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My sister, Emily, enters the room right behind her. Penny twirls to show off the dress Emily got for her. My sister and I smile at each other, barely able to handle the cuteness.
“Do you like my dress, Daddy?” Penny asks as she continues to twirl.
“I love it, Penny. You look so pretty.”
“Thanks!” She grins and then skips out of the room and in the direction of her bedroom.
“Thanks for helping her get ready, Emily. Are you sure you don’t want to come to the party with us?”
She smirks. “You know the Windell’s annual Independence Day bash is totally not my scene.”
I put my hands on my hips. “That’s right, you’re too cool for us,” I say sarcastically.
She gives me an endearing smile. “I just want to binge Netflix on your flat screen while you’re gone.” She lifts her chin to motion towards my large TV mounted on the living room wall.
“Alright, suit yourself.” I lift one shoulder in a shrug. “Not sure who’s going to watch that TV if you ever move out.”
She flinches at my comment. “About that. Do you have a minute to talk?”
My sister has been living with me since we moved to Kansas ten years ago after losing our parents. We were eager to get out of Seattle and the depressing rain and move onto greener pastures, literally.
When I finished medical school, I had two criteria in my surgical residency search: (1) somewhere sunny, and (2) somewhere with little to no traffic.
I haven’t been back to Seattle since. We love it here.
“Of course, shoot.”
“Well, now that I finally finished my MBA, I’ve been setting up interviews. And I went to one yesterday.”
My eyebrows shoot up. I knew this was coming. She worked hard to get her master’s online while nannying for me. And I knew she couldn’t be my nanny forever.
“That's outstanding! How’d it go?”
“Actually, they called me yesterday evening and offered me a job!”
I pull her into a bear hug. “Congratulations, Emily, I’m so proud of you.”
“Yeah, I know, thanks,” she mumbles into my chest, squirming to release herself from the hug.
After a few seconds, I ask, “So, how long do I have to find a new nanny?”
She plays with her fingers, looking uncomfortable. “They want me to start in two weeks.” She looks up at me briefly. “But I told them I’d need to talk to my current employer first.”
I laugh a little at her referring to me as her current employer. “Don’t feel bad, Em. I knew this day would come. I’ll find someone to watch Penny.”
She sighs. “Yeah, I know. But is two weeks enough time?”
I bite the inside of my cheek, knowing it’s probably not enough time. But I don’t want her to feel guilty about moving forward with her life. She’s been through enough as it is.
“It’ll be fine. And if I can’t find anyone in two weeks, I have some vacation days saved up that I can use.”
She gives my arm a pat since she’s not big on physical affection. “Thanks, Drew, for everything. You really are the best brother a girl could ask for.”
I wink. “Yeah, I know. I’m pretty great.”
She rolls her eyes and stalks off.
I turn on my heel and walk down the hallway to the master bedroom. Penny’s room is right next to mine, so I peek inside to see what she’s doing. She’s happily playing Barbies. Looks like they’re also having a Fourth of July BBQ. Lucky dolls.
