Risky Chance

by Tabitha Marks

  Since finding out about Molly's pregnancy, Keith's life had been turned upside down and inside out. He'd gone from nervousness at the prospect of being a father, to anger at Molly's reaction and subsequent behavior, to fear when Carter was in the hospital for weeks after his birth. Throughout it all, Kevin had been there to listen and help, and sometimes kick Keith in the ass when he started feeling sorry for himself. If anyone had the right to question Keith's decisions, it was his brother.

  "No, I'm not sure," Keith said, admitting the truth. "But like Angie said, I've got to do something."

  "Yeah, but you don't have to hire Molly's cousin," Kevin protested, playing devil's advocate. "Are you sure you can handle that?"

  Keith thought it over before answering, but didn't arrive at a different conclusion than he had the day before. And the day before that. "She's nothing like Molly. You met her and even liked her."

  "That was before I knew who she was," Kevin grumbled, but didn't put much venom behind his statement. "I'm still irritated with Angie for keeping the truth about Sara from me." He paused to take a sip of beer, obviously weighing his words before he spoke. "But in all honesty, Sara's a nice girl from what I've seen. She's been over to the house a few times and I never got a bad vibe off her."

  "She does seem nice," Keith replied, keeping his thoughts about how nice he thought Sara looked, and smelled, to himself. "And she's got a lot of experience taking care of kids. Way more than me."

  "Well, I hope it works out for you, bro, I really do. It's risky, but it might turn out well. You deserve to have things go your way after all the shit you've been through."

  Wasn't that the truth, Keith thought, though he just nodded his head in response. If Sara worked out, it would mean he could start to have some semblance of a life again. He couldn't bring himself to admit how much he wanted that for fear people would think he was a bad father. He loved his son more than anything else in the world, but he needed time away from him sometimes.

  Keith might not be able to say with one hundred percent certainty that Sara was the right person for the job, but he knew in his gut that she was a good person and would take good care of Carter. It remained to be seen what her motives were, and if the fact she was Molly's cousin would be an issue. He was willing to give her a chance.

  "I didn't hire her yet. She's coming over Sunday so I can see how she is with Carter, and if she doesn't cut it, I'll find someone else. Angie's right about Mrs. Thompson. She's been great, but she won't be able to keep up with my boy much longer and I need to have a plan in place before he starts walking."

  "That kid is going to take off as soon as he figures out how to balance," Kevin said with a chuckle, probably at the image of Keith racing around the house after a toddler.

  "Don't curse me," Keith growled, though he suspected it was too late and Kevin was correct. Keith added baby proofing the house sometime soon to his mental 'to do' list. Not exactly what he expected to be doing at twenty-five. At least not without a wife by his side, though he'd never planned to settle down this early. He was having too much fun to want to give up his bachelorhood anytime soon, but fate had other plans, and he'd gone from being out with his friends five nights a week to being lucky to have a few hours a month to himself.

  Keith switched the topic to the latest rumors swirling around the locker room at the factory where he and Kevin both worked, taking the focus off his problems. He'd spent more hours than he could count over the last couple of days worrying about what would happen with Sara. Now all he could do was wait and see, and hope everything worked out the way he wanted.

  Chapter 4

  Sunday came much too slowly for Sara. Spending all day Saturday refolding sweaters and jeans after spoiled teenagers left a mess in the dressing room gave her far too much time to be fantasizing about working with Carter…and seeing Keith again.

  When the day finally arrived, she struggled with what to wear for over an hour, finally deciding on comfortable, but nice, jeans, and a cute cami and cardigan set. She figured dressing up to interview for a job where she'd be playing with a baby all day didn't make much sense, especially since the point of going to their house today was to interact with Carter. Keith didn't seem like a formal kind of guy. Dress pants and a blouse would probably make him look at her funny, and that's the last thing she wanted to happen.

  Despite having spent far too long on her outfit choice, Sara pulled up to Keith's house five minutes early and decided to take the time to check it out. She knew that Keith had only recently purchased the decent sized brick front ranch, but the prior owners must have enjoyed gardening because the front had full flowerbeds bursting with color. The windows looked newer, as did the roof, and the lawn was neatly maintained. It looked like the perfect house to Sara, surrounded by other perfect houses. The whole neighborhood was nice, a good place to raise a family, which was a far cry from the area around her own home.

  When her grandparents purchased the house where she grew up fifty years ago, the area was much like Keith's. Middle class families who took pride in their property and looked out for each other. Unfortunately, time and a bad economy took their toll. Now most of the houses were visibly run down and hardly anyone planted flowers or pruned their shrubs. Sara's car had been broken into several times and she barely felt safe sleeping in her own bed at night with all the doors locked. As much as she hated to admit it, Sara was seriously considering selling Grandma's house and moving into a small apartment. If she could afford it, maybe even purchasing a new condo. She didn't want to sell her childhood home, but she didn't want be the victim of a robbery, or worse.

  Putting those troubling worries aside, she braced herself for the next two hours, put on her best smile and marched to the front door ready to wow Mr. Keith Lane.

  * * * * *

  Despite his initial apprehension, Keith found himself enjoying Sara's visit. Two hours quickly became three, and before he knew it Keith was asking Sara to stay for dinner and ordering Chinese. He found out quickly that Angie was one hundred percent correct about Sara's qualifications. She definitely knew her way around small children, entertaining Carter for a while, then somehow feeding him his cereal without making a huge mess, something Keith had yet to master. Part of the problem was that the smell of it made Keith gag, but he was working on it.

  She followed that trick up with the fastest diaper change he'd ever seen. It was so quick Carter had barely opened his mouth to protest and she was finished. And the whole time she carried on a conversation with Keith, telling him about the classes she'd signed up for in the fall semester.

  He could barely believe it when she laid Carter down in his crib, rubbed his back for a few minutes and then left him to take a nap. Keith followed her back to the living room positive that his son would be screaming his fool head off before they had their asses on the couch, but Sara proved him wrong. The baby didn't make a peep, and hadn't for the last forty-five minutes.

  The food arrived and they were sitting at his small kitchen table in awkward silence for the first time all afternoon. He was about to say something completely inane just to break the tension, but Sara beat him to the punch.

  "So, this is definitely the longest job interview that I've ever been on."

  The comment annoyed him at first since he'd completely forgotten that's what this was supposed to be, until he glanced up from his lo mein and found her grinning at him. "Yeah, I like to be thorough."

  She opened her mouth to say something else, but stopped and took a bite of food instead. From the glint in her eye, he assumed it was probably something a little saucy and flirty, and he kicked himself for wishing she'd let the words out. As much as he liked her, and after spending several hours with her he found he truly did like her, he needed to keep their relationship professional. At least for a while.

  "Is there anything else you want to ask me?" Her words brought him back to the present, and out of the very dirty daydream he'd been enjoying. One that involved all the things he'd do to h
er once they weren't so professional anymore.

  His first response to her question was completely inappropriate, but he pushed it back and instead took a moment to think. For all his worry that she'd be like Molly, every sign pointed to her being everything Molly wasn't. Warm. Caring. Nurturing. She'd arrived on time and never once became frustrated with Carter. Even when he blew raspberries that shot formula all over her sweater. She just laughed and mopped it up with a spit rag.

  After considering everything he'd seen, Keith discovered he had only one more question.

  "When can you start?" he asked, laughing when she bounced out of her chair and squealed in delight, jumping into his arms for a hug.

  "Oh, thank you so much, Keith. You won't regret this!" she cried, only lowering her voice when he gently shushed her. "I'd like to give one week's notice at the mall. Not that I really want to spend another week there, but I don't want to leave anyone high and dry either."

  That was another plus in the 'pro' column, as far as Keith was concerned. She took her responsibilities seriously, even when it was something she didn't particularly enjoy doing.

  "That sounds good. I'm sure Mrs. Thompson can do one more week," he replied. "So you'll start a week from Monday?"

  "Yep, I can do that," she said, giving him a big smile and Keith found himself entranced. She was beautiful when she smiled, especially when her face lit up with excitement like a kid in a candy store. Keith enjoyed it while it lasted, which unfortunately wasn't very long. Once she realized she was standing in the circle of his arms, she disengaged and took a large step back, putting several feet between them.

  "Sorry about that," she whispered, looking anywhere, but at him. A blush stained her cheeks making her look even more adorable, which he didn't think was possible.

  He missed her warmth immediately, but tried not to let it show. Hugging employees was probably frowned upon by someone, somewhere. Time to change the subject.

  "Why don't we finish eating and talk about the details," he suggested. "You do realize that you've accepted a job and don't even know how much it pays?"

  That earned him a giggle and some direct eye contact, both of which hit him below the belt, but she sat back down, her nervousness apparently gone. Keith breathed a sigh of relief and almost burst out laughing. After being so opposed to having a relative of Molly's watch Carter, now that he'd met Sara, he didn't want her going anywhere. For a long time. Never had he felt this sort of reaction to a woman before. This feeling of warmth and happiness and lust all spiraled together until he could barely control himself. He couldn't even summon up any guilt for having inappropriate feelings for someone who would be working for him, but she didn't need to know that.

  Right now they'd work out the details of their business arrangement, which would give him the opportunity to get to know her better. He'd keep up the pretense of being professional for a while, but deep down he knew that's all it would be for him. A façade hiding his true feelings and desires. It didn't matter that he'd only spent time with Sara twice. Everything about her just felt right and he wasn't going to ignore his gut. They'd be friends first, but Keith knew that, eventually, they would be lovers.

  Chapter 5

  After the initial awkwardness of the interview, Sara quickly settled into her new job and role as caretaker to Carter. He was a sweet little boy, though he knew how to manipulate his father already. She worked hard to be consistent yet loving, but it rarely felt like work. Seeing Carter's little face every day brought her more joy than she'd felt in years. Knowing he was her family made caring for him completely different than watching a stranger's child at daycare. There was a connection there that was absent at her old job. It made her wonder just what it would feel like to have her own children. Probably like the best thing in the world.

  Her classes at the university started a few weeks after the job, and at first she worried that it would be overwhelming. Luckily, Keith had no problem with her studying in the afternoon while Carter napped and after he went to bed, so she managed to stay on top of her schoolwork.

  One month turned into two and everything was going perfectly. She went to school in the morning, stopped at home to grab lunch and arrived at Keith's house about ten minutes before he left for work. She played with Carter, then he napped while she made dinner from whatever Keith had in the fridge. After the first week when she forgot to bring food three days in a row, he insisted that she help herself, calling it part of her salary. Sara didn't feel right just eating his groceries so she decided that she'd make them both dinner every night.

  The first few times he'd come home to a covered plate sitting on the stove he'd been shocked, and overly appreciative, but when she explained that she felt like she was taking advantage of his generosity he told her to make a list every week of things she'd like from the store and they'd just include cooking and eating dinner as part of their agreement.

  Other than the meal issue, they got along really well during the short time they spent together. Better than she ever expected, even though she came into this bound and determined to make him like her. And sometimes, lately, they ended up talking for a half hour or more after he came home from work. She always felt bad, knowing he needed his rest so he could wake up early with Carter, but he never seemed to mind. In fact, some nights it felt like he didn't want her to leave! But that was crazy. Probably just her projecting her hopes onto him, when he'd been nothing but friendly and polite.

  She couldn't help it that she found him wildly attractive and that his kindness and gentleness with his son made her heart beat faster than it should. Seeing him tickle Carter until he laughed his little baby laugh out loud, or give him a tight hug before he left for work, made her ache for things she'd never experienced before. She wanted to know what it was like to snuggle up close to Keith in bed every night and feel his strong arms wrapped around her, to the point where she almost slipped a few times and tried to give him a hug goodnight.

  Luckily she managed to stop herself before he noticed. She hoped. She couldn't help how she felt and she was beyond the point of being able to control her feelings for Keith, but she could definitely make sure he never knew.

  Grandma always told her she thought with her heart first and her brain second, and that never failed to get her into trouble. She wasn't going to risk losing this job because of her wanton hormones. For once she'd listen to Grandma's advice and use her head.

  During their nightly discussions, the one thing Keith refused to talk about was Molly. Sara had brought her up once and received a firm instruction from Keith that he never wanted to hear about her again. He had very strong feelings about Molly, and they were all negative. Sara didn't blame him, but she hoped eventually he'd change his mind if Molly cleaned up her act. Since she hadn't done that yet, Sara was trying to push the whole situation out of her mind and be a substitute mother for Carter. Though she knew, having lost her own parents at a young age, that nothing could replace a mother's love. When she'd vaguely suggested to Keith that Molly could, maybe, become a good mother, he informed Sara in no uncertain terms that he disagreed and wouldn't discuss it further.

  Sara knew all of these things, in fact she remembered like yesterday the cold, hard look in Keith's eye when they'd had that discussion even though it was weeks ago. Despite all of that, when her crazy cousin called looking for money after months and months of silence, the first thing Sara did was invite her over to Keith's house.

  When she made the invitation, she hoped that seeing Carter again would prompt Molly to want to be a better person. Maybe she'd been scared when he was born premature? Or maybe she felt guilty for not taking better care of herself while pregnant? Sara knew that deep down Molly was a good person; she just needed someone to believe in her.

  The first inkling that perhaps Sara was thinking with the wrong organ again came after Sara gave her the address and suggested that Molly could visit with Carter while she was there. Molly didn't seem too excited, giving her a distracted 'yeah sure' in
response after passing on Keith's address to someone in the background, but Sara pushed on.

  "I'm sure he'll be really happy to see you," she said, hoping Carter would give his mother one of his adorable gummy smiles.

  "Who?" Molly asked, finally paying attention.

  "Carter."

  "Who's that? I don't know anyone named Carter."

  Sara's mouth gaped in disbelief. "I just explained to you that I was a nanny for Keith."

  "Keith who?"

  Sara was about to tell Molly not to bother when her cousin spoke. "Sara, we'll be there in a few minutes. I gotta go."

  A feeling of dread crept into Sara's stomach once Molly hung up and she knew she'd made a terrible mistake by inviting her over. Even though Keith hadn't told her specifically that Molly wasn't welcome, Sara didn't doubt that he would be angry. Especially since Molly was bringing people with her. In a horrible rush, Sara remembered the last time Molly had shown up at her house with friends in tow, if they could even be called that. More like drinking and trouble making buddies. They'd barged in the front door, raided the fridge and eaten all Sara's groceries for the week, tromped all over the house in muddy boots and refused to leave when Sara asked. At least Grandma had already been in the assisted living facility and hadn't seen how trashy Molly looked, practically having sex with two guys on the couch in the living room where they had played as children.

  Another couple went and screwed on Grandma's old bed, and when Sara had thrown a fit, Molly claimed it was partly her house too since they both had the same Grandma.

  That wasn't true at all. That Molly would use Grandma to try to get her way when she had never visited or done anything to help Sara after their grandmother's stroke had been the last straw for Sara.

  It took picking up the phone and starting to call the police before Molly herded her friends out the front door, yelling obscenities at Sara the entire time.