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)
“We can’t get chocolate milk today,” I tell her, swallowing past the lump of emotion that’s lodged in my throat. “But tomorrow, you can have milk in your cereal.” When we sneak into the hotel around the corner and pretend like we’re guests so we can eat breakfast, I think but don’t voice out loud.
She’s too young to understand what we’re doing, and I try to shelter her the best I can. Stealing from anyone, even a company that probably won’t notice or miss it, makes me feel sick, but desperate times call for desperate measures. And the fact is, I’m more than desperate.
“Okay,” she says softly, her lips turning down into the saddest pout. “Can we go play at the park?”
“That we can do,” I tell her with a smile that forces one out of her as well. “Let’s go back to the car and eat lunch, and then we’ll go to the park.”
She nods in agreement, and we’re about to stand when a woman walks over and sits on the bench next to us. Normally, I wouldn’t eavesdrop, but what she says gets my attention.
“I understand there’s a shortage in childcare providers. Yes, I know.” She sighs. “Well, if you do happen to know of someone looking to work part-time. Yes, thank you. Have a good day.”
The woman removes the phone from her ear, and I catch her sparkling diamond ring on her left finger. It has a princess-cut stone in the center, like the one I had—and pawned—but hers is bigger and more expensive.
She’s dressed in a beautiful blue-and-cream floral wrap dress, and when she recrosses her legs, her blue pumps with the red soles catch my attention, invoking a flashback from before.
“I’ve given you everything you could ever want, and this is how you repay me.” He grabbed one of my navy-blue Louboutin heels from the floor and flung it across the room, barely missing my head.
“I didn’t want to be rude,” I explained calmly. “When he asked for my number to schedule a playdate, I offered to take his instead so he wouldn’t have my number. I was going to delete it.”
“You’re lying!” he barked. “Admit you were planning to cheat on me.”
A loud sigh brings me back into the present as the woman next to me looks up at the sky like it will somehow have all the answers.
I hate to tell you this, but it doesn’t.
I know because I’ve spent the past several weeks staring up at the same sky, hoping it will give me some kind of guidance. And I’m still as lost as I was a month ago.
“I swear it gets hotter every day,” the woman says, glancing over at me.
Her manicured hand goes to her belly, and it’s then I realize she’s pregnant.
“It does,” I agree. “How far along are you?”
“Seven months,” she says with a small smile. “Although, in this heat, I feel like I’m past due.”
“My daughter was born in July. The last couple of months of my pregnancy were brutal. I think I took, like, four showers a day.”
We both chuckle, and then she says, “Well, I’d better get back in there.”
She nods toward the building behind us and then places her hands on the bench, as if needing to mentally and physically prepare to stand. “Need to pull a childcare provider out of a hat.”
Her words remind me of the conversation she was having when she first sat down.
“I, um … I have a degree in early childhood education, and I’m certified in childhood development.”
She glances from me to my daughter, who’s leaning against me, watching the conversation take place. We’ve been to enough places of business that she’s learned to have patience while I talk since I have no choice but to bring her along to every interview.
“I’m Kira,” I tell her. “And this is my daughter, Violet.”
“Nice to meet you,” the woman says. “I’m Ana.”
“Mommy, can we go to the park?” Violet asks, looking up at me.
“Yes, sweets. Just give me one minute.” I kiss her forehead and then look back at Ana. “I don’t know the job you’re trying to fill, but I have experience in early childhood education, and I’m currently looking for a job.”
“One of the childcare providers had to quit unexpectedly,” she explains. “Do you have time to interview now?”
A wave of hope surges through me. “I would love to. But I’d have to bring Violet with me.”
“That’s fine,” she says, standing. “I’m assuming if you’re hired, you would use our childcare facility for her.”
“You allow that?” I ask in shock.
“Of course. That’s the purpose of the corporate childcare. It’s only for those who work for Kingston Limited, and it’s discounted based on income. Do you live nearby?”
“Right around the corner.”
She smiles. “Let’s go inside where it’s cool, and we can discuss this further.”