"You really are amazing, aren't you?"
"What do you mean? Are you making fun of me?"
"No!" I said with a laugh. "Of course I'm not. I mean it. I think that idea is perfect. I can't think of anything that would be better."
"Really? Do you think Sophie will be okay with it?"
"I think she'll be more than okay. I think she'll be over the moon."
"Oh good!" she said, clapping her hands excitedly. "I just think it would be the best thing. It's really important to me, you know? For all of those children to feel just as happy and loved as Sophie will."
"I know it is, babe. That's something that I can't get enough of with you. You have such a good, pure heart."
She got sort of a strange look on her face when I said that, something I didn't quite understand. Was she just not used to be complicated like that? Maybe I was going a bit overboard. Or did she still not believe that I really liked her, that I wasn't some piece of shit guy trying to use her because it was convenient?
Either way, I wanted to make sure she knew that I meant the things I said to her. I pulled her in closer to me and kissed her forehead gently. If I had it my way we would end every one of our nights just like this for a long, long time.
Chapter Fourteen
Kayla
"Are you ready, little lady? All princessed out? This is your day, after all. Unless you've changed your mind and don't want a party after all. We could always just stay here and watch TV."
"Noooo! No TV! Party. Party time for me!"
Oh man, this girl made me laugh. Seeing her now in her bright purple fairy princess costume and little tiara sitting slightly askew on the top of her head, Sophie reminded me of the first time I saw her with her cut finger and inquisitive nature. She was turning five, but she was still that same little girl with the pair of ruby red slippers. She was just a little more secure, a little more well-adjusted.
Thinking about her on that first day made me think about myself and what I had been doing there when I brazenly opened the front door and entered without ever being invited in. It made me want to curl up into a little ball and disappear just thinking about it now. How presumptuous could a person be to basically break into someone's home and then ask to be hired for a job? That was just plain rude.
And that didn't even begin to touch the surface of the matter. There was also the fact that I had come there with the sole intention of pretty much destroying him and the little family he was trying to hang on to. I had been full of vengeance and bitter plans that he still had no idea of. What was I supposed to do? Was I supposed to tell him? Just the other week he had told me that one of the things he liked best about me was how pure my heart was. Did I tell him how wrong he was and just hope that he didn't give up on me? I didn't know if I would be able to do that if the tables were turned.
"Kaykay? Where'd you go?"
"Nowhere, Sophie. I'm right here."
"Nope. Another place than here."
"I'm sorry, sweet girl, I was just thinking. I guess I got a little lost in my own head. You know what I mean?"
She cocked her head to one side, causing her tiara to become even more lopsided, and gave me a skeptical look. Did she know what I meant? Of course she didn't know what I was talking about. It wasn't like I was talking to an adult. She was preschool age, literally five years old for less than a day. If I was going to get some stuff off of my chest I was a lot better off calling Yvonne and getting a big dose of reality. For now, it was time to get this little girl to a party. She was the star of the show, after all.
"Don't worry about it, Sophie, I'm just talking crazy. But you know what I hear? I'm pretty sure it's a car coming to a stop, which means our ride is here. You ready to go and do some parting?"
"Yay!"
Sophie started hopping like a bunny rabbit towards the front door and I couldn't help but shake my head, laughing at the cartoonish picture she painted. There really wasn't any point in worrying about this stuff right now. It was Sophie's day, and it wasn't like anything had actually happened anyway. Who knew? Maybe I was overreacting, just making things far more complicated than they needed to be. It wouldn't be the first time I did something to that effect and I was willing to bet it wouldn't be the last, either.
Maybe I should actually listen to some of the advice Yvonne had already given me. Maybe I should just let loose and actually let myself have fun for once. That might be all it took for everything to work out wonderfully. I really hoped so, too, because I was pretty sure I was falling in love with David. It would be beyond a shame to ruin everything before it really got a chance to get off of the ground.
"Well, hello there, Ms. Evans, fancy meeting you here."
"Hello yourself, doctor. How is everything going so far?"
David's eyes gleamed at me and his grin made my heart flutter. He was hardly even trying to disguise his admiration for me and I wondered whether or not any of his co-workers could tell that there was something going on between us. With the heat I felt in my face it seemed like the whole world must be able to see it, as if I had a big flashing neon sign on my forehead saying "I'm head over heels for that man." I shook my head quickly, trying to physically shake the nerves out of my body. I had never been the type of girl to be able to play it cool all that well but it seemed like this would be a really good time to start.
"It's fantastic. I knew this was a good idea from the moment you said it but this has far exceeded my expectations. These kids are so happy, Kayla. This is the best I've seen a lot of them in a while. You really do have an extraordinary instinct with kids and what will help them. It's a gift. It really is."
"I don't know what to say. Thank you, David. That means a lot to me. A whole lot. It's probably the best thing anyone has ever said to me."
David moved forward like he was going to kiss me and I took a step back, warning him with one look not to take it any further. It didn't exactly seem like a good plan for him to start making out with the nanny in the middle of the hospital hallway. For one thing, I knew his mother was right around the corner and I had a pretty good idea how she would feel about the two of us being together. Not to mention the rest of the employees. I was doing my best not to even think about them because if I let myself go down that rabbit hole all I would do for the rest of the day was worry that someone was going to recognize me.
"Here, come with me."
David put a hand on my back and started to lead me away from where all of the action of the party was. I resisted, looking back behind us to see if I could find Sophie anywhere.
"But what about Sophie? Shouldn't we go hang out with her?"
"We will. She's having such a blast right now with everyone that she won't even notice that we're gone. We won't be gone for long and besides, we're with her all of the time. Or at least you are. We can take just a couple of minutes away, can't we? Or am I being kind of an asshole?"
His serious face and slightly pouty eyes made me laugh and it was impossible not to give in. He was probably right and it would definitely be nice to get out of the eyesight of any nurses or doctors who might recognize me from when my sister was here. I gave him my best devilish grin and nodded.
"Well yes, you are being kind of an asshole, but I think I'm okay with it. Alright, let's go. But only for a few minutes, okay?"
"You got it." He grinned, practically tugging me along with him.
"A closet? Really, David? I feel like I'm sixteen and playing seven minutes in heaven."
"Did they really play that game in high school?"
"I don't know. If they did I was never invited."
"Well, then every guy you ever went to school with was a complete dipshit. How could they not want to wind up in a small, confined place with you?"
I laughed lightly, my breath coming out in little gasps as David's hands moved teasingly over the length of my body. His mouth moved suggestively from my mouth down to my neck. Even here, with what this place represented and all of the stress it caused me, I wanted him. Every place he touched me felt like it was struck by lightning and my arms wrapped around him, pulling him in closer to me. It seemed like he could never get close enough.