think it’s too late to call Carmen?”
“Carmen is in Guadalajara at her niece’s wedding, remember?”
“Oh yeah. What about that guy, Steph’s cousin or whatever? The babysitter.”
“Jaylee?” Saying his name out loud makes my face flush with heat and my heart start to pound. Here are the lies, coming back to haunt me already.
“Call him and see if he’d be willing to do a last minute thing. I’ll make it worth his while,” Robert says.
“Okay,” I manage. “If you’re sure you’re okay with it.”
“Why wouldn’t I be okay with it? Steph recommended him right? Carmen says the girls love him.”
Pearl and Ada both pick up on the possibility of Jaylee babysitting and seal the deal with their enthusiasm.
“I love Jaylee, Mama,” Ada says hugging my leg. I scroll through my contacts until I see his name. This is a first. I push the button.
“Jaylee?”
“Oh, you call me now, huh?”
“I guess so. Listen, I’m here with Robert and we have an event tonight. Stephani was supposed to babysit and she got stung by a bee and now she’s in the ER.”
“Good for Stephani! Love that girl. Guess you’ll have to cancel your date,” Jaylee says, obviously pleased.
I try to act casually as I head for the kitchen and let the swinging door shut behind me.
“Robert wanted me to call you and ask you to sit for the girls. This is awful. I’m sorry,” I whisper.
“Don’t be sorry. I’ll watch Adita and Perla. Those’r my girls,” he says.
“You’d do that?” It feels like a really bad idea but my mood immediately brightens at the thought of being able to see Jaylee tonight.
“Just give me 10 to shower and I’ll be over,” he says.
“If it’s uncomfortable, I promise I’ll make it up to you.”
“And I’ll hold you to that, baby. See you in a few.”
How can he be so cavalier about the whole thing? It feels torturous to me. Oh God, what if he has something up his sleeve? I’m stupid and blind with infatuation.
I leave the kitchen and find Robert starting a movie for the girls in the living room.
“He said he’d do it. He’ll be here in fifteen minutes,” my words echo and sound forced to me.
“See? That was easy.”
“Guys, Jaylee is going to babysit tonight,” I announce to the girls. I can’t help but wring my hands as I say it.
Pearl and Ada ask if they can do water balloons in the yard with Jaylee again. I let them know that the agenda is up to the sitter and I head to the hallway mirror to apply my lipstick. I’m so lost staring at my own reflection that I jump when Robert puts a hand on my shoulder.
“Are you okay?” He asks.
I grab his hand, kiss it and pull him into a hug. I don’t want Jaylee to do anything stupid. I love Robert and I don’t want to hurt him, ever.
I stand by the front door pulling back the lace curtain peering into the darkness for his arrival. I recognize him the second he rounds the corner. His strut, the confidence and sexuality are always apparent in his body language. My body responds at the sight of him.
“Jaylee’s here!” I yell and the girls come running. They break any tension by jumping into his arms and he takes turns bear hugging them both. Robert approaches and offers his hand out to Jaylee. Jaylee pumps it eagerly.
“Thanks for coming on such short notice,” Robert says.
“No problem,” Jaylee says smiling. “Nice to finally meet you, Mr. Champion.”
“You too, Jaylee. I see you’ve already captured the hearts of all the women in my family.”
Robert is genuine and there is no trace of malice in his voice. I blush scarlet and keep my eyes on the floor, away from Jaylee.
“Yeah, they got mine too,” Jaylee says and his eyes flash to mine.
I might shatter like glass if this interaction continues.
“I’ll go pull the car around while you show him the ropes,” Robert says. He straightens his tie in the mirror and grabs his wallet and keys to the Range Rover off of the hook by the door.
I go
“Carmen is in Guadalajara at her niece’s wedding, remember?”
“Oh yeah. What about that guy, Steph’s cousin or whatever? The babysitter.”
“Jaylee?” Saying his name out loud makes my face flush with heat and my heart start to pound. Here are the lies, coming back to haunt me already.
“Call him and see if he’d be willing to do a last minute thing. I’ll make it worth his while,” Robert says.
“Okay,” I manage. “If you’re sure you’re okay with it.”
“Why wouldn’t I be okay with it? Steph recommended him right? Carmen says the girls love him.”
Pearl and Ada both pick up on the possibility of Jaylee babysitting and seal the deal with their enthusiasm.
“I love Jaylee, Mama,” Ada says hugging my leg. I scroll through my contacts until I see his name. This is a first. I push the button.
“Jaylee?”
“Oh, you call me now, huh?”
“I guess so. Listen, I’m here with Robert and we have an event tonight. Stephani was supposed to babysit and she got stung by a bee and now she’s in the ER.”
“Good for Stephani! Love that girl. Guess you’ll have to cancel your date,” Jaylee says, obviously pleased.
I try to act casually as I head for the kitchen and let the swinging door shut behind me.
“Robert wanted me to call you and ask you to sit for the girls. This is awful. I’m sorry,” I whisper.
“Don’t be sorry. I’ll watch Adita and Perla. Those’r my girls,” he says.
“You’d do that?” It feels like a really bad idea but my mood immediately brightens at the thought of being able to see Jaylee tonight.
“Just give me 10 to shower and I’ll be over,” he says.
“If it’s uncomfortable, I promise I’ll make it up to you.”
“And I’ll hold you to that, baby. See you in a few.”
How can he be so cavalier about the whole thing? It feels torturous to me. Oh God, what if he has something up his sleeve? I’m stupid and blind with infatuation.
I leave the kitchen and find Robert starting a movie for the girls in the living room.
“He said he’d do it. He’ll be here in fifteen minutes,” my words echo and sound forced to me.
“See? That was easy.”
“Guys, Jaylee is going to babysit tonight,” I announce to the girls. I can’t help but wring my hands as I say it.
Pearl and Ada ask if they can do water balloons in the yard with Jaylee again. I let them know that the agenda is up to the sitter and I head to the hallway mirror to apply my lipstick. I’m so lost staring at my own reflection that I jump when Robert puts a hand on my shoulder.
“Are you okay?” He asks.
I grab his hand, kiss it and pull him into a hug. I don’t want Jaylee to do anything stupid. I love Robert and I don’t want to hurt him, ever.
I stand by the front door pulling back the lace curtain peering into the darkness for his arrival. I recognize him the second he rounds the corner. His strut, the confidence and sexuality are always apparent in his body language. My body responds at the sight of him.
“Jaylee’s here!” I yell and the girls come running. They break any tension by jumping into his arms and he takes turns bear hugging them both. Robert approaches and offers his hand out to Jaylee. Jaylee pumps it eagerly.
“Thanks for coming on such short notice,” Robert says.
“No problem,” Jaylee says smiling. “Nice to finally meet you, Mr. Champion.”
“You too, Jaylee. I see you’ve already captured the hearts of all the women in my family.”
Robert is genuine and there is no trace of malice in his voice. I blush scarlet and keep my eyes on the floor, away from Jaylee.
“Yeah, they got mine too,” Jaylee says and his eyes flash to mine.
I might shatter like glass if this interaction continues.
“I’ll go pull the car around while you show him the ropes,” Robert says. He straightens his tie in the mirror and grabs his wallet and keys to the Range Rover off of the hook by the door.
I go
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