“No need to apologize. That’s fine. Being a first-time parent can be stressful. But yeah, mild fevers are common when babies are teething. It can even cause diarrhea from the excessive saliva that ends up in their belly and loosens their stool, so don’t be surprised if that happens.”
“Now that you mention it, it’s another reason why I didn’t think his being so cranky had anything to do with his teething. After changing him earlier and his stool was so loose, I was definitely thinking he was coming down with some kind of stomach bug.”
“Nope. Normal.”
She sounded so sure it made him smile. “You’re not even licensed—which apparently doesn’t even matter—and you know all this?”
Again, she laughed, sounding a little nervous. “I do a lot of reading when it comes to all this.”
“Okay, so seriously though, I know you said you already have one job, but any chance you can squeeze us in at least once or twice a week?”
“I can actually.” She sounded a little excited now. “It’s why I’m calling. I just got off the phone with Nine. My daycare thing was mostly an . . . on-call thing. To be honest”—she paused for a moment and he thought he heard her mutter something under her breath but couldn’t make what out it was—“most of my experience is from helping my sister, but she can’t afford to pay me much, and she really doesn’t need me to help her. I just do it for the experience. It’s why I’d been considering finding another job altogether. So, I’m available more than the minimum three days out of the week Nine said he’d need me at the shop. But I told him about you hitting me up to help with the baby, and he said to work it out with you first because, as much as the shop needs the help, he thinks you’ll need me more. He said he’d work me in around your schedule.”
Smiling even bigger, Orlando nodded animatedly as if she could see him. “I am anxious and like I said I do have help with him, between my mom and—” He caught himself because it was only then that he realized he wasn’t sure how to refer to his relationship with Felicia anymore. Technically, he’d never called Felicia his girlfriend, and she’d only called him her boyfriend the one time. They’d since gone back to the way things were before with exception that he’d agreed to have her help with the most precious thing in his life—something he’d never trust with just any of the other women he’d ever dated. But only because she’d insisted she was absolutely willing to help him. If he didn’t need the help so bad, and he wasn’t so hesitant to leave him with strangers, he’d see her less. Yet he’d had no choice but to see her a little more often now than he had after her boyfriend comment. He had even less time for a social life now, so technically, Felicia was the only girl he’d had any time for lately. At this point, he had to admit she was more to him than just one of his go-to girls. But she wasn’t his girlfriend. “My uh . . . friend and I have most of the week covered. But my friend is just doing it temporarily until I find someone else. Right now, she watches him on Fridays. My mom does Monday and Tuesday. Ideally, I’d like to take off Wednesday and Thursday, so I can be at the shop on the weekend when we work on our VIP stuff, but I haven’t really been able to be there on the weekends unless I take Little Man with me.”
“So, you need me on the weekends?”
“Well, not every weekend. I mean I’m sure you have a life. I am part owner, so I can pretty much set my own hours. But Nine’s been running the place pretty much on his own since the baby . . .” He almost said had been in his custody but, again and not sure why, he caught himself. “We can rotate if you need the weekend off, and I can take the weekend off to be with him instead.”
“I’m okay with weekends,” she said eagerly then seemed to catch herself and added something quickly. “I mean, if I ever do need them off, I can let you know ahead of time, and we’ll work something out. But for now, that would be fine. In fact, I think this will work out. I can be at the shop Monday through Friday and watch the baby on the weekends, but if you ever need me to, since Nine said he’d work around you, I could even watch him on Wednesday and/or Thursday and just do my three days at the shop.”
Feeling like a greedy bastard, he nearly blurted out, hell yeah! He’d take her all the days she’d give him. After the way she handled the baby without even being there, he was more than sold on having her around as much as possible. And it had nothing to do with how damn good she looked the day she walked into the shop to get her brakes checked either. Obviously, she had a boyfriend—one who’d made it more than apparent he didn’t take too kindly to Orlando’s flirting with her. Last thing Orlando wanted was for her to pick up any inappropriate vibes from him and maybe change her mind about this. It’s what he’d begun to think. That maybe her boyfriend had balked at her working at the shop and especially watching his kid at his place. So, before he blew it, he reminded himself this was strictly business. He’d be very mindful to make sure it came across that way. “I don’t want to take up too much of your time, but just in the beginning, as I get more used to this baby thing, you wouldn’t have to do all day Wednesday and Thursday. But maybe you can come by and walk me through some other stuff like the teething thing and luluing just for a few hours.
“He’s also starting to transition into solid food, and holy shit, my head was spinning when I walked down that baby food aisle at the market. I didn’t even know where to start.” She laughed softly, sweetly, and even that had Orlando smiling a little too big.
“Easiest way to go about it is start off simple. Baby cereal mixed with his formula and nothing else. You introduce one new food at a time and wait a few days before introducing another, in case he has an allergic reaction or gets an upset stomach. You can narrow down the culprit easier that way.”
Orlando listened almost in awe as she went on explaining a few other solid food do’s and don’ts like a pro. He was almost pissed he’d mentioned his mom had him tomorrow and Tuesday. He’d have to wait until Wednesday now to have her do this in person.
They finished up with her scheduled to be at his place both Wednesday and Thursday and then she added, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
That confused him. “Tomorrow?”
“Yeah, I’ll call Nine back and let him know I can be at the shop starting tomorrow and that this week I’ll be doing Monday, Tuesday, and Friday. So, I can help you out Wednesday, Thursday, and over the weekend.”
He’d been so caught up chastising himself for not making it sound more urgent so that she’d start sooner, he forgotten how soon Nine wanted her to start at the shop. Orlando would be seeing her again as soon as tomorrow. Smiling a little too big, Orlando wrapped up the call, reminding himself that he was just relieved that he’d finally found someone so competent to help him with Baby O—someone who clearly knew what she was talking about when it came to this baby stuff, despite how young she looked. So what if he was still smiling about the fact that he’d get to see her all day tomorrow and Tuesday? He was just eager to get started on what he’d be regarding as training. Given the confidence she’d shown as she passed on the tips, for all he knew, she might even have children of her own. Not sure how he felt about that. But if she had kids with her boyfriend, it’d be all the more a deterrent from getting any ideas about her and possibly lose a perfect sitter. Because if she’d handled the baby like The Baby Whisperer over the phone, he could only imagine how amazing she’d be in person. That’s all this was. He chuckled inwardly as he peeked into the nursery where the baby was now sleeping soundly. As a matter of fact, he was going to go write down some of the other stuff that’d baffled him so far when it came to this unexpected change in his life. Tomorrow he’d get a head start on all the millions of questions he had for her.
Chapter 8
Orlando
“What makes her so qualified?” Orlando opened his mouth to answer but then thought better of it. Gushing about how amazing Danica was, as he had when he told his mom about her that morning, might not go over so well with Felicia.
Even his mom had called him on it. “Is she p
retty, Orlando?” She’d smiled, peering at him playfully. “Because she sounds great, but you sound just a little too excited about this.”
Orlando had quickly backpedaled, toning it down, reiterating how incredibly frustrated and lost he’d been feeling until she called and fixed everything up just like that. “Over the phone, Ma!”
He’d almost gone back to raving about how he could hardly wait to see her in action in person. But he managed to calm his ass down and get out of his mom’s house before she could make any more assumptions.
“She’s going to school for this stuff,” Orlando said, answering Felicia’s question. “Child development,” he added when he remembered exactly what Danica had said. “She’s not fully licensed yet, but she’s already working with kids. Special needs kids even.”
“And you checked her credentials?”
“I told you she’s still a student. She doesn’t have any yet.”
“So, how’d you find this girl?”
The other line beeped, and Orlando could see it was his mom calling. He was instantly concerned because she never called when she had the baby unless there was some kind of issue. “That’s my mom on the other line,” he said quickly. “I gotta take this, Felicia. And I’m at the shop now, so I’ll just talk to you later. Okay, bye.”
Before she could even respond, he was already clicking over. “Mom, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong,” she said quickly. “I was just gonna feed my chachito, but I noticed you didn’t pack any baby food. Did you decide not to start him on solids after all?”
Frowning because he couldn’t believe he’d forgotten to tell her about this because he’d been too damn busy going on and on about other stuff, he said, “Yeah, sorry I forgot to tell you. I’m doing the baby cereal thing for now. I packed it for him with his formula. Mix it until it slightly thickens and feed him that. Danica says it’s best to keep it simple. Introduce stuff gradually. This way if he gets the runs or something, it’s easier to pinpoint what might’ve triggered it.”
His mom was quiet for a moment before he heard her reaction. “Hmm okay. Makes sense. Maybe this girl does know what she’s talking about.”
“I’m telling you. She really does.” He stopped before he got too worked up again because he was already smiling like an idiot. In hindsight, before his mom had called him on it that morning, he’d probably been doing it the whole time then too. Biting his tongue about Danica, he let her know he’d just arrived at the shop and had to get to work now but to feel free to call if anything came up or if she had any questions. As if he wasn’t already in a too excitable mood, seeing Danica behind the counter when he walked into the shop had his already smiling lips stretching even further.
“Check it out,” Nine said, coming up from behind her. “She’s been here just over an hour, and already this place looks a hundred times better than it has in weeks.” Orlando didn’t think he could smile any bigger, but just like that it happened when his eyes met Danica’s sweet and somewhat embarrassed looking eyes. “If Dani’s anywhere near as good at watching kids as she is organizing shit, you just scored.” Nine walked off with a very satisfied smile as one of the guys in the shop pulled him away to show him something. It felt almost as if he and Danica had a secret because her knowing gaze said it all. He already knew how amazing she was going to be with the baby. Judging by her gaze he was certain she knew he did too. Just like with his mom, his being so impressed by her had likely been beyond obvious even over the phone.
But his mind hiccupped back to what Nine had called her. Dani? The guy had a nickname for everyone, so it shouldn’t surprise Orlando that, after just an hour of her being there, he’d already dubbed her something other than her full name. But he liked it. It was sweet like her smile and unique like her. The more he looked in those eyes and the more he took in her exotic features—those lips, Jesus Christ—the more he was convinced Dani was anything but typical-looking.
He went back to observing the receptionist area that really did look much better now that Dani had cleaned it up.“I’m labeling drawers and shelves, so you guys will know where I’m putting everything. Once I know what paperwork gets used most often, I’ll probably move things around.”
Orlando smiled, glancing around, then pointed. “Service orders are what we’ll go through fastest.” Dani was quick to pull them from the bottom shelf and switch them with the paperwork on the top. Orlando pointed out the other paperwork they used most often, and within seconds, she had them in the handiest of shelves. Distracted momentarily by her alluring fragrance, he almost said something about it. He’d smelled it the day she’d come in to check her brakes. It’d been distracting as hell then too. But he thought better of mentioning it. It was only her first day, and he didn’t want it to start with him mentioning something that might be interpreted wrong.
“How was the baby this morning?” She sounded as genuinely interested as she looked.
“Much better.” He took in the near sparkle in her eyes as his response seemed to instantly please her. “Yeah.” He nodded, smiling bigger. “That luluing thing really does the trick. Well . . .” He tilted his head with a shrug. “That and the massaging his gums and giving him the cold teething ring to suck on. The whole combination is just spot on. You really know your stuff.”
While her smile waned a bit, Orlando could see the gleam in her eyes was still there. She shrugged, glancing back down at the counter she continued to organize. “Those are just little generic things I picked up pretty early on. My sister’s been doing the child behavioral therapy for years, and I’ve been assisting her since day one. Trial and error lessons are always the ones that stick fastest.”
“No shit.” Orlando chuckled, trying desperately to keep his eyes on her face because the rest of her was even more distracting than her fragrance. Though he had to be mindful not to get so damn caught up in those eyes. “I was going nuts yesterday just before you called. Now I know. This morning he started getting a little fussy when I was changing him. Turned on the lulu and he quieted right down.”
She glanced up at Orlando. The shine in her eyes appeared to morph into near glistening, but she smiled big. “Funny thing about the luluing. As effective as it can be, nobody ever does it exactly the same. Eventually, the babies only react in that special way to one person they get used to hearing it from the most. Usually mama. In your case, sounds like he’s already taking to your way.” The phone at the receptionist desk rang, and she smiled playfully before going all business like and picked it up. “Bad Boys Auto, how may I direct your call?” Orlando watched as she listened for a second then sat down in front of the computer. It was obvious she was winging it, even as she assured whoever it was she could look into it for them. Asking for the year and make of their car, she glanced at Orlando again, smiling playfully with a shrug. He couldn’t help being as impressed with how quickly she seemed to be a natural at this too as she was with the baby stuff. Of course, tidying up a cluttered desk and answering phones didn’t take as much skill as taking care of a baby did. Still, even as she winced and chewed the corner of her bottom lip because she seemed to be struggling with whatever she was searching for on the computer, there was something about her otherwise determined expression that made him smile.
He was about to ask if there was anything he could help clarify for her, when Nine, clearing his throat, got his attention. Orlando turned to a weirdly smirking Nine. “What’s with you?” Nine glanced at Dani, who was still busy on her call then back to Orlando.
Feeling his face heat, Orlando wiped what he was sure was a goofy-looking smile off his face and started toward the shop. “Nothing.” He shrugged. “Just checking if she was okay. I think she’s got it. Did they bring in that Impala yet?” Thankfully, Nine let it go, more interested in talking cars and work than why Orlando had been standing there gawking at the new hire. Orlando spent the better part of the morning trying to keep himself busy and away from the receptionist’s desk, at least when Nine was
in the lobby. Not that there was anything wrong with him going in there to chat with Dani. Most of their conversations consisted of either the baby or something about the shop and their procedures or pricing she had questions about. But Nine had already called him out on the way he’d gotten caught up gazing at her once. The guy could be loud and obnoxious when he wanted to be. The last thing Orlando wanted was for him to say something stupid, even if just kidding, and make things awkward for either of them.
One of the times he was up behind the counter when she wasn’t there, he was looking for some paperwork, and he came across a handwritten form she’d filled out. He knew it had to be her writing because no way was it Nine’s chicken scratches. He was just admiring the girlie curls of her penmanship when something got his attention. She’d gone out to her car to grab something from it and was now walking back with a very smiley Fernando. Fernando worked at the shop and was notorious for trying to pick up on the hot chicks that brought their cars in. It’s why Nine had dubbed him Fern Dog though Orlando had always referred to him as Fernando. “Yeah, that’s the one,” Fernando said as they walked into the lobby. “Their pizza’s the bomb. Maybe one of these days we—”
Orlando: Boyle Heights #4 Page 8
