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“But you said the interviews today haven’t worked out so far, and I know you really don’t want someone living in your house. You’re much too private a person, Kevin. I’m not even sure why you agreed to interview him.”
“Honestly, he should’ve been the first person I spoke to. He has a nearly perfect rating with the agency.”
Mom sniffed. “No one’s perfect, honey.”
“I said, nearly, but that’s not the most impressive thing about him. In the last seven years, he’s only worked with three families. They’ve all kept him until their kids either didn’t need someone or, in the last family’s case, they moved.”
“Ohhh.” She hummed. “That is impressive.”
“The house, however, is not,” I said, tossing blocks into their container. I’d been so disheartened after Ava scurried out of the house, and I’d felt bad for my daughter, who didn’t understand what was happening, so I’d kind of let her have a free-for-all this afternoon. Now, it was precariously close to time for Chris to arrive, and my house looked like a hurricane hit it.
Mom snorted. “It’ll be a good test. If he doesn’t handle the toy disaster that’s my sweet grandchild better than that first old biddy handled the flour, then he’s not a good fit, anyway.” Mom tutted her tongue. “Really, Kevin. What were you thinking putting Lexi in a frilly dress before baking?”
After the English-nanny-wanna-be left, I’d sent Mom and Margie a picture of Lexi sitting on the counter with everything dusted in flour, including herself, with It Snowed. Both of them had sent back laughing and heart emojis. My daughter really couldn’t do anything wrong in their eyes.
A half-groan chuckle escaped me. “I don’t know. I wanted the house to smell good, and I wanted Lexi to look her adorable best, and the next thing you know, I had winter wonderland chaos.”
She snickered. “Your first mistake was trying to showcase our girl like she’s anything but who she is. Tell me the truth, how long did the dress last?”
I barked out a laugh. My mom knew Lexi too well. “I opened the door to let Ms. Meyer out and turned around to find Lexi’s dress stuck halfway over her head as she spun in circles trying to get it off.”
“That sounds about right. What’s she doing right now? It sounds too quiet.”
After dumping two different bins of blocks out to build a tower, she’d moved on to a chair that hung from the ceiling. She was currently lying across the middle on her belly, spinning in circles and chomping on the Goldfish I’d given her for a snack. “She’s spinning. Mom”—I fell onto the couch—“what am I going to do?”
She sighed. “Well, unfortunately, you have to work. Now that you’re finally acknowledging that you’re not Superman and you can’t do it all, you need to consider your options. You can push the interview this afternoon, or I know you’d prefer Lexi be at home, but daycare is always an option. It might be good, Kev. She’d get a chance to play with other kids.”
I knew she was right, and I planned to put her into preschool next year. In the meantime, until everyone and their dog started strongly suggesting that I get some help, I’d always had this vision of raising Lexi at home until she was school-age. I’d dreamed so much while her surrogate was pregnant with her, and those fantasies always involved me working from home with my baby with me. I guess I hadn’t really understood the realities of a toddler yet, since I’d been a single child and the only other kids I’d ever been around were Margie and George’s. They’d made it look so easy.
“I hear what you’re saying, and I plan on looking into some of the events and activities around the community. Things at the library or maybe a gymnastics class or something.”
“As you should. But you’re not going to be able to do that if you’re exhausted. You need help one way or the other.”
She was right. As it was, by the time Lexi and I sat down for dinner, I was exhausted. Most of the time, I also still had several hours’ worth of work ahead of me once I put her to bed. “You’re right. I guess I should at least have a conversation with this last person. I’m really not sure I want anyone to live with us, but he’s got the experience and references. If he doesn’t seem like a fit, I’ll go ahead and check out some of the other agencies and the nearby childcare centers.”
“Good. Let me know how it goes.”
“I will. Thanks, Mom.”
“Love you. Give our girl kisses for me.”
We hung up, and I threw my phone onto the couch and swung Lexi’s chair up, catching it in the air to put her right in front of me, and I buzzed her cheek. She squealed and tried pushing away. “Daaaddddy.”
Holding the cloth chair with one arm, I tickled her belly. “Grandma said to give you kisses.”
“No, Daddy, no,” she said between giggles.
I got so caught up in our game that the sound of the doorbell shocked me. “Shoot.” I held onto Lexi’s chair as I dropped it slowly back down. “You keep swinging, Lexi. Daddy will be right back.”
Since I wasn’t completely convinced that I’d like anyone enough to let them move into my house, I wasn’t as prepared to interview Chris as I had been the other two candidates. Forcing a smile on my face, I swung the door open, then stared in stunned silence as I took in the man before me. Taller than me, blondish-brown hair, clean shaven unlike the other night, but with those vivid blue eyes I’d been dreaming about since then. Why in the world was CJ at my house?
He double-blinked in confusion, checked his phone, leaned back, and gazed at the house numbers beside the door, then asked, “Mr. Wadsworth?”
“Uh. Um. Yes?” I didn’t mean to make it sound like a question. I did know my own name. But I was having a hard time comprehending CJ—hook-up extraordinaire—standing on my doorstep. How had he found my address? I didn’t think I’d even given him my last name.
A mischievous grin crept onto his gorgeous face. “Well, hello, handsome.”
My eyes widened, and I glanced frantically over my shoulder for my daughter. Not that she’d have any kind of thoughts on someone addressing me that way, but it made me feel oddly vulnerable for her to hear this beautiful man calling me something so…sweet. As I looked back down the hall, I heard her voice from close by. As in underneath me.
