Scream For me

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Jade wasn’t the type of woman I would have hired to take care of my kid. She was a little all over the place, and her interview had been

terrible. I wouldn’t have thought twice about taking her on if it hadn’t been for how Ben had reacted to her.

Ben was always so shy and quiet. He didn’t make friends easily and only opened up to people when he’d known them for a while. When he’d come out to see who Jade was, he’d been so open with her that I’d barely recognized him.

The elevator doors opened the next day, producing Jade.

When she stepped out, she took my breath away. I’d had this same reaction to her yesterday when I’d first met her, too.

She was stunning. Her long, light brown hair was wavy and natural. She didn’t look like she fussed about her looks all the time, and she didn’t have to. She had a natural beauty about her that made me stare. Anyone would do a double take when she walked past. It wasn’t only her natural confidence and the way she carried herself. Her smile was magnetic, and her gray eyes made me want to fall into them.

“Are you ready to leave?” I asked.

“Yeah,” she said, but as she said it, her foot caught on the lip between the elevator and the foyer floor, and she stumbled forward. “Oh!”

I stepped forward and caught her, one hand on her ribs, the other on her elbow. She was tiny, with a petite build.

“Sorry,” she breathed.

“Careful,” I said.

When she straightened, she was right up against me, and her eyes locked on mine. Her full lips were slightly parted, and her cheeks flushed.

“I can be so clumsy,” she said.

The atmosphere between us was electric, and I was hyper-aware of how close she was, of her small hands on my arms. Her skin was hot, branding me through my shirt.

I could just dip my head and kiss her. She was so close, and the smell of her perfume was intoxicatingsomething floral and subtle, something addictive.

“We should get going,” I said and cleared my throat. “The school bell will go soon, and I want to show you where to pick up Ben from after school.”

She nodded and took a step back. I turned back to the apartment to shut the front door, and we stepped into the elevator together.

The awkward silence stretched thin between us as we rode down to the lobby.

“Does the bell go the same time every day?” she asked.

I nodded. “Even Fridays…the younger ones leave sooner than the older kids, so they keep it simple.”

“What does he usually do when he gets home?”

She asked me about Ben’s usual routine, which were good questions. It set me at ease a little, especially considering that when I’d met her yesterday for the first time, she’d looked like she had no idea what was going on.

We went to the school in her car so that Ben would know what car to look out for in the future. While she drove, we talked about what Ben needed.

I explained to her what his schedule usually looked like, from homework to screen time, snacks, and extracurricular activities. She listened intently, taking notes.

We stopped in front of the school just as kids streamed through the doors.

“There he is,” I said, pointing out to the dark-haired boy who kept to himself.

I got out of the car and waved at him. He looked unsure when he saw me, glancing at the car I came in first. When Jade stepped out, his face lit up, and he ran to us.

“You came!” he cried out. “Hey, Dad.” He offered me a side hug on my leg before running to Jade. “Are you going to pick me up every day?”

She nodded and smiled. “I’m going to be here for you every day, kiddo.

You and me, we’re going to kick it.” “Kick what?” Ben asked.

“Being cool, of course!” Jade said. “Come on, hop in.” She opened the back door for him, and Ben climbed in. His reaction to her was unexpected every time. It made me comfortable leaving Ben with Jade every afternoon. He was happy about the arrangement, and she looked like she was committed to it, too. I just had to be sure I was as committed to the whole thing as they were.

I’d wanted someone more put-together…someone who knew what she was doing and looked like she knew her business. I compared her to the girls in the office, who had all their ducks in a rowneat, efficient, eloquent. Not that Jade came across badly. Just…different.

We climbed back into the car, and while we drove home, I listened to Ben chatter away. He told Jade everything about his teachers, the kids in his class, and what they did during gym.

“I wasn’t any good in gym class,” Jade confessed. “I was also too shy and didn’t like sports much.”

“Do you like sports now?” Ben asked.

“Of course! You can’t tell any of my friends, but I love playing basketball with my cousins at family reunions. Sometimes, I wish I had a brother.”

“I don’t have brothers or sisters either,” Ben said solemnly. “Dad is busy.”

“Parents are always really busy,” Jade said. “That’s how they make sure their children have all the good stuff and go to the good schools, you know? Your dad is taking such good care of you.”

Ben nodded. “He has a cool job, too. People let him spend their money.”

I laughed. “That’s not exactly how it works, buddy.” He wasn’t completely wrong, though.

“That sounds like the best job ever,” Jade said. “I love spending money.”

“You’re a girl,” Ben said. “You’ll probably go shopping.” He rolled his eyes dramatically.

Jade laughed before she said, “Boys can like shopping too, you know.

Maybe just not for the same stuff. You like buying toys, right?”

“And cool shoes,” Ben said.

“Right, that’s shopping, too.”

“I guess so,” Ben said and looked out the window. “Do you like dinosaurs?”