Page 23 of Knox
“What did you like most?” I asked.
“Probably the one-on-one connection. In this job, you’re not just keeping a child safe or entertained, you’re playing a role in their growth and development.”
“Do you have any career goals beyond childcare?” Crew inquired.
Archer nodded. “I want to go back to school and eventually become a child psychologist. But grad school isn’t cheap, and I’m trying to save up before I take that next step. In the meantime, nannying keeps me in a similar field and will hopefully help prepare me for that future.”
The longer the interview went on, the more I thought he was a solid possibility. When the door closed behind him, Crew looked at me.
“I liked him.”
I nodded. So did I.
The next woman, Roxie Monroe, was warm, bubbly, and talked about her years working as a preschool teacher before deciding to switch to in-home care. She was sweet and reminded me a bit of my mom. She seemed like the sort of person Grady would warm up to quickly too. So, she moved to the top of the list with Archer.
Our last candidate was Jenna Rhodes. She had a background in occupational therapy, and most of her responses centered around routines, structure, and helping children build independence. Given all the changes Grady had been through lately, I knew routines and structure were important for him.
Once the final interview ended, Crew flopped onto the couch and exhaled like he’d just caught a game that went into extra innings. “Who are your top three?”
I grabbed the pad I’d used to take notes. “I’d go with Archer, Roxie, and Jenna.”
“Those are my top picks as well. I’ll call them and set up a time for each of them to meet Mallory at the hospital.” He leaned over and kissed me. “Thanks for helping with all of this. Not sure I would have gotten through these interviews without you.”
“Of course.”
The next day,Crew left for the hospital to introduce the final three to Mallory. I stayed at the condo with Grady, hoping the meetings would go smoothly and Mallory would feel like one of them was the right fit.
A couple of hours later, my phone buzzed with a message from Crew:
Mallory picked Archer
I stared at the text for a moment, then smiled to myself. He was the same choice I would’ve made.
10
CREW
Grabbing my bag,I walked out of the bedroom and into the kitchen where Grady and Knox were sitting at the table. Usually, I would’ve already been on the road, but since my personal life had taken a different turn this season, I had decided to wait until my son was awake before driving to Arizona for spring training.
“All right, I’m heading out.” I set my bag down so I could hug my guys goodbye.
The drive would take almost twenty-four hours, and I was planning to break it up into two days. Normally I wouldn’t care, but things were different now. I wanted more time with Grady, but I also knew this was the life I’d signed up for. I always chose to drive so I could have my truck with me during the two-month stretch of spring training. Once the regular season started, my assistant would coordinate with a company to get it back to Portland, since I wouldn’t have two free days to make the trip myself. What came next was baseball, and long stretches away from Grady, and the kind of schedule that didn’t leave much room for anything else.
“Do you really have to go?” Grady frowned.
“Yeah, bud, I do.”
He slid off his chair and threw himself at me. I crouched and his arms went around my neck. “But I don’t want you to go.”
“I know, but we talked about this. Remember?”
“But you said you were going to be gone a long time.”
Two months. Two long months.
“It will go by super-fast and we’ll video chat every night, okay?”
“Promise?”
