Page 2 of Jaime
I combedmy hands through my hair, sweeping the dusky blond locks into shape. I hadn’t had time to shave this morning, but hopefully a bit of stubble wouldn’t ruin the illusion for the children.
“You received another call from Evan,” Naomi said.
I glanced over at my assistant, not surprised to see the knowing look on her face.
“Should I tell him you’ll call?” she asked.
Evan was okay. He was relatively upbeat and fun, but he was pushy too… He was a bartender at The Cantina and seemed to love that lifestyle of staying up late, drinking a lot, always on the lookout for fun. I wasn’t opposed to a good time, but I worked with children and we filmed early on weekdays. The sex had been decent, but even in bed, he was a bit too bossy for my tastes. Basically, we had very little in common. I wasn’t quite sure why I’d gone on two dates with him, except maybe out of boredom. Now, two weeks later, he was still hounding Naomi whenever I said I was busy, trying to get her to find time to squeeze him in. I really should have told him I wasn’t interested, but I was just so over having those conversations with guys. There didn’t seem to be anyone able to keep my attention for more than a couple of hours anymore.
“Just tell him I’m busy,” I sighed. “I’ll call him back later.”
Naomi nodded, quickly typing out a message on her phone. As she did, I turned my attention back to the mirror, adjusting my tie one last time.
A lot of thought had gone into Mr. McIntosh, right down to the wardrobe. Did I want him to feel like a friend, a confidant, a neighbor? In the end, I’d gone with a friendly teacher persona. I always wore a button-down and a tie in soft colors. I was always neat and clean. I was often told how friendly and welcoming I seemed on the show and took it as a deep compliment. Working with kids wasn’t for everyone, but I loved every moment of it. Even on the days when I was tired, or reading the same story for the hundredth time, the thought of making a difference in anyone’slife made it worth it.
“He says he’s going to come by later,” Naomi said.
I groaned.
“To my place?” I asked.
She nodded, grimacing, and held up the phone to show me the messages. I read them quickly, annoyance rising. Her politeMr. Mack is busy for the daywas answered withNo worries, I’ll drop by his place tonight at seven.
“See?” I said, sighing. “Pushy.”
She bit back a grin.
“He’s into you. I wish hot guys threw themselves at me too. I definitely wouldn’t be brushing them off as often as you do.”
I chuckled. Naomi was pretty, with a black bob and striking green eyes. People gave her plenty of attention, but her standards were extremely high, so I felt no pity when she complained.
“Fine. Tell him that works… I’ll probably still cancel on him before he comes over though.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
She typed a quick message, then went to the doorway, peeking into the main room of the bookshop. It was big and we were in the office, which was on the opposite corner of the reading area. I didn’t know how much she could see, but she leaned back into the room with wide eyes.
“It’s busy out there. Should I go out and get them all ready?”
I nodded.
“I’m good when you are.”
Naomi grinned, gave me a thumbs up, and stepped out.
A minute later, as the door drifted shut, I heard her usual speech begin.
“Hello! Welcome, everyone! If you could take your seats, Mr. McIntosh is almost ready to begin. Are you ready to hear a great story?”
The door sealed shut but I went to it, still listening, smiling at the enthusiastic way she spoke to the crowd.
With the door shut, I could barely hear her.
As always, my heart started to pound a little with nerves. It would go away once I started the reading, but I couldn’t help feeling a little anxious every time. It still took getting used to having so many eyes trained on me. More than that, though, reading a new book to a group was always a bit daunting. Would the kids like it as much as they had liked the other ones? Would the parents? Would they ask the right questions and give the reactions that I hoped for?
When it came to kids in the age group I focused on—basically toddlers to pre-K—you had to be prepared for anything. One of my earliest readings had ended with me shutting the book halfway through to help wrangle all the excited children. And at the end, I’d laughed along with the parents and played my guitar so the little ones had something to dance to. Though hectic at the time, it was one of my favorite memories and always made me smile. Thinking of it now, all the nerves faded into the background to be replaced with excitement.
I really hoped they liked Rowdy the Frog as much as my editor and publisher did, but seeing the kids was more important.
