JENNIE
When my brother mentioned that Lalisa Manoban was looking for a favor, I was sure I'd thought of just about every possibility, A through Z. Did she need advice? Maybe she needed to borrow my weed whacker? Or, my personal favorite, did she need a ride to the airport so she could turn around and go straight back to New York where she belongs?
But what she's asking is crazier and more demanding than anything I ever could have dreamed up.
"Please at least consider it. I need someone to look after Lauren while I work, and I trust you."
I blink at Lisa, half tempted to scrub out my ears to make sure I heard her right. She wants me to look after her two-year-old daughter who, up until twenty-four hours ago, I didn't even know existed? That's a much bigger favor then I could have ever imagined, and one that has caught me completely off guard.
I steady myself by grasping the table, watching my knuckles turn as white as the marble countertops next to us.
"Please be her nanny. It would only be part time," she says, as if that justifies this insane situation. "Just until I can land on my feet. Things are overwhelming with mom right now, and figuring out how to manage my New York properties from afar. I need to know I have someone I can count on and someone I can trust entirely with my daughter."
I stare at my hands, dodging her electric-blue eyes, which I can feel pleading with mine. "I don't know. There are some really great day cares in town that might be—"
"All the day-care centers are already full for the summer," she says. "And when I asked Hanbin, he mentioned that you have the summer off." Lisa pauses, and when I look up at her, her mouth pulls into a gentle smile. "Congrats, by the way. You're a teacher, just like you always wanted."
My mouth opens for a moment in shock before I can snap it closed. Why does she remember my high school dream job? I figured she threw out every memory of me when she left Wilmington.
"I teach first graders, not preschoolers," I say, turning my head over my shoulder to get a look at Lauren.
She's got a vise grip on that stuffed bat toy, but she seems more interested in our conversation than playing. If she were a bit older, she might have turned away and pretended not to be eavesdropping, but not Lauren. She just studies me from across the room with curious blue eyes. "But you're good with kids," Lisa says, drawing my attention back to her. "I seem to remember you babysitting your way through high school. Isn't that how you paid for your homecoming dress junior year?"
I fold my arms over my chest. That's two really specific things she remembers about me from over a decade ago. And it puts a fluttery feeling in my stomach that I can't quite identify and don't want to latch onto.
Am I creeped out that she committed such tiny details of me to memory? Or maybe I should be flattered. Either way, the fluttery feeling needs to go away, because apparently it's affecting my brain. I'm actually beginning to consider this nannying gig. My teacher's salary could really use a little extra padding over the summer and she said it's only part time so I'd still be able to get plenty of beach time in. Plus, I really do feel awful about her mom. I can see how much that's affecting her.
"Listen . . ." She sighs, planting her forearms on the table in a way that makes it really difficult not to admire how toned they are. "I know it's a big ask, but I'm really in a jam here. My mom is sick and . . ." She swallows hard, as if forcing down the emotion building in her throat. "I can find someone else, if need be. But Lauren's my whole world. I want her to be with someone I trust."
I chew the inside of my cheek, letting my gaze sweep from the bill of Lisa's baseball cap all the way down to the toes of her black sneakers. I can hardly believe this is the same girl from ten years ago. Now she's a total different, all rugged, muscular lines, a perfect contrast to the gentle way she handles her sweet little girl.
One look into those blue eyes, and my mind hums with an old memory. Lisa and me, the fall of my junior year, just a week after homecoming weekend, when she asked me out on my parents' couch while her friends chugged cheap beers upstairs.
She made good on her word, picking me up the next Friday night, making sure Hanbin was at the football game so Lisa wouldn't be caught taking out her best friend's younger sister. We got double scoops of chocolate ice cream and walked up and down the beach, chatting about everything under the sun, and eventually, the moon.
And at the end of the night, when the words ran out, she lifted my chin with the tips of her fingers and pressed the sweetest, gentlest kiss against my lips. She tasted like chocolate and salty sea air, and just the feel of her hot breath against my lips sent a tingle straight to my toes.
That first date wasn't the only first I gave Lalisa Manoban. In fact, she took just about all my firsts. But we were only kids then. And now she has a kid of her own. A kid she wants me to look after.
I loosen my grip on the table, slowly letting myself return to reality. It would be insane to take her up on this offer. I told Jisoo yesterday that I have zero intentions of getting involved with this woman again. Taking a job that involves constantly being in her house and around her daughter definitely qualifies as getting involved with her. And how could I be around her all the time, witnessing her in all her hot dad glory, and not feel things? But then again, how do I say no to her and her adorable baby girl?
"Can I think about it?" I say, breaking the silence between us. It may not be the answer she wanted, or even an answer at all, but Lisa still nods, her eyes understanding.
"Absolutely. My assistant in New York can manage things if I need to take a day or two off, and—"
A generic ringtone blares from her pocket, interrupting her train of thought. She fishes her phone out, her eyes narrowing with concern after glancing at the screen.
"Excuse me for a minute," she says, pressing the green ANSWER icon and bringing the phone to her ear. "Hi, Mom. Everything okay?"
I step into the living room to give her some privacy, where Lauren has, for some reason, decided to cram her stuffed bat between the couch cushions. Fascinated, I watch her use her chubby fingers to poke its wings into the crevice until her stuffed animal is nearly hidden from view.
When she spots me heading her way, she pulls it back out, holding it up to give me a good view of its worn gray fur and button eyes. "Flapflap," she says with a big smile.
She stares at me expectantly until I take it, but once I do, she holds out both hands to take it back, then hugs it tightly to her chest. Yep, toddlers are officially a mystery to me.
When Lisa walks into the room, I can immediately feel the shift in her energy, and panic is written all over her face.
"Mom's not doing well. I need to get her to the ER." Her gaze bounces between me and Lauren and her watch, and I can practically see the gears turning in her head. "I guess I can bring her with me . . ."
I shake my head, huffing out a sigh. "I . . . can look after her." The words fly out of my mouth without my brain's permission.
Well, so much for having time to think about it.
Her eyes narrow on me, her thick brows pulling together. "Are you sure?"
Am I sure I know what to do with a two-year-old I hardly know, in a house I've never been in before? Absolutely not. But I'm not going to tell her that.
"Of course. It'll be okay. I've got her. Just go."
"I'll be home as soon as I can." She glances anxiously at her watch. "An hour, maybe? Hour and a half, tops?"
"Don't worry about it." I wave her off toward the door. "We'll be fine. Just do what you need to do."
The worry on her face fades into a soft, grateful smile. She pauses for a moment, her brilliant blue eyes locking with mine. There's something about those eyes that a girl just can't say no to.
"Thank you, Jennie," she says with an appreciative tone. "I'll pay you for your time, I promise."
"We'll discuss it later. Go help your mom."
With a flourish, she snatches her car keys off the kitchen counter, presses a quick kiss to the top of her daughter's head, and bolts for the door, rattling off a string of thank-yous as she leaves.
Once again, Lalisa Manoban has run off on me. At least this time, it doesn't feel like it's for good.
But instead of leaving me heartbroken and confused like she did when we were a couple, she's left me in an unfamiliar house with her single most prized possession—her daughter. Who, by the way, is super not happy about her grand exit.
"Dadaaaaa!" Lauren's face scrunches up as a shriek loud enough to make a siren jealous pours out of her, her little hands reaching desperately toward the door her dada just disappeared through.
Crap.
I suck in a much-needed deep breath. Okay, Jennie. If you can deal with twenty-five first graders for five years, you can manage a toddler for an hour.
And regardless of age, I can think of one foolproof way to dry the tears of any little kid. Or any adult, for that matter. Ice cream. I guess my first date with little Lauren is going to be the same as my first date with her dada.
Crouching down to Lauren's level, I offer her a smile. I'm not sure if she'll let me pick her up, but when I wipe the tears from her soft cheeks with my thumb, she quiets a little.
"Do you like ice cream?"
Lauren nods, her lower lip still trembling as she sniffs back her tears.
"Well, your dada will be home in a little while, and I was thinking we should get some ice cream while we wait for her. What do you think?"
If there are any house rules about sugar intake, I don't know about them yet. Granted, we didn't exactly have time for a full rundown on house rules before Lisa sped off to take care of her mom. But still, ignorance is bliss, and bliss is a big scoop of cookies and cream.
So I pull Lauren into my arms, giving her a little tickle under her arm, which helps her giggle the tears away. That's better.
We'll get our shoes on and be eating spoonfuls of ice cream by the beach in no time. But I hardly make it two steps toward the door before Lauren lets out another shriek. This one is shorter and more urgent.
"Flapflap!"
It takes me a second to register what she's talking about, but then she points to the dingy gray bat toy.
"Ah yes, how could I forget?" Hoisting her farther up my hip, I lean down and grab the bat, handing it off to Lauren. "Does Flapflap like ice cream?"
She smiles, shaking her head. "No! Eggs!"
"Right, of course. Because all bats eat eggs."
I stifle a laugh as I head off in search of Lauren's shoes. I guess I'll be figuring this out as I go.
