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“I really am that bad, huh?” I asked.
“Yes, you are.”
I smiled, though I once again felt a sting in my chest. Suddenly, I had an idea. It was a suggestion I’d gotten from a parenting article I’d read the other day, and while at the time I read the article I was sure I wasn’t one of those parents who needed help, I now realized that I’m falling short.
“What would you say if I found someone to help us out?” I asked.
“What do you mean?”
I pulled into the driveway and put the Jeep in park. “I mean, what if I were to hire a lady who would be in charge of taking you to school in the morning and picking you up in the afternoon and making dinner and all that? Like someone who made sure all the little things that you need to have done in your day get done.”
“You mean a babysitter?”
“No, nothing like that,” I said quickly. I knew I had to be careful with my words as I sold her this idea. “I mean like an assistant. You’re too old to have a babysitter, but with how busy you and I are these days, it might be helpful to have someone who could give us a hand with some things.”
“Hm, okay,” she said.
She grabbed her backpack and headed into the house, and I sighed. It wasn’t quite the reaction I’d hoped for, but then, I didn’t really know what to expect, so it was good enough.
At least Libby wasn’t upset with the idea, so that was a plus.
But, as I walked into the house to find Libby digging through the fridge, I realized the sooner I could find someone to help us out the better.
And picking a suitable woman was far easier said than done.
Chapter Two
Erin
“Doneanddone!”
I closed my laptop with a sigh of relief.
I had just submitted the final draft of the document I had been editing for the past week, and it felt good. It was a copywritten document I had been assigned two weeks before, and I’d taken the job with a lot of enthusiasm. It had gone well, and I knew my client would be happy with the final result.
Now, it was just a matter of time until I saw the money in my account, and hopefully I’d have a good review to add to my portfolio.
But, for all the positives that came with finishing this assignment, there was one major negative.
I was now back to being out of work.
I headed to the kitchen to pour myself a glass of iced tea, then I walked out onto the quiet porch. Gracie, our old golden retriever, thumped her tail on the wooden planks when she saw me, but she was too comfortable where she was lying to get up.
“Good girl,” I said. “Don’t get up. I’ll come to you.”
I walked over and sat on the bench, looking over the cool, calm countryside.
There were a couple hours of daylight left, and I was grateful to have been done with work in time to come out and enjoy what was left.
My phone chirped, and I wasn’t surprised to see Krissy’s name on the screen. She was my best friend, and though we now lived in different states after pursuing different careers, we were still just as close as always. We talked on the phone at least a couple times a week, and the days we didn’t do that, we texted.
Can I send you the latest song I’ve been working on? I think I’m ready to put it to music, but I’m not sure. I’d love a professional opinion.
I chuckled to myself. She had gone to college in Tennessee and majored in music, and now she lived in Nashville doing what she could to make it as a singer/songwriter. She knew it would be a challenge when she started this journey in the first place, but she was getting a real taste of just how hard it was now.
I, on the other hand, had a passion for writing. I always had. So, I’d gone to college at Duke University, and I’d graduated cum laude with a B.A. in English. My plan was to dive into the world of publishing and secure a job with some massive company. Or, with any luck, I would be able to work my way to the top from scratch. Perhaps I would take a different route and have my own small publishing company in my own name.
Now, however, Krissy would often reach out to me to get my opinion on some lyrics she’d written. She’d ask about it grammatically, sensibly, and emotionally.
