by Lila Younger
“Oh, wow. That was a long time ago.”
“Yes it was,” he says, fixing me with a thoughtful gaze. “You’ve grown up a lot since then.”
I try to resist the urge to duck my head down again. What exactly did he mean by that? Well, I know what he means, but did he… did he notice me too?
Before I could say anything else, we’re interrupted by his little girl, who has decided she’s not going to wait for us to finish talking, but runs off for the carts.
“Don’t go,” he says to me before running off after her. I watch as she hops into one of the carts and he starts to strap her in. I really have no reason to stay. It’s not like we knew each other really. Mr. Sedgwick, as I used to call him, was much chattier with my parents. I vaguely recall that he seemed much older to me at the time, but honestly he couldn’t have been much more than thirty-five. He looked really, really good. I wonder what lucky woman he married, because as far as I knew, he hadn’t. Then again, my information is outdated by almost a decade now.
Once Luna’s strapped into the cart, he wheels it over to me.
“So Jade,” he says. “I could use your help if you have some time. The situation is… complicated with Luna, but essentially she’s going to be staying with me for a while. I don’t have anything for a little girl at all, so it would be great if you could point out what I’d need.”
“Uh, sure,” I say, which takes me by surprise too. Spend more time in the presence of a man who can literally turn me on with a smile? In the middle of Target of all places? I really shouldn’t. “I don’t know if I’ll be any help to you.”
“Of course you will. You were a girl once, and you’ve got all those little siblings of yours don’t you? Either way, I think between you and me, you’re the more knowledgeable one. I can do this myself, but it would go much easier if you could join me.”
“Come,” little Luna adds.
I bite my lip, unsure, but what the hell. It’s not like I have anything planned, and I’m sort of curious about just what’s going on. And yeah, a little part of me wouldn’t mind seeing Mr. Sedgwick a little while longer. A man like him is so far out of my league that I can almost relax because I know there’s no chance in hell he’s interested in me.
“Okay,” I say at last. “Let’s go.”
The first thing we do is head towards the children’s section, where luckily there’s a toddler bed/ crib combo that would work just fine for Luna. We also pick up some bedding (’Pink!’ Luna commands.) and a pillow, and then we get a night light just in case. Next is the clothing section, because apparently, she has none.
“You can pick whatever you want,” Mr. Sedgwick says.
Luna happily begins to point things out on the racks. Since we aren’t completely sure on sizes, we have to grab a quite a few things. Then it’s into the changing room where Luna declares she can do it herself. Since most of the things we got were leggings, skirts, and t-shirts, she should be fine. I help her unzip the back of her Belle gown, and she heads in. We stand together by the changing room and wait.
“Do you mind if I ask what’s going on?” I venture. “A bed I can understand, but no clothes? Did she not have any when she came to you?”
“To be honest, I didn’t think I would be raising her at all,” he says. “But now I have to. I only just met Luna a few months ago, to be honest. Her mother hadn’t bothered to let me know that I had a kid. So it’s newfound territory for me too. I appreciate you coming to help out.”
“Sure, of course,” I say. “What happened to her mother?”
“I don’t know,” Mr. Sedgwick replies wearily. “That’s what I’m trying to find out myself. As far as I know, Stacie doesn’t have a family. At least not one she’s kept in contact with. I think her mother lives in New Jersey, but I could be wrong. I don’t know anything else about the situation, except that I couldn’t let Luna into the system when I’m her father. So here we are.”
Wow, I think. That’s amazing. Who could leave their kid behind like that? I’m glad that Mr. Sedgwick at least is a responsible parent and that Luna doesn’t seem to be hurting from her mother leaving her behind.
Just then Luna opens the door. She’s put a sequined pink tank top and a green t-shirt on top of one another, a frilly white skirt, and a pair of blue leopard print leggings. She holds up her hands.
“Ta-da! I told you I can dress,” she says proudly.
“You look great,” Mr. Sedgwick says.
“Absolutely beautiful,” I add. “Do you like it?”
“Yes. I have more.”
Luna turns around and heads back, slamming the changing door behind her. I look at Mr. Sedgwick, and we both break out in grins.
“It’s certainly efficient,” he says. “Although I hope she doesn’t really want to wear all of that at once.”
“She might,” I say seriously. “I remember one year when all my little sister would wear were red cowboy boots. Little kids have strange tastes in clothes. There’s nobody to tell them ‘you can’t do that’.”
“It must be nice,” Mr. Sedgwick says, his blue eyes twinkling.
“Yeah,” I agree with softly.
Gone are the days when I could do whatever I wanted, that’s for sure. For as long as I could remember, I had to be the responsible one, as the oldest. I was praised as smart, responsible, level-headed. I was treated as an adult before I was ready to grow up. So of course when I messed up, it came as such a shock to my parents. And now that I’ve taken a detour on my life, I don’t know what to do at all. Go back to the way things were? I’ve always felt a sense of dissatisfaction with my life. A sort of uneasy feeling that maybe I was making a big mistake. Why, I never knew. But maybe it was because what I planned to do with my life had nothing to do with what I wanted, and everything to do with what was expected out of me from others.
If only I could get some kind of sign telling me what to do, I think wistfully.
“Help,” Luna calls out, breaking into my thoughts.
“What is it?” Mr. Sedgwick calls back.
“My dress,” she replies.
We look at each other, then I knock and open the door. She’s back in her Belle dress. The clothes in a crumpled heap on the floor.
“Do you want me to zip you up?” I ask.
“Yes please,” Luna says, turning around. I zip the dress back up for her, and she gives me a smile.
“I like you,” she says simply.
The words warm my heart. I’ve always had a soft spot for kids, and Luna is no exception. She’s cute as a button, and her story is so sad. I wish there was something more I could do for her, but all I can give is a hug. The rest of the grocery trip is easy. Since Luna isn’t a baby, there actually isn’t too much left we needed to buy. Just some underwear, a couple more clothes now that we know her size, kid shampoo, and a few toys to entertain her. He already has a booster, so that big purchase is taken care of. Our little shopping trip was coming to an end, and I’m surprised to find I’m a little sad about that.
“Thanks for all of your help,” Mr. Sedgwick says as he wheels the cart towards the checkout line.
“Don’t worry about it at all. I wasn’t doing anything anyways. I actually came here hoping to get a job,” I say.
“You know Jade,” he says, leaning his powerful frame on the cart. “I could really use a babysitter. Unfortunately, I’m not able to take time off right away, and Luna seems to really like you. It’s temporary, but maybe it could tide you over until you find another job. I could pay well… say twenty an hour?”
My eyes widen.
“That’s-that’s an amazing offer,” I say. “Are you sure?”
“Of course. I’d need you to come by tomorrow at eight though,” he says. “I don’t know about the hours per say since I’ll have to figure out just how much time I can or can’t take. Luna will also need to be enrolled into preschool.”
“Oh, of course. No, yeah, I’d be thrilled to babysit Luna. Thanks for the chance Mr. Sedgwick!
”
“I should be thanking you,” he says. “And call me Carter.”
He holds out a hand, and hesitatingly, I reach out. A spark of electricity passes as we touch. His hand is large and warm and calloused, a real man’s hand. My breath catches as he shakes my hand, holding it for just a moment longer before letting go. For a moment I almost think that he feels something too, but surely that can’t be true?
Click here to download the rest of His Virgin Babysitter
Other books by Lila Younger
What Her Dad Doesn’t Know
Boss of Me
Her Virgin Secret
Filthy Professor
Yes Sir
Bossing the Virgin
His Virgin Babysitter
About Lila Younger
Lila has spent her whole life in the PNW, where rainy days kept her inside with a book. A lover of the written word, she can’t believe that it’s taken her over twenty years to get around to writing a book. She’s always believed in love at first sight and happily ever afters. When she isn’t working on her stories, Lila likes to bake and hike in the mountains that make up her backyard.
