Chapter 5
One month later . . .
I pulled into my garage after being in court all day. I was exhausted and couldn’t wait to bathe and have a glass of wine to unwind.
It had been a month since Leo walked out on the kids and me. Two days after his tacky ass left that voice note, my mom returned with the kids, and I broke down and told her what happened. To say she was furious was an understatement.
She was livid.
She was so livid that she told me to get dressed, took my babies to my brother, then went on a hunt to find him. Since it was a Sunday, I knew he’d be at his mother’s house.
No words were spoken aside from her telling me to stay in the car. She went inside her trunk, pulled out a gas can, and then headed toward Leo’s F-150.
I watched in horror while she doused his car with gasoline, lit a match, and set it ablaze. She didn’t run or walk fast back to the car. She walked with grace and drove off as if everything she did was normal.
I was shocked when I shouldn’t have been.
My mom and aunt weren’t wrapped too tightly, and it was the main reason I didn’t want to tell her what happened.
After the incident with his truck, he called me, irate, accusing me of setting his truck on fire, and things went left from there.
He had his lawyer serve me divorce papers, and he refused to pay me alimony.
I didn’t give a rat’s ass about the alimony, but I made sure that child support was put into motion.
My only regret would be if my babies asked where their father was. I wouldn’t even know how to explain to them that their father wasn’t coming home anymore, and it would be the hardest thing I would have to do.
It was also very suspicious that Nora hadn’t been answering any of my calls, and she had transferred from Thomas & Little law firm to another law firm. I tried not to think about it, but I couldn’t help but wonder if my husband ran off with my best friend.
It was just too coincidental that she took a vacation the same day my husband left me.
My mind went back to every interaction they ever had.
There were a couple of instances where I caught her staring a little longer than normal or laughing too hard at his corny jokes.
I could’ve been wrong, but my gut never lied.
I wouldn’t go snooping around, because I didn’t know what I’d do if I found that to be true.
On top of all the drama with the divorce, Ms. Shelly ended up having to quit because she broke her hip in the hospital.
My mom had been a big help, but I could tell it wasn’t on her to-do list, so I had been online trying to find a nanny to replace Ms. Shelly.
So far, I hadn’t been able to find anyone who fit the criteria.
I got out of the car and headed inside the house. It was quiet, which was odd since it was only seven o’clock. My mom would usually have the kids bathed and prepared for bed by nine.
I set my briefcase on the floor by the door and called out to my mom.
“Mom? I’m home!”
No answer.
I pulled my phone from my purse and dialed her number. She answered on the first ring.
“Hey, baby.”
“Hey, Ma. Where are you?”
“At home. I decided to bring the kids over here with me so you can get you some rest. You’ve been working like a machine all week. I got them.”
I felt my body relax as air filtered from my nose. My mom was a lifesaver, and I hated I had to put this stress on her.
“Mommy, I’m going to reimburse you for this. As soon as those child support payments start coming through, I’m going to give it all to you.”
“Girl, please. These are my grandkids. I ain’t looking for no payment.
Just hurry up and find another nanny so I can get back out here in these streets.
” We both laughed before I told her I loved her, spoke to my babies, then ended the call.
Since I had the house to myself, I went into my office, got on my laptop, and continued my search to find my mom’s replacement.
Between my searches, an ad popped up on Google called Helping Hands Incorporated.
I clicked on the ad, and it took me to the website.
It was colorful with photos of nannies with different children and the location of the business.
I scrolled down to the reviews and nodded my approval.
Their objective and goals were impressive, and there were video reviews of parents who had used their services.
Even though it looked good, I was still apprehensive about who I allowed into my home. They could’ve been child traffickers or some outrageous craziness. It wasn’t until I clicked on the Meet the Owner page that my interest piqued.
There, a huge photo of Basil made my stomach flip.
He was dressed in an all-black tailored dress shirt and pants.
His locs were pulled back in a ponytail with the sides tapered to perfection.
His brown-sugar skin, light-brown eyes, full lips, chiseled face, nicely trimmed beard, and killer smile had me staring at his photo for far too long.
I scrolled down some and read his short biography.
He had a degree in childcare services, business management, and childhood development.
He spoke about taking care of the children in his family, helping out at the homeless shelters, and working at a daycare for four years before taking an interest in opening his own business.
There was information on how to get a consultation and a link to do a background check on any employee I chose. Before I could stop myself, I created a profile, putting in all my information, and within ten minutes, my phone rang with an 800 number on the screen.
I answered on the second ring. “Alicia Hill speaking.”
“Hi, this is Sheena Cassidy, calling on a recorded line. I received your inquiry regarding a consultation for our nanny services.”
“Uh, yes. I didn’t realize you all would be open this late.” I chuckled softly.
She chuckled as well. “Yes, ma’am. Our call center is twenty-four hours, seven days a week.”
“Oh, good. Well, I was looking to use your services.”
“Awesome. Just let me pull up your profile and ask you a couple of questions. Is that okay?”
“Absolutely.”
“Okay. Give me one moment.”
I could hear her tapping away on the keyboard as my nerves tingled.
It was crazy how, since that day in the LEGO store, Basil had been on my mind heavily.
Just watching him with his nieces and nephews made it a little easier since I’d already felt his vibe.
What he said to me stuck with me as well.
It made me think maybe God was preparing me for better.
He knew Leo wasn’t ready for a family, and now He was removing him from my life. It didn’t mean it hurt any less.
Basil didn’t give me crazy, predator, or having any ill intentions, but I wasn’t foolish enough to believe everything I saw. This couldn’t be a coincidence that it was the third time I’d run into him, although this time, it was through my computer screen.
I couldn’t deny how handsome he was or ignore how he looked at me with those beautiful bedroom eyes, trying to figure out why I was sad that day. I could see him trying to read me. The man was fine and loved children, obviously, so I wanted to take a chance and try out his services.
“Okay. It says here that you have three children—ages two, four, and six. One is in daycare, the other is in preschool, and the oldest is in kindergarten, correct?”
“That is correct.”
“Okay, and will transportation be provided for them, or will you require the nanny you choose to transport the children?”
“My previous nanny provided the transportation, so I’d like to keep that as a requirement,” I fibbed, although it wasn’t true since Carlee didn’t start daycare until Ms. Shelly had to quit. Now that she’d started, I knew I would need someone to get her to and from her destination.
“No problem. Now, let me give you a brief summary about our services.
We offer hourly and live-in services. Our rates start at twenty-five dollars hourly or twenty-five hundred monthly.
Our nannies will provide meal preps throughout the day, cleaning services, and learning activities for the children.
“Should you get a male nanny, bathing will not be recommended unless they can bathe themselves or you’re present during that time.
Additionally, our nannies will have security search the home to ensure the home is safe on the first day for both the family and the nanny that’s provided.
Does this sound like a good plan for you? ”
Impressive.
“It does. And you said I can choose who I want?”
“Yes, ma’am. On the website, you’ll find a list of our nannies with the link to their background checks next to their names. The background check usually takes forty-two hours to come back, so once that clears on both our ends, we can choose a start date for you. Sounds good?”
“Yes. Sounds good.”
“Awesome. Did you want live-in or hourly services?”
“Hourly is fine for now.”
“Okay, and how many days will you need out of the week?”
“All seven. Should there be a time when I’m off, I will keep them informed.”
“Perfect. Do you have any questions for me?”
My first thought was to ask whether Basil was available, but I opted not to since my asking was for personal knowledge. “No, I think I have all the information I need.”
“Great! Thank you for choosing Helping Hands, and we look forward to hearing from you on Thursday.”
“Perfect. Have a good evening.”
“You as well.”
I ended the call and sat back in my chair, deep in thought.
My life had been a rollercoaster ride for the past two years, and I felt as if the kids and I needed a vacation.
There was too much happening in this one-month span.
Between the divorce, Ms. Shelly having to quit, and my caseload being full, there was no doubt that I needed some peace.
I was tempted to call my cousin Raeley, but she had been so swamped at work, I didn’t want to call and disturb her.
I’d usually wait for her call anyway because I knew her being an anesthesiologist had her super busy, and I didn’t want to call her with my drama.
She was another one of my family members who was crazy.
Her mother, my aunt Alexis, passed her crazy down to my cousin, and she was the type who would dope him up and disassemble him.
I went back to my laptop, found a nanny by the name of Yara Dubois, and sent the request for the background check. I then ventured off the site and emailed my travel agent. The kids would be going on spring break in two more weeks, so I wanted to take them to Universal Studios.
Once that was complete, I left my office and ran myself a nice long bath and poured myself a glass of wine.
I undressed, tied my hair into a bun on top of my head, then settled into the semi-hot water.
I immediately felt my body relax as thoughts of the loc-haired, caramel, light-eyed manny entered my mind.
Just the thought of those succulent lips wrapped around my nipples had my hands roaming over my body until my fingers found my opening, and my other hand pinched my sensitive left breast. The more I rubbed, the more the image of him wrapping his lips around my bud and sucking it while his tongue swirled became clearer.
“Mmm.” I moaned as my mouth grew slack, and my hips activated.
Shit.
I could feel the tingle rise in my groin as my fingers moved faster until I could feel my clit throbbing, and a euphoric feeling washed over me. I sat there for a moment to settle my breathing and shook my head at myself.
I hadn’t masturbated in years, and the shit was embarrassing, to be quite honest. I was embarrassed that I painted the image of a stranger giving me the pleasure that I desperately desired. But I couldn’t deny that I felt more relaxed than I did earlier.
I soaked in the tub for another hour, then let the water out and turned on the shower. I washed quickly, wrapped a towel around me, then proceeded to do my nightly routine. When I stared in the mirror at my reflection, I didn’t even see the woman I used to be anymore.
For the past two years, I could slowly feel myself losing pieces of me because I didn’t see the signs of my husband slipping away.
I battled with myself constantly, trying to figure out when the disconnect started between us.
Leo was never vocal about his emotions. He made me think everything was fine after giving birth to Chloe and Carlee.
It wasn’t until a month after giving birth to Carlee that he started to become distant.
As his wife and the woman who would give my life for him, I tried to do everything to make sure I kept him happy.
But it wasn’t enough.
And now I stood in this big house—alone, tired, stressed, and feeling unwanted.
I needed to pull myself together for the sake of my children. Fuck Leo. I was a good woman to him when I shouldn’t have been, and he’d left me, . . . and my gut told me it was with my best friend.
In due time, I was going to find out exactly what was going on, but for now, I wasn’t mentally there to handle the truth, so I was going to leave it alone until I pulled myself together and got back to the woman I once was.