Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 88841 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88841 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
“Who are you?” I ask, holding my daughter a little tighter even though she’s wiggling to get down.
When the woman flinches in response, I realize I spoke too harshly.
After taking a calming breath, I say, “I’m sorry. It’s been a crazy morning. I’m Ryder, and this is Addie. Is Cynthia here?”
“Cynthia quit unexpectedly to move across the country with her fiancé,” Ana says, sauntering through the door with Kingston on her hip. “This is Kira. She’s been hired as her replacement.”
I whip my head around to look at Ana. “Is she qualified?”
I don’t give a shit how gorgeous she is. My daughter’s safety comes first.
Ana glares. “Of course she’s qualified. Jeez, what’s your deal this morning?”
“Addie actually slept in, and I forgot to set my alarm, so I’m running late for my meeting.”
I turn toward Kira, who’s still standing there. Only now, she looks extremely uncomfortable.
“I’m sorry,” I repeat. “I was taken by surprise.”
“It’s okay,” she says, her smile reappearing, but not as bright and without the dimple. “I can take Addie for you so you can get to your meeting.”
She extends her arms, and I know this is the part where I’m supposed to hand my daughter over to her, but something in me prevents me from doing so.
Since I started bringing Addie to childcare, it’s always been Cynthia. It took a while to trust her with my daughter, and now, just like that, I’m supposed to hand her off to a stranger. This is the shit they don’t talk about in all those damn baby books.
“Mommy! Look at the babies!” a little girl squeals, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
“Who’s this?” I ask in confusion because, holy shit, a few days of working from home and everything has changed.
“This is my daughter, Violet,” Kira says, placing a protective hand on her daughter’s shoulder.
“I’m four!” The little girl, who looks like an adorable mini version of her mom, holds up five fingers, and Kira’s smile reappears, that fucking dimple popping back out.
“Minus one,” Kira says, gently pushing a single digit down.
“Minus one,” Violet parrots.
“She’s too cute,” Ana says with a laugh as she heads down the hall with me following even though I’m more than late for my damn meeting and I should’ve handed Addie over to Kira already.
But seriously, would it have killed Ana to warn me about all these changes? She knows I thrive on routine. It’s the only way to keep my sanity intact.
When we arrive at the playroom, Ana puts Kingston down, and he crawls over to the toys. Violet follows him and plops down, showing him a puzzle.
“I’ll only be working a few hours today,” Ana tells Kira. “If my husband comes by to grab Kingston before I’m done, he can take him.”
“Sounds good,” Kira says. “And he’ll have his ID, correct?”
“Yes.” Ana smiles warmly. “And if you need anything, you have my number. I’ve submitted to get you a cell phone, but until then, you can use the landline.”
“Thank you. Helen and Joy did a great job of showing me around the past couple of days, so I think everything should run smoothly. Thank you again for this opportunity.”
“Of course. I think you’re going to fit in just fine here.” Ana glances at me. “Don’t you have a meeting to get to?”
Right on cue, my phone buzzes—no doubt, it’s Julie, asking where I am—and Addie whines, wanting to be let down so she can play with her friend.
“I’m only going to be a couple of hours,” I tell Kira, setting the diaper bag on the nearby counter. “Nobody can pick her up but me.”
“Got it,” Kira says,
“And if there are any issues …”
I pat my pockets, looking for a pen, but before I can find one, she says, “I have your cell and office number as well as your direct line.” Her patient eyes meet mine, and she places a hand on my arm. “I’ll treat her like she’s my own, I promise.”
She smiles warmly at me, and there’s something in her look that instantly settles my nerves. I don’t know this woman, and this is going to sound crazy, but I can feel it—she means what she says.
“Thank you,” I murmur. “She didn’t have breakfast …”
“I’ll get something in her belly.”
“Okay, thanks.”
I walk over to Addie and give her a kiss on the top of her head while she bangs the puzzle pieces and ignores me. And then with one more look back, I head to my meeting, telling myself that today is the same as every day. Sure, the childcare has a new teacher—with mesmerizing blue eyes and a smile that could brighten even the darkest skies—but nothing has changed.
Yet, as I go through the motions of my Monday morning meeting, my brain can’t stop thinking about Kira—those eyes and that dimple and her soft, warm goddamn smile—and I can’t help but feel like, somehow, everything has changed.