Joshua chuckled. "Yeah, just one thing. Aren’t you supposed to be at work at four?"
"What time is it?" Dominique eyes widened. She whipped her head around to glance at the clock on the microwave. "It’s ten minutes till! Shit! I’m going to be late. I’ve got to go." Spinning around, she snatched her purse off the table. "Do me a favor," she hollered as she raced to Kalvin’s room to say goodbye. "Call the number to the bar that’s on that list and tell whoever answers that I’m on my way." With a quick kiss to Kalvin and a wave to Joshua, she was out the door in a flash.
Joshua could only shake his head and laugh as he picked up the phone.
~ * ~
"Damn it, damn it, damn it! Would you get out of my way?" Dominique beat the steering wheel with the palm of her hand, yelling at a slow driver in front of her. Stuck in heavy afternoon traffic, she was only a block away from the barroom and it seemed like it was taking forever to get there. "I don’t know where you learned to drive, but obviously you need more instructions. That pedal in the floorboard that your foot is supposed to be on is called the gas pedal. If you push it a little bit harder, the car will go. I promise," she continued to fuss.
Finally, they crept down the block, and she whipped into the parking lot of the bar. "Great! The one day when several people are at the bar at four o’clock in the afternoon and I have to be late!"
She bolted out of the car, tossed her purse over her shoulder and stormed through the door of the building, heading straight for the employee office behind the bar. The dayshift bartender, Marge, appeared in the doorway of the office. The fiftyish woman nodded at Dominique.
"I’m so sorry I’m late." Dominique hastily tossed her purse on the desk. She felt bad for having kept Marge waiting.
"Slow down. It’s no problem," Marge assured her, stepping aside to let Dominique through the doorway. "It’s not like I was never late relieving you when our shifts were reversed. Although I never had such a sexy voice call you to tell you I would be late." Her eyes twinkled. She pushed a strand of her gray-streaked auburn hair behind her ear and angled her head to one side. "Who was that anyway?"
Stopping to lean against one of the beer coolers, Dominique took a few deep, calming breaths. "He’s my new babysitter."
"Some babysitter," Marge said teasingly. "No wonder you were running late. But isn’t he supposed to be babysitting Kalvin?"
"That’s who the guy was at your house?" one of the customers piped in before Dominique could answer. It was Ronnie, a short, plump, balding man and one of the regular customers that came into the bar at all different hours of the day. "Come on, Dom. You could’ve come up with a better story than that."
"Yeah, you could’ve said he was a repairman, or your uncle or brother or something," one of the other regular customers chimed in. "But the new babysitter, now that’s about as lame as ‘the dog ate my homework’."
The bar erupted with laughter.
"Can I get another beer, Dom?" another customer asked once the commotion settled a bit, sliding an empty bottle toward her on the bar.
"Sure." She smiled and reached into the cooler. She could see what her night was going to be like. Oh, why couldn’t those guys find something else to amuse themselves other than her new babysitter?
"First of all, I don’t have a brother and all of you know that," she said as she popped the top on the beer bottle and served it to the customer. "And second, it’s not a story. The guy is my new babysitter. Or, should I say, Kalvin’s new babysitter," she added for Marge’s benefit. "I had to hire one so I could pick up the swing shifts."
"And you just had to hire a male one," Ronnie continued to tease.
"Hey, he applied and, as it turned out, he was the best qualified for the job." Dominique threw her hands in the air with a shrug. Well, not actually the best qualified, but the only one both she and Kalvin agreed on. Of course she wasn’t about to tell her customers that. They were giving her a hard enough time about Joshua as it was.
"I bet he was the cutest, too," Marge teased, moving around the bar to become a customer now that her shift was over. "He sure sounded dreamy. Is he?"
Dominique felt the heat rising to redden her face. She turned around quickly, using the excuse to fix Marge her favorite drink to prevent the customers from seeing her blush. "He’s nice looking," she admitted in the most casual voice she could muster. Her stomach rippled as the image of Joshua Divine in those tight-fitting jeans flashed through her mind.
He’s beyond nice looking, she added to herself as she mixed the drink. Completely, utterly gorgeous is more like it.
~ * ~
Joshua kicked back on the sofa, propping his feet on the coffee table in front of him. The only sounds that flowed through the apartment came from the television, which remained on with no one paying it attention. Kalvin had been in bed for close to three hours. After taking the required time his body needed to recuperate from an eventful evening with Kalvin, Joshua was now bored out of his mind and longing for company.
A smile rose to his face as he thought about his first evening with Kalvin. He still found it hard to believe how well mannered the young boy was. Smart, too! There was no need for psychology with this child. If he didn’t know better, he would swear Kalvin was closer to eight or nine years old instead of the mere age of five.
The two of them had devoured their manly dinner of chili dogs and frozen French fries, played with nearly every toy and game the boy owned, and even watched a couple of movies before Joshua gave him a bath and read him to sleep. To his surprise, Kalvin hadn’t given him a single minute’s trouble all evening.
After tucking Kalvin into bed, Joshua had cleaned up the mess they had made--along with most of the mess they hadn’t made as well--and settled in on the sofa to study. But instead of studying, he found himself concentrating on Dominique. The look she had given him when he had caught her watching them from the bathroom door. That desirable, sexual smile was still making appearances in his mind.
She had called several times throughout the evening to check on them, each time leaving the sound of her voice to replay again and again in his memory. Just like the message she had left on his answering machine the previous evening. He had played it at least ten times, just listening to the sound of her voice. It had been shaky, almost nervous sounding, but still heart-stopping.
Joshua wondered once again if she would’ve had anything different to say had he answered the phone. With that thought, his anger at Heather returned in full force. He’d been furious with her for turning off the ringer on the phone and then turning down the volume on the answering machine. He hadn’t realized it until she’d left, but he knew she’d done it. Her plans for the evening had been one in the same with the plans she’d had the day he’d gotten the job. Lately, she just didn’t seem to have any intentions of letting up on the sexual begging. That night, she hadn’t wanted anything to interfere with her little plans for the evening. However, it had been him and not Dominique who had busted the bubble on those plans.
Just as they’d done the day he got the job, he and Heather had gone to the library but only stayed for about an hour before returning to his house to continue with more studying. Heather had taken this as a sign that Joshua had changed his mind, when in truth he’d found all the information he needed and had merely decided he would rather go home and be comfortable while he worked his mind.
Despite Heather’s efforts to make him do otherwise, Joshua had not given in to her provocative wants. He just wasn’t ready for that, and the more he thought about it and the more Dominique entered his mind, the more he was beginning to wonder if it was just Heather that he wasn’t ready for.
Whoa, don’t even go there buddy, his inner voice cautioned. But his unethical thoughts of a sexual affair said differently.
Realizing the time was quickly approaching midnight, Joshua rose from the sofa and returned to cleaning the few things he had neglected earlier in the evening. He was passing by the table in the kitchen when he
tripped over a pair of Dominique’s shoes. Geez, what was it with women these days? Didn’t their mothers teach them how to clean anymore? She was as bad as Heather. He shook his head, then picked up the shoes and made his way down the hall to Dominique’s bedroom. The door to the room was closed. He hesitated outside, wondering if he should enter.
He swung the shoes in his fingers. You’re just putting away a pair of shoes, his inner voice said. It’s not like you’re planning to go through her personal belongings or anything.
With that thought in mind, he opened the door and was instantly met with the sweet, tantalizing smell of Dominique’s perfume. He took a deep breath, allowing the scent to roam around in his air passages. After a moment, he took a step inside and stopped. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea, he thought when his gaze landed on the items strewn across the unmade queen size bed. The most feminine of female clothing lay on display before his eyes, all with frilly lace and arousing colors.
"Nope, definitely not a good idea," he decided aloud. He placed the pair of shoes on the floor by the dresser and quickly exited the room. At the same time, he heard the doorknob of the front door wiggle and open.
Without a second’s thought, Joshua bolted into the nearby hallway bathroom and flipped on the light. He didn’t want Dominique to think he had been nosing through her personal stuff. He heard a loud thump and guessed she had tossed her monstrosity of a purse somewhere on her way in the door. Then he heard her enter Kalvin’s room.
Deciding it was safe, Joshua walked out of the bathroom at the same time Dominique was leaving Kalvin’s room. "How was work?" he asked, keeping his voice low as not to wake Kalvin.
Dominique jumped. "You startled me," she gasped, placing one hand over her heart.
"Sorry." Joshua chuckled. He followed Dominique to the kitchen where she commenced to gather the makings for a sandwich out of the refrigerator. "So, how was work?"
"L-o-n-g," she stressed. "And how were things with Kalvin? Any problems?"
Joshua began gathering his books and things in the living room. Not that he really wanted to leave. He had been waiting for hours for her to come home and would’ve loved to stick around and talk to her for a while. But he guessed after a long night of dealing with drunks, the last thing she wanted was her babysitter hanging around to chat.
"None at all," he answered. Walking back to the kitchen, he said, "He’s a fantastic kid."
Dominique turned from the counter, a mayonnaise-covered knife in hand, and smiled proudly. "Yeah, he is, isn’t he?"
Spotting a stack of video cases on the endtable by the couch, Joshua said, "I take it your movie fairy was at the bar tonight."
Dominique giggled. "Yeah, he had to drop off the weekly delivery. This time there’s more there for me than Kalvin, though. There are several movies I’ve been wanting to see, but haven’t had the chance."
"I’m assuming I’m working tomorrow night as well?" Joshua angled his head toward her.
"Oh, yeah, sorry. For the next couple of weeks I’m only going to be off on Sundays. I hope that’s okay," she said, wrinkling her forehead. Her tone was unsure. "After that, my schedule will be arranged so that I’ll have two days off."
"No problem," Joshua replied. If the truth be known, he wasn’t looking forward to having a day off. Hesitantly, he asked, "Is there anything more before I leave?"
"No, I don’t think so." Dominique shook her head. But her statement said something totally different. Her gaze skittered away from his face. They lapsed into silence.
She wants me to stay, he thought. I can see it in her eyes. Or am I imagining it? Tell me to stay and I will.
But she didn’t say it, and he fought the urge to offer. It was better this way. He had made promises to himself that staying behind would have broken to smithereens, and he had an obligation to Heather--to himself--not to break those promises. If he stayed, there was no telling what would happen. His intentions were only to talk with her, to get to know her better. But intentions were often taken over by desires and that had to be avoided. Their’s would be a working relationship and nothing more. That was the way it was and the way it would stay.
Resigned, he hefted his books and gave her a parting smile. "Then I guess I’ll see you tomorrow at three-thirty."
Five
On a bench in the playground in Dominique’s apartment complex, Joshua sat studying for his next big exam--this time in Psychology. A few feet away, Kalvin ran around the enormous play set. Joshua smiled as Kalvin whooshed down the six-foot slide. With one more day to go, he had almost made it through his first week. Everything was going wonderfully. Dominique seemed more at ease leaving Kalvin with him each afternoon and the two were having a blast together while she was gone. As for he and Dominique, they had developed the perfect employee/employer relationship. She had even entrusted him to take Kalvin to the playground.
Glancing at his wristwatch, Joshua suddenly realized he and Kalvin had been at the playground a lot longer than he had planned. It was nearing six o’clock, and he had yet to feed Kalvin his dinner. The boy had been having so much fun, he hated to ruin it. To his surprise, Kalvin didn’t mutter a single word of argument when Joshua told him it was time to go in. Joshua entered the apartment then went straight to the kitchen with Kalvin in tow.
Dominique had instructed him to feed Kalvin a can of Spaghetti-O’s from the cabinet, but he had other things in mind. Every night, it was something quick and easy with virtually no nutrition. Tonight, he and Kalvin were going to have a real meal. He had stopped at the grocery store on his way to Dominique’s that afternoon and picked up a pack of skinless, boneless chicken, a box of macaroni and cheese, and a can of corn. Still quick and easy, but a bit more nutritious than Spaghetti-O’s.
When Joshua came in with the food, Dominique had looked shocked. She’d smiled and said thank you, offering to pay him back for the food even though he insisted that it was his treat. She had been a bit angry with him for changing her dinner plans without asking and, despite her attempts to hide it, he had sensed it right away. Well, she would just have to get over it.
Kalvin sat at the kitchen table, talking about all the fun he’d had at the playground while Joshua prepared their dinner. A half an hour later, Joshua joined the boy at the table with two plates loaded with hot, scrumptious food and glasses of fruit punch. Both ate in silence as if they hadn’t seen food in weeks, until about halfway through the meal when Kalvin broke the ice.
"Joshua, if you had a kid, would you want to see him?" the boy asked innocently between bites of his macaroni.
An empty spot in Joshua’s heart threatened to take control. Flashbacks of the child he almost had bounced in his mind. Closing his eyes to put the thoughts to rest, he angled his head toward the boy. "Of course I would want to see him. I would love to have children of my own someday. The only reason I don’t now is because I’m just not ready for them." That, and I allowed the child that I almost had to slip lifelessly though my fingers.
"My daddy never comes to see me." Kalvin’s bottom lip protruded in a pout. He sat his fork on his plate and stared off into nothingness. "He never calls me, even."
Stunned, Joshua stopped in mid-chew. His jaw stiffened. His heart bled for the boy--so young and yet obviously hurt by so much. How could a man not want to be with his child? He just didn’t understand. Even though he knew there was no chance of him ever knowing the child he’d almost had, he still longed to be with it every day of his life.
He knew nothing of Kalvin’s father. Neither he nor Dominique had ever mentioned him. Still, an uncontrollable anger roared through him like a freight train. Why bring a child into the world if you didn’t want to have anything to do with it? And if that child wasn’t planned, which could very well have been the case, well…it was still his responsibility. The child didn’t ask to be brought into the world. If you can’t accept the consequences don’t have the fun, he thought, jabbing his fork into his macaroni.
"When I ask Mommy about it,
she just says he’s really busy, but I don’t think that’s true," Kalvin continued.
Joshua noticed a glimmer of tears begin to shine in the little boy’s eyes. He swallowed hard, forcing down a lump in his throat. He reached out and placed a loving hand on the boy’s shoulder.
Using the back of his hand, Kalvin wiped away a tear that trickled down his rosy cheek. His now bloodshot eyes turned on Joshua with a crestfallen, heart-wrenching glare. "Why doesn’t my daddy want me?"
Joshua’s breath caught in his throat. Despite his efforts, his own eyes brimmed with tears. How was he supposed to answer a question like that? He had no guidance, no previous experiences from which to draw the proper answer. Thinking back quickly to his own childhood, he couldn’t remember a single time when he needed his father that he hadn’t been there for him. Nor could he think of anyone he had ever known who had been faced with the same, or even a similar, situation.
Think Joshua, his inner voice coached. Think about what you’ve studied in class. So what if you promised Dominique you wouldn’t use psychology on the boy. If there’s ever been a time when it’s needed, that time is now. You’ve been attending college to train yourself to handle questions like this. Now think!
Taking a deep breath, Joshua scooted his chair closer to Kalvin’s, and pivoted the boy in his seat so they were face to face. "Sometimes adults haven’t quite grown up enough to accept the responsibility of having a child, and yet that child is born anyway. It’s not that they don’t want their child. They just don’t seem to possess the knowledge to make the right decisions where the child is concerned. I’m sure your daddy loves you very much and, sooner or later, he’s going to realize what is right."
Kalvin pulled himself to his knees in the chair and wrapped his long, skinny arms around Joshua’s neck. "I sure wish you were my daddy."
Joshua was stunned. He had muddled through the boy’s question the best he could and believed he had done right. But what response could he give to that? The love he was beginning to feel for the boy couldn’t be expressed in the appropriate words. He simply hugged Kalvin tighter for a moment then released him from his embrace.
The Devine Babysitter Page 5
