She smiled shyly and laid her head on her mom’s shoulder.
“Hi. Do you play video games?” Carsyn asked me.
“Carsyn,” Alicia reprimanded.
“It’s fine, Mrs. Hill. I do play, actually. What you got?”
He grinned. “You know how to playMortal Kombat?”
“Man, what? I’m theMortal Kombatchampion!”
“Who’s your favorite character?”
“Liu Kane, but I like Shang Tsung too.”
“Scorpion is mine! He has reach.”
I chuckled. “A’ight, I see you, champ. We can play later. Cool?” I looked at Alicia, and she had a small smile on her face.
“Okay, you guys go finish playing while I talk to Mr. Basil.”
The kids hurried off, and she waved for me to follow her down the hall. I dismissed Chino after confirming that the environment was safe, and I followed Alicia into what I assumed was her office. Every room smelled like something different. Her office smelled like her—vanilla and something sweet.
“Have a seat,” she said, walking around her desk. I took a seat and waited for her to get comfortable. She fidgeted for a minute as I waited for her to speak. I could tell she was nervous by the way she kept running her hand over her hair.
I smiled at her. “Relax, Mrs. Hill. I promise, I am only here to supply your needs.”
Her eyes stapled to me, and as much as she was trying to hide her smile, I could see it forming on those beautiful-ass lips.
“It’sMissHill.” That information loosened something in my chest as she looked down in thought at the calendar on her desk. Hearing that she was now available made my decision to come here worth it. It definitely made my day. “Anyway, uh, I wanted to go over a few things with you, if that’s okay.”
“It’s perfectly fine, Miss Hill. I’m here to serve you.” I pulled out my iPad and went to my Notes app.
She smiled again before speaking. “My previous nanny would usually get the kids up by six a.m., feed them breakfast, then get Carsyn and Chloe to their bus by 7:05 a.m. Carlee is the only one who will need to be transported to daycare and has to be there no later than eight fifteen a.m. and picked up by four. When they come home?—”
I cut her off. “I’m sorry to interrupt, and let me know if I’m overstepping, but will it be necessary for her to continue daycare? I have a degree in childcare and childhood development. I’m more than capable of the job to save you time and money.”
“Oh, well, I didn’t want to burden you with a terrible two-year-old. She just started going to day care a little over a month ago.”
“It’s no burden, Miss Hill. It’s part of my job to care for children.”
“You can call me Alicia.”
I gave a curt nod. “Noted.”
“And I guess that wouldn’t be a problem if you’re up for it. When they come home, Ms. Shelly usually goes over their homework with them if they have any, and she makes them a light lunch. Dinner is usually by seven, sometimes sooner. Baths are by eight, and bedtime is by nine. Carsyn and Chloe can independently bathe themselves, but of course, Carlee would need help.
“I’m usually home by eight, so I can take care of Carlee for that part. I will post daily household tasks on the refrigerator so you can get familiar with their diets and routines. I have weekends off, but I’ll still be working from home. I try to only do a few hours of work so I can spend time with my babies over the weekend. Also, their spring break is coming up in another week or so, and I’m taking them to Florida to Universal Studios. I hope you are available since I know it’s last-minute.”
I typed away on my iPad before giving her my full attention.
“Again, I’m at your service, Ms. Alicia.”
She smiled, and my eyes stapled to those beautiful lips. There was no doubt that the Big Man made this happen for me. Alicia wasn’t just beautiful, but I could sense her good energy. The storm brewing in her eyes allowed me to see that she had beenburned by love. I only knew because I was a victim of loving someone who was never meant for me. I could imagine how hard it was to sit in front of strangers while putting up a brave front, secretly breaking inside.
I could see a woman who worked hard and possibly loved hard as well, which was a blessing and a curse. I didn’t know what happened since the time I first saw her in the deli, but each time I’d seen her after, her eyes had been losing their light. I might have been there as her manny, but I was also going to be sure to bring that light back to her eyes because she deserved that.
She stood from her seat and walked around the desk. “I have some free time, so we can go over everything and mark the calendars.”
