“Hello?” I ask.
“Are you still coming today?” Carrie, the community center director, asks.
“Yes,” I drawl. “Am I going to have help, or am I recruiting parents to help me wrangle rug rats?”
“Tara went into heat this morning, and Lyra is out with the stomach flu,” she says, sounding frazzled.
“Eh, it’s good for parents to be involved in this stuff, right?” I joke.
Usually, there will be parents watching their kids, and the community center staff is there to make sure no one is being unsafe. I’ll just have to add in a few more things so that the kids aren’t as wild. Just how I want to spend my Tuesday morning.
“Ummm yeah. Good luck, Silva. We have twenty kids set up for this class,” she says, hanging up right after.
Nope.Making sure I take care of my dishes, I grab my bag and head over to knock on Lexi’s door. I need reinforcements so that I won’t make children cry today. I’m not above bribing her.
Locking up behind me, I walk down my porch stairs, across my lawn and stomp up onto Lexi’s porch to knock loudly on her door. I wait exactly five seconds before using my keys to crack open the door.
“Hello?” I yell. Listen, I need to make sure it’s just her. I wouldn’t be surprised to find her and Emmett getting freaky in the kitchen. Again. “In the kitchen!” Lexi yells back.
Grinning, I hustle inside, and cross the house.
“Name your price to help me wrangle tiny humans,” I say in greeting as I walk into the kitchen.
Her eyes get huge as she sips her coffee, trying to figure out what I’m talking about.
“What’s with the hoodie?” she asks instead. “That’s not yours.”
“It could be,” I reply instead.
“Nope,” she says. “That’s Syrus’, isn’t it? Did you spend the night?”
“I did not,” I say, biting my lip.
“But you had fun?” Lexi asks, her smile growing wide.
“Mmhmm,” I admit, my weight shifting. “Will you please help me with the gym time for toddlers at the community center? Everyone called out.”
“Well, fuck,” she says, clapping her hand over her mouth.
“They can’t hear you yet,” I tease her. “Please? I’ll buy lunch afterward.”
“It’s Tuesday. Marie has a special on Rueben sandwiches today,” she muses.
“Lexi!” I groan. “Whatever you want, but you need to hurry.”
“Fine,” she grins, standing. “Let me throw a shirt over this and I’ll be ready.”
She’s wearing a sports bra and leggings, and I realize that she’s been up for a while.
“I did a yoga class at the courtyard this morning. It was really relaxing,” she says, leaving her coffee cup on the island as she scoots out of the kitchen.
Making a face, I put the rest of her coffee in a to-go thermos and clean her mug before I put it away.
“Ready,” Lexi says, her bag in hand.
“Thank you,” I grunt, passing her coffee to her as I hustle out the door.
She’s used to my antics, so she simply follows me to my truck.
