I spoke with a man on the phone but I assumed the mother would be doing the interview. I dressed the way my mom thought would be appropriate for an interview which consisted of dress slacks and a dress jacket. I didn't feel completely comfortable because they weren't even my clothes, they were my mom's. They were a couple sizes too big but at least I looked professional.
I pulled up to the house and was taken aback. The huge mansion before me looked like it had at least fifteen bedrooms. "They must be loaded!" I whispered to myself. I was already planning the long list of shoes and outfits I could buy with the extra money I'd be getting. I checked in the rear-view mirror to make sure my lipstick wasn't smudged and made my way up the driveway. The front door had one of those big ornate knockers and no doorbell in sight. I tried lightly tapping the knocker but it made a really soft sound. I picked it up again and was about to slam it down when the door swung open.
A gorgeous man appeared in the doorway and gave me a great big smile. It was my stepdad!
"Matthew! What are you doing here?"
"I'm the one who needs a babysitter."
"Wait, what are you talking about?"
"I've kept a lot of secrets from your mother...I have a son."
I stood at the front door with my jaw dropped to the floor.
My mother and him got married only a year ago and he moved in with us immediately. He was younger than my mom and super hot. Matthew was tall and lean with just the right amount of scruff cradling his jawline. He always wore a suit that fit him perfectly and I could see the bulge of his muscles even through the suit jacket. I always thought that there was a mystery about him.
Now I knew I was right.
"So you've been lying to us the entire time. What else haven't you told us?"
"I know this is hard but you need to understand. I'm rich. I mean very rich. In the past, I've been married just for my money. I needed to know that your mom loved me without knowing all that."
"But why would you hide your son from us?"
"I didn't want him to go through having to lose another mother. I thought he could meet you first and get used to the idea of a new family."
After the initial shock wore off, I realized that maybe he was right.
"Come inside, Audrey," he said.
I smiled lamely and walked through the doorway. I was greeted by a huge grand staircase leading upstairs and a giant chandelier floating above. I swear they must have shot a movie here or something because it looked too unbelievable.
He led me through a maze of hallways and I peeked into a few rooms while we quickly walked by. There was a library, a room with a couple pool tables, and a small movie theater. Holy crap! This place was amazing!
Matthew lead me into the office which was filled with really nice wood furniture.
"Okay so I would need you to babysit Danny two to three nights a week. Think you can
handle that?"
"Yeah that would definitely work! I'm just about to graduate high school so there isn't really much to do. Just finals."
"Okay great. Well the last thing we need to do is have you meet Danny.. Matthew smiled at me and then yelled at the top of his lungs, "HEY DANNY GET DOWN HERE!" The house was so big that they had to yell at each other to communicate. I heard little footsteps coming down the stairs and running towards the office.
A small brown-haired boy slowly opened the door and peeked his head in. "Come on in and meet your new babysitter," Matthew told him.
Danny was wearing a dinosaur-pajama onesie and carrying a few green plastic soldiers. I got off the chair and got down on one knee.
"Hi Danny! I'm Audrey!" I tried to sound as kid-friendly as possible. I stuck out my hand and Danny shook it up and down.
"So, Danny do you want Audrey to be your new babysitter?"
Danny beamed at me and nodded up and down in big motions. "Well, that settles it then. Audrey you got the job."
A big grin stretched across my face. "Thanks so much!"
"Actually, can you start tomorrow night?" Matthew asked.
"I don't have any plans, so tomorrow works great! What should I tell my mom?"
"Tell her you got the job but don't mention anything about me or Danny."
"Okay I'll keep the secret."
"Then come over tomorrow at seven. Danny and I will have just finished dinner and then I can go back to the office."
We made our way to the front door and I was pleasantly surprised by the outline of his butt as he walked in front of me. It looked fantastic from my angle. Matthew opened the door for me. "We'll see you tomorrow then!"