14. Kiley #3
“Before I forget, here is the key to the condo that Jax left for you.” Gretchen grabs a key off the kitchen countertop with a piece of paper.
“Here are some important numbers that I wrote down for you to have. It has my cell phone, my husband’s, and Jax’s parents back in Canada, just in case you need to reach us.
Do you mind if I program your cell phone into my phone? ” she asks.
“Of course I don’t.” We exchange phone numbers, and I secretly pray I don’t have to call Gretchen and that Jax and Chloe will communicate everything with her.
Once we’re done, we look over at the kids sitting down, eating snacks together.
Chloe is showing Zander something on her phone, and her kindness toward him warms my heart.
“I really appreciate you taking this on and watching her,” Gretchen comments, drawing my attention back to her. “I know it won’t be easy with you having Zander and teaching, but Jax said he trusts you and knows you’re the best person for the job.”
I smile, not really knowing how much she knows about the situation or the stipulations of me agreeing to watch Chloe. “That’s very kind of you. Chloe is a great girl, and I’m glad to help. I promise to take great care of her.”
“I know you will.”
“We’re excited to show her our favorite places, and hopefully she’ll feel as comfortable here in Chicago as she is at home.”
“Yeah, well, just don’t let her fall in love with Chicago so much that she never wants to come home,” she jokes with a smile.
I laugh. “I’ll try, but no guarantees.”
“In all seriousness, I’m really hoping things will be better here than at home when it pertains to school. Do you mind telling me more about the school? Jax says the campus is beautiful.”
I give Gretchen the lowdown on the school, telling her there are other children of pro-athletes in attendance, and that everyone seems to be very nice.
“I’ll be honest with you, though. Being a third-grade teacher, I don’t hear much of the bullying issues that may happen for the upperclassmen.
I would hope that it isn’t as bad as what she just endured, but I also don’t want to tell you there’s no bullying at all at our school.
Every school has it, but I can’t recall anyone leaving because of it. ”
She nods, pondering what I just told her.
“I really appreciate your honesty. I think no matter what, it’s going to be better.
Jax isn’t a big deal here.” I give her a questioning look and she backtracks.
“Don’t get me wrong, he’s famous and well known here, but it’s nothing like the level it is back home.
Kelowna’s not as big of a city as Chicago.
There are more famous athletes here than Jax; therefore, I think she will meet kids who have no idea who her daddy is and will like her for her.
” She sighs and shakes her head. “I just hope she’s going to be okay. ”
“I think she will be.” I try to reassure Gretchen, but I don’t want to give her false hope either.
I glance over at Zander to see he has scarfed down his chips and is done with his snack. “I don’t want to take up any more of your time, and I need to get Zander home to eat dinner and get ready for bed.”
I walk over to where the kids are sitting and stand in the back of Zander’s chair. “Buddy, we need to get going. Say thank you to Gretchen and Chloe for the snack.”
He crosses his little arms over his chest and pouts. “I wanna stay and play with Chloe.”
It makes me happy to see he’s already feeling comfortable around her.
Maybe there will be no jealousy when he sees how much time we have to spend here.
“You’re going to be getting to play with Chloe soon enough.
Let her have some time with her mom.” I pull out his chair and help him get down.
He stomps toward the door, and I have to bite my lip to keep from laughing.
I follow Gretchen to the door. “Thank you so much for coming to meet me, Kiley. I feel so much more comfortable now that I've met you.”
I nod. “I feel the same way, Gretchen. Have a safe trip back to Canada, and I promise I’ll call you if I need anything. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me as well.”
She smiles, and it seems genuine. “Thank you, Kiley. I really appreciate that.” She looks down at Zander.
“It was nice meeting you, Zander.” She holds out her hand, and he looks at it strangely at first, but then eventually slaps it, thinking she wants a high-five. We all laugh, and that makes him smile.
Gretchen opens the door, and we walk into the hallway, but I stop short when I realize I never officially told Chloe goodbye. “Bye Chloe,” I call out. “I look forward to seeing you soon. Call or text me anytime if you need anything.”
To my surprise, Chloe comes over and gives me a hug.
I hesitate for just a second before wrapping my arms around her.
“Thank you, Kiley. I’m looking forward to spending more time with you.
” I hug her back, and when we break apart, I look at Gretchen to make sure it was okay that I hugged Chloe.
To my relief, she has a smile on her face.
We wave goodbye, and as we start walking to the elevators, I sigh in relief, feeling confident that everything just might be okay these next five months.