Chapter 11 #2
“My kids are sick. Stomach bug. Chaim and his family were here to visit, and we were going to do something this weekend, but now—”
“I can watch the kids,” he offered. “I mean, if that’s okay.”
“No, you’re a guest here and—”
“We’re fine at the inn, and Cullin said he’d take us out fishing.”
None of this was going how I wanted or expected it to. I’d been desperate to see Chaim, to find out if he thought I was doing a good job. To have him tell me what their lives had been like. To catch up with my old friends.
“Uly, I’ll have HR contact you tomorrow. Cullin can drive you to your appointment and—”
“Or I could stay here and watch the kids while you and Chaim have a chance to reconnect,” he insisted. “And I don’t mind watching the kids. It’ll be good practice for when I babysit for Jamie and Deb after their kid is born.”
“She’s pregnant?” Which I knew, because I could smell it when we met. “Awesome.”
Then Uly turned puppy dog eyes on me. They were even better than the kid’s version. “I can do this, Brent. I promise. Let me help you.”
And staring into those beseeching eyes, my determination faltered.
“Okay,” I finally managed to choke out.
ULY
Why did I want to help Brent? I mean yeah, he was giving me a job and everything, but he had a staff of people and, if necessary, could probably fly Mary Freaking Poppins in to do the whole nanny thing. But I was desperate to help him out.
“Are you sure about this?” he asked.
“I am,” I replied. “I like kids.” He turned to Chaim. “Please, stay here. Brent has been thinking about you for weeks. Don’t leave him to worry.”
Chaim’s forehead wrinkled and I worried I’d said something foolish, but then he gave a brisk nod. “Um, sure, okay.”
The sound of soft footfalls came from behind us.
“Daddy?”
His entire demeanor changed in a heartbeat. This was a man who loved his family, that was plain to see.
“What are you doing up? You should be sleeping.”
“I wanted some juice.”
He smiled and took a step. “Okay, I’ll get it for you.”
“Me too, Daddy?”
The second head popped around the corner. They were beautiful kids, looking so much like Brent, but also having soft features that had to have come from their mother. She had been a lucky woman to have a family like this.
“Momma?”
I lifted my head to find both kids staring intently at me.
“Momma!” one of them screamed, then both were on me, hugging me hard.
“Hey, no. This is Uly, the friend I told you about.”
“No, it’s Momma,” they insisted as they tightened their grip in my shirt, tears streaming down their cheeks and snot bubbling from their nose as they gasped for breath.
“Come on, let’s get you some juice and then back to bed.”
“No! We want Momma to do it.”
Brent’s gaze met mine, probably pleading for me to understand. “Let’s get you some juice,” I said softly, then took them by the hands. “Where is the kitchen?”
“Go down the hall and it’ll be on the left about halfway. Uly, I can—”
“All good, I promise.” I smiled down at the boys who were staring up at me like they were afraid I might disappear. “Show me where you keep your juice, okay?”
They led me down the hall, leaving Brent with Chaim and his family.
I had no idea what the hell was going on here, but it was weirding me out big time.
The kitchen was enormous. I guess it made sense, especially if Brent did any kind of gathering in the place.
Still, one look around reminded me we were on opposite sides of the wealth divide.
“Momma, we love you,” one of the boys said. “Don’t go away again.”
And how the hell was I supposed to answer that?
No idea what made them think I was a woman—let alone their mother—but I didn’t want to crush their dreams and hopes like that.
Instead, I opened the refrigerator and pulled out a pitcher with what looked like orange juice.
I sniffed it, confirming it was indeed OJ, then went into the cabinets until I found cups that I thought the boys could handle.
I poured some for each of us, then placed the smaller mugs down in front of the kids, who were continuing to stare at me.
“Drink your juice, then you need to go back to bed.”
“But we wanna stay up,” they whined in unison. “We want to see you.”
“How about if I tuck you in and read you a story?”
“Like you used to?” one of them asked, his eyes filled with hope.
“Sure, we’ll read the books you love.”
They sat there, whispering to each other. Of course five-year-old whispers are anything but silent, so I heard every word. Their conversation was electric, filled with the certainty only a child could have. The more they talked, the deeper my confusion grew. I needed to speak with Brent.
After we finished our juice, I had them lead me to their bedroom. They seemed surprised I didn’t know the way because Momma would always know. I laughed and told them I was testing them. That seemed to placate them for the moment.
Their room was nothing like I expected. It could be the typical bedroom of nearly any child, with a toy chest bursting with stuffed animals, games, and the like.
Suddenly my gift of a stuffed bear didn’t seem all that grand.
Still, I was glad to see that even though they were in the top half-a-percent, Brent had them sharing a room.
When I was a kid, my happiest times were the nights Jamie let me snuggle in next to him because I was afraid of some imagined ghost or ghoul.
“What book would you like to hear?” I asked.
“Bobby Bear!” came the twin replies.
I went to the bookcase and found it right away.
The colorful cover showed a bear lost in the woods, with eyes watching him.
He wasn’t afraid, though. Bobby was apparently very confident, which I appreciated.
Kids needed good, strong role models. When I turned around, they were curled up in bed, each smiling at me.
I took a seat on the chair that stood beside it and cracked open the book.
“Bobby is a bear. That might sound scary, but he’s a very good bear. He helps out his friends, his family, and even people he doesn’t know. Bobby wants to make the world a better place for everyone,” I intoned.
I glanced up and both of them had already fallen asleep. Being sick takes a lot out of people, especially kids. I closed the book and returned it to the shelf, then left the room, turning off the lights and closing the door behind me. I found Brent standing outside, his face a mask of concern.
“They’re good boys,” I said.
“Uly, I am so very sorry.”
“It’s fine. I’m glad we bonded already. It makes asking you to allow me to babysit while you’re out with Chaim and his family a lot easier.”
“I don’t think that’s a very good idea. They’re already attached and I don’t want them hurt.”
“I can understand that. Maybe if you let me stay in town, I could be like their big brother or something.”
The look on his face told me I’d asked for something out of the question. Still, I wanted to stay, because I already liked the boys and would love to see them grow up. More, I’d like to be a part of their family.
What the hell was I thinking?