Pretend Daddy

by Lulu Pratt

  “Where are you going?” Anna-Louise called at my back.

  “I’ll call you later to set up a schedule,” I called over my shoulder, doubtful she could hear me over her screams.

  Jasper’s frail body shivered in my arms as he cried softly. Cradling his head against my shoulder, I tried my best to protect him as Anna-Louise followed us through the front door.

  “Jake, stop! I need you!” She kept with her normal routine, reverting to the victim as the tears finally streamed down her pale cheeks. She wasn’t worried about Jasper, she was worried about herself.

  Turning, I held Jasper close as I sighed deeply, steeling myself. “I need you to get better,” I began.

  “I am! I’ve been taking my meds, going to the classes,” she interrupted. It was a lie. I could see it in her eyes.

  “I want to help you. You just need some time to work through some things. Let me take Jasper for a few days. You can get on your feet,” I watched the tears stop as she realized she wouldn’t have to look after Jasper. She was the one burdened by him.

  “You’re going to bring him back, right?” she asked, her chest rising and falling quickly.

  “Of course. I want you to be a part of his life. I just want you to get better first. That’s good, isn’t it?” I asked, speaking as softly as I could manage. I would always have a soft spot in my heart for Anna-Louise. I knew she was struggling to cope with all that had happened in her young life, but she would have to do it away from Jasper.

  “I love you, Jake,” she squealed. The words were hollow.

  “I will always look after you. Call me tomorrow. Let me know you’re okay,” I begged, hoping she didn’t take offense that I rebuffed her. I couldn’t lie about loving her just to boost her confidence.

  “I will,” she said submissively.

  I nodded slowly before giving her a half smile and making my way to the car. Anna-Louise was back inside her apartment blasting music before I sat Jasper in his car seat. I’d installed it just an hour before, after reading and rereading the instructions. Just as I finished fastening the belts, securing him to the seat, my phone vibrated in my pocket.

  “Hello,” I asked a bit abruptly, frustrated by the process.

  “Hi, I was calling about your ad for a nanny. I saw it posted at William Peace.” The voice was melodic and soft.

  “Oh, hi,” I tried to sound nicer as I climbed into the driver’s seat. “I’m Jake. When can you come by for an interview?” I asked as I pulled out of Anna-Louise’s apartment complex.

  Chapter 3

  ASHLEY

  “LET ME GUESS… Two margaritas and two orders of chicken tacos?” Michelle, the sassy waitress who regularly waited on us, knew our order before we spoke a word.

  “You know it!” Catharine said through giggles. As my best friend since childhood, Catharine knew me better than anyone. Torero’s had been our favorite Mexican restaurant since high school, just as chicken tacos had been our go-to order. Margaritas were added to the order a few months back after my twenty-first birthday, though I usually didn’t finish mine.

  The moment Michelle left us alone, Catharine launched into our necessary catch-up session. For as long as I could remember, she had been my closest friend, the one I told everything. In addition to bouncing my ideas off her, I looked to her for guidance and encouragement. One year my senior, she had always been like the big sister I never had. And since my father’s passing, she was the only family I had.

  “So, why aren’t you in class? I thought you had an eleven o’clock today?” she asked absentmindedly, taking a tortilla chip from the basket in the center of the table before dunking it into the bowl of salsa. So focused on managing to get the overflowing chip to her mouth without spilling a drop of dip, Catharine didn’t notice the discomfort on my face until she bit down on the chip after successfully not spilling a drop.

  “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that.” I felt the nervous smile creep across my lips. It was a strange habit, the way I smiled anytime I felt an emotion deeply. I noticed it at my father’s funeral, as I smiled through one interaction after another to mask my sadness.

  “Ashley, just stick through it. The worst you’ll get is a C. And you know what I say,” Catharine smiled as she reached for another chip. “C’s get degrees!” She laughed at her own joke as she dipped another chip into the bowl of salsa.

  “I kind of dropped all of my classes,” I tried to look relaxed as I reached for a chip.

  “You dropped what?” Catharine’s eyes widened as she struggled to chew the chip and salsa faster.

  “Yeah, I’ve been having some issues,” I said, focusing on the salsa to avoid making eye contact with the only person who could read me like a book.

  “What kind of issues?” Her words shot through the air like bullets.

  “I couldn’t pay for it anymore,” I finally admitted, feeling the tears build in my eyes as I raised my head.

  “Because of Nathan?” She screeched so loudly the older couple sitting a few tables down turned in our direction.

  “Don’t make a scene, please.” I slowly chewed my chip, wishing I’d gotten more salsa.

  The waitress appeared with our margaritas, buying me a few extra moments as she carefully placed the decorative glasses on two coasters. With a smile, she was gone.

  “I thought you said he was going to pay you back.” She tried whispering, but her voice was still close to hollering as she leaned across the table.

  “That’s what he said. He wanted to enroll in school, but…” I felt my voice fade. I hadn’t been able to build up the courage to explain the whole truth to her. It was too humiliating to admit that I was scammed by the boy who I thought loved me. He and I had known each other since our senior year of high school, but now I felt he only came around after my father’s death to cash in on my inheritance.

  “But what?” Catharine asked.

  I waited as long as possible, staring into her stern hazel eyes for strength. Knowing that Catharine would love me through anything did little to the mounting shame I had been carrying for weeks.

  “I am pretty sure Nathan never planned to pay the money back,” I admitted. After confronting him when I discovered his betrayal, I’d kept the collapse of our trust and relationship to myself.

  “What do you mean? He said he just needed it to make the enrollment deadline. He has that…” she snapped her fingers as her eyes clamped shut searching her memory. “That settlement, right? He’s going to pay you back, Ash,” she used my nickname as her eyes grew heavier.

  “No, he’s not. I got suspicious when he never brought any paperwork home. He would have these random updates about school, and told me everything was fine, but there was never any paperwork or welcome packet – nothing. So, I went down to the school myself. They had never heard of Nathan, and he wasn’t enrolled in a single class. At this point, I still thought there was some misunderstanding, so I went to him thinking they were actually scamming him.” A soft laugh fell from my lips as I recalled my absurd level of naiveté.

  “He didn’t even hide it. He laughed in my face. Said he’d never planned on going to school. He told me I would’ve known that if I ever listened to him,” I shook my head at his audacity. It was the first time I’d spoken the words aloud, and a weight felt lifted as the words rolled off my tongue.

  Reaching for my margarita, I took a large gulp as Catharine searched for words. It was a lot to unload on her. Certainly more than she had anticipated for this lunch update. But there was no reason to delay the inevitable, or sugarcoat the truth.

  “Catharine, say someth—” I started before she smacked the table loudly as she rose to her feet in a flash.

  “Get your shit! We’re going over there! I’m going to kill him!”

  Now the couple a few tables down gathered their things quickly and walked to the front of the restaurant. I was both amused and horrified. Tugging at her wrist, I yanked her back to her seat.

  “There’s nothing w
e can do, Catharine. He moved out that day. He stopped taking my calls and now he’s changed his number. I’m blocked on social media, and you probably are too.” I shrugged, sharing more of the embarrassment. My detective skills had gotten me nowhere, but that didn’t stop me from trying. Nathan had closed every possible avenue for me to tell him how much of an asshole he was.

  “There is always something we can do!” she urged, joining me in a sip of tequila-infused courage.

  “Well, I’m all ears.”

  “I’m going to get your money back, Ash. Just watch. How much was it? Twenty-five thousand?” Her lips tightened into a line as I nodded. Not much, but it was what had been left of my father’s inheritance. “Maybe we could have someone beat him up.” She scrunched her eyebrows together deviously as her mind worked rapidly.

  “I’m not going to jail over Nathan. Besides, he lives in the gym. Who could beat him up?” I tilted my head to the side with curiosity, failing to add that I’d already considered the option.

  “You’re right. It shouldn’t involve anyone else, either. It has to be us. Something we can do,” she spoke slowly as she ran her fingertip along the salty rim of the margarita glass.

  Too emotionally tried to argue, I asked, “What do you mean?”

  “Do you have any of his old nudes?” she asked unexpectedly.

  “What? Ew, that’s gross!” I shook my head. I’d never been one of those girls to take or accept nude photos with my boyfriend.

  “We could catfish him.” Catharine’s voice was so low I thought she might not be speaking to me.

  “Catfish?”

  “Yeah,” she glanced up, her eyes wide like she’d forgotten I was there. “We create a fake profile online and befriend him. Get him talking to us, and then seduce him. All we need are a few nude photos and he’s ours,” she smirked dangerously.

  “He’s ours?” I didn’t follow along.

  “Doesn’t he work for the school board or something?” she asked.

  “Yeah, he’s like an in-house tutor,” I said, still confused by her plan.

  “Right. He can’t do that and have nude photos online. It’ll ruin his career. I bet he’d be willing to pay anything to stop me from posting them on the school’s website. Even twenty-five thousand dollars,” Catharine announced, her smirk blossoming into a full-blown grin now.

  “You’re crazy,” was all I could say.

  There was no way it could work. Catharine wasn’t the best at hiding her emotions. She would lose her cool before it ever got far, that much I was sure of. Nathan had gotten over on me, but I didn’t want to dwell on it or make it worse by devoting my life to seeking revenge.

  “Ashley, I’m getting you that money back and you’re finishing your degree. That much I’m sure of,” she stared directly into my eyes as she proclaimed the revenge I wasn’t sure I wanted.

  A loud alarm from my cell went off just as the waitress returned with our tacos. Digging into my purse, I retrieved my phone to silence it.

  “I almost forgot I have an interview after this,” I shook my head, grateful I’d had the foresight to set a reminder.

  “An interview for what?”

  “A full-time nanny position. It was the silver lining the day I left campus,” I smiled, lifting one of the two tacos.

  Catharine looked with a sympathetic excitement before adding the encouragement I’d come to expect from her. “They’re going to hire you on the spot!”

  “That’s not likely. I brought a list of references, but they’ll probably need to run a background check and a bunch of other safety measures before I can start working,” I assured her.

  “You’ve always said a full-time nanny gig would be a hell of a payday.” She tried to hide the bitterness in her voice. I knew as well as she that I’d prefer to be in school than worrying about a payday, but thankfully she didn’t speak the words.

  “That’s the plan,” I nodded before taking another bite, grateful the conversation had moved onto a less dangerous topic than revenge.

  Chapter 4

  JAKE

  IT WAS MY only time alone for the day – the quiet time of Jasper’s afternoon nap. I craved the quiet – getting washing done, tidying, food prep, the occasional nap. Kids were exhausting! But I had to spend it interviewing another potential nanny. The chances of me hiring them was slim to none. I’d learned quickly how difficult it is to pick someone to stay with your kid all day.

  First, there was the middle-aged woman who showed up with vodka on her breath at eleven in the morning. Next was the twenty-something who had her phone in her hand the entire time she was there and looked at it continuously. I offered her a glass of water and watched her out of the corner of my eye while in the kitchen. She started texting as soon as I got up and was so engrossed that she did not look up when I returned. She ignored me for two whole minutes as she tapped away. That was fine, but Jasper needed someone who was going to watch and care for him. If she treated me – her potential employer – like this, how would she treat my son? As soon as she looked up from her texting with a smile, she read my thoughts and her face fell.

  Then, there was a teenage boy who needed to make some money to move out on his own. He openly admitted his plan was to take Jasper to the skate park every day, where Jasper could lie on the grass and watch him hit cool tricks. That led into a five-minute session of him showing me videos on his phone of different tricks he’d been working on. He had no clue he was bombing the interview until I told him I’d be in touch right before I shut the front door.

  I had no idea the process would be so hard, but I couldn’t afford to turn down any potential leads, regardless of how much I’d prefer to be napping. Between my job at the private security firm and taking care of Jasper, there just weren’t enough hours in a day.

  The knock only reminded me of how short I was on time. Quickly, I made my way to the door, hoping the applicant wouldn’t wake Jasper from his nap. As I pulled the door open, I was taken aback by the woman on the other side of the glass screen. She was young and beautiful, with blonde hair pulled into a ponytail that fell past her shoulders.

  “Hi, I’m Ashley,” she smiled.

  I hadn’t expected her to be so young or attractive. Trying to recall our phone call, I couldn’t remember getting any details about her, which was usual for me. Every one of these nanny interviews had been a clear indication that I didn’t know what I was doing.

  “I’m Jake.” I extended my hand, holding the glass door open. Her touch was soft, her hands petite. “Come on in.” I backed up to make room for her to enter the foyer.

  “You have a beautiful home,” she looked around as I watched her carefully, prepared for the red flags I knew were sure to come.

  “Thank you. Can I get you anything? Water? Juice? Wine?” I tested her after the disastrous interview with the older woman.

  “Wine? At a job interview? What kind of nanny position is this?” She turned to me with reddened cheeks, her plump lips tugging to break into a smile. I laughed and she followed suit, relieving me of a load of tension.

  “I’ve learned I need to test people in the interview. One lady turned up with alcohol on her breath before lunch,” I shared, leading her to the living room.

  “Wow, you need all your faculties to keep up with kids. How old is your child?”

  “Jasper is two.” I smiled, glancing over my shoulder, watching her take in the house. I liked her curiosity. It was the first time I felt like I was being interviewed as much as the nanny. I began seeing my home with fresh eyes, rushing to remove the stack of paperwork I’d set on the coffee table.

  “Sorry about the mess,” I heard myself explaining as she sat on the brown leather loveseat opposite the sofa.

  “Oh, don’t worry. I’m shocked you even have time to do this type of sit-down interview with a two-year-old son,” she said. I felt myself relaxing around her. There was something about her that felt warm and familiar, though we’d just met.

  “So, tell me
about yourself,” I leaned back, resting my ankle on my knee. She took a deep sigh, as an uneasy smile spread across her face.

  “Well, I’m twenty-one. I’ve been in college for the past three years, but recently had to take a leave of absence. I’m a theater major, so I’m all into singing and dancing, that type of thing,” she smiled a little before continuing. “Of course, my major is not important.”

  “It’s fine. Tell me whatever you’re comfortable sharing. I’m interested in what kind of person you are as much as your experience.” I tried my best to make her as comfortable as she made me.

  The truth was, I had enjoyed hearing about her interests. Her love for theater explained a lot about her and the reason she appeared to be so comfortable, like she was on a stage of some sort. Ashley looked relaxed in the love seat, her blue eyes gleaming as she stared silently before continuing.

  “Can you tell me about your son? Does he have any allergies or health issues? Does he attend any playgroups?”

  Fortunately, my mom had asked many of the same questions once she’d learned that she was a grandmother, and I had to ask Anna-Louise as I hadn’t had the background to think to ask.

  “Jasper has no allergies or health issues. He has his food likes and dislikes. He’s an easy-going kid, I think. I don’t have much experience with children. As for playgroups, I do want him to socialize with kids his own age, so a playgroup would be ideal,” I said, running a hand through my hair, feeling overwhelmed. I wanted the best for him and I knew I wasn’t able to give him that myself.

  “Great. As far as caring for children, I’ve been babysitting, as well as waitressing, while going to school. I’m used to everything from waking the children up, to getting them to practice and recitals, and of course putting them down at night. I’ve looked after children ranging in age from six months to twelve years old. Last summer I spent a week looking after four kids as their parents were away due to a family emergency.”

  She looked confident. I wondered if she had younger siblings to be so maternal and so young, but I thought it inappropriate to ask what she didn’t share willingly.