Page 13 of I Knew He Was Trouble
While I know a lot of this stuff from my research and work with kids, I have a feeling putting it all into practice will turn out differently than I expected.
Staring at my computer screen, I’m beginning to feel like a cup that’s overflowing. It feels impossible to hold any more information, so I push up from my desk chair. After slipping on my shoes, I grab my keys and wallet and head out the front door to my car.
I give my sister a call on the way to my first stop.
“Please don’t tell me you’re changing your mind,” she answers, her tone pleading.
“Hello to you too, sis.”
“I’m dropping Evie off tomorrow. It’s too late for you to back out now.”
I hold up one of my hands before I realize she can’t see me. “Relax, I’m not backing out.”
“Oh, good.” She blows out a relieved breath. “Then why’d you call?”
“I wanted to let you know that I found a reputable”—I shake my head at the thought of calling Kelseyreputable…but at least she’s nannied before—“nanny for Evie who can pick her up from school and hang out with her until I get home from work.”
“You didn’t have to do that, but I trust your judgment.”
“She deserves some normalcy. No kid wants to sit in a doctor’s office for hours every day. But I’m also calling to see what Evie’s favorite color is. I’m headed to Target to buy some decor to brighten up the guest room for her.”
Her voice falls quiet. “You don’t have to do that, Ty. You’re already doing me a favor. She’ll be fine.”
There’s no way I’m having my niece sleep in my decor-less guest room with a navy comforter.
“Just tell me her favorite color,” I insist.
“It’s pink right now, but don’t hold me to it. I swear, it changes daily.”
“Noted.” I hover my thumb over the end call button on the steering wheel. “Thanks, see you tomorrow.” I hang up as I hear her protesting again about me spoiling Evie. She’s going to be living with me for a quarter of a year and is my only niece…of course I’m going to spoil her.
By the time I’m loading up at Target, I’m not sure I’ll be able to fit groceries in my car. I might’ve gone alittleoverboard. My trunk is filled to the brim with everything girly. Pink curtains. A floral rug. A pink bedspread with a ruffle skirt and matching sheets. A plethora of throw pillows. Literally everything pink I could find.
I hope Tess will give me the essentials like a hairbrush, shampoo, and conditioner. I’m decent at styling my hair, but I wouldn’t even begin to know what hair products a five-year-old girl needs.
Not wanting to take another trip into town, I decide to take a chance on everything fitting in my car. The next thing I know, I’m staring at the snack shelves in the grocery store, realizing I have no clue what Evie eats either.
“Does she like strawberry or apple cinnamon bars?” I mutter, looking back and forth between the boxes. I shrug and throw one of each into my shopping cart.Guess I’m getting both.
I continue walking through the aisles, adding healthy snacks to my cart, from clementines and baby carrots to yogurt bites. I make my way down an aisle to checkout when a box of protein pancake mix catches my attention. When I face forward again, it’s too late to stop my forward momentum from crashing my cart straight into a brunette woman. She loses her grip on the shopping basket she’s holding, and a mix of candy and other sugar-filled treats goes flying around us.
I rush around the cart and reach down to help her gather her food, if you can even call it that, with the amount of processed sugar in those items. I offer a hand to help her stand, but she rises on her own.
“I’m sorr—” My words cut off when I see who I ran into.
Standing before me, her cheeks burning red, is none other than Kelsey. I’m unsure if she’s red with embarrassment or anger, but when her eyes narrow, I’m guessing it’s the latter.
She places a hand on her hip. “Do you usually watch where you’re going, or do you just bowl over anyone in your path? I need to know if I should get on the intercom and make a PSA to all the sweet old ladies in the store to steer clear if they see you coming their way.”
I choose to ignore her snide remarks and grit my teeth. “I’m a little distracted today. I usually watch where I’m going.”
I’m not sure if I’m seeing things, but I think her eyes soften the tiniest bit before taking on a more cunning gleam. “If you hurt me, does this count as worker’s compensation?”
I shake my head. “I don’t think it works that way.”
“Well, it should.” She rubs her lower back. “Now that I’m thinking about it, I do feel a little tweak.”
I press my lips into a thin line. “If you go to the ER, you can send me the bill.”
