions to you and the baby,” she said assuredly.
Not liking the sound of Mr. Grey coming from this young woman’s lips, I quickly corrected her. “Please, call Me Zane.”
She looked nervous, like she had said the wrong thing so she quickly started apologizing. “I am so sorry, Zane. I meant no disrespect.”
“You are fine, please relax. You didn’t know, but I appreciate your manners. “
“Right,” she said, nodding, “Well, my name is Katya.”
“I know,” I said. “I saw your name tag. It’s nice to meet you, Katya.” At this point, Kenlee had finally started to quiet down, so I went about strapping her into the baby stroller. “I think I’m going to take her out for a walk if you’re good to start cleaning while I’m gone?”
“Of course,” she said, but then quickly added, “But please, don’t feel like you need to leave on my account. I will be really quiet and won’t disturb you or the baby, I swear.”
“I’m not doing it for you,” I assured her. “I could really use the fresh air. Kenlee and I have hardly left the room in the last few days, and this is the perfect excuse for us to get outside and actually join the real world for a while.”
