Page 11 of Secret Baby for Dr. Billionaire

Deciding that I could vacuum at some other more reasonable time, I unplugged the thing and returned it to the closet. Maybe it was a sign that I needed to call it a day anyway.

Chapter three

Chloe

Isteppedback,tiltedmy head to the side, and studied the purple note I had posted outside my new neighbor’s door.

I’m sorry I pounded at your wall, neighbor. I didn’t mean to sound rude. Truce?

When I woke up this morning, I knew I needed an extra cup of coffee. I’ve always tried to limit my caffeine intake daily. I’ve also been on a one-year streak of living a healthy life to prevent another life-threatening attack like six years ago. Thankfully, Sofi wasn’t showing any signs of having asthma because it would ruin me if she went through what I did. Thank God for Clyde’s genes, I guess.

Contented with the note, I skipped back to my apartment on my tiptoes because I didn’t want my neighbor to catch me by their door like an idiot. I was determined to make a good first impression, so I decided to let the dog and vacuum debacle slide.

Today was going to be a busy day. I was going to visit the nearby school to apply, and it’d simply be a bonus if they had a daycare so I could bring Sofi with me without having to pay for a babysitter.

Speaking of my child, Sofi was in her highchair, munching on her breakfast, which consisted of scrambled eggs, sliced apples, and blueberries. She had a bib around her neck, so her white t-shirt and tiny black leggings wouldn’t get stained.

“You want water with that, Sof?” I cooed, grabbing her sippy cup from the counter. Sofi was a good water drinker, which I was proud of because hydration is essential. “Big day today, Sofi, yes?”

“Yes,” she squealed, and my heart filled with joy. She knew lots of words and was quick to learn new ones, even though she couldn’t properly pronounce most of them yet. She knew the words ‘mama,’ ‘yes,’ ‘no,’ and ‘water,’ and if she wanted a bottle, she’d yell ‘baba.’

I let her finish her breakfast, and I finished packing her things to bring with me for the day—diapers, extra bottles, clothes, and cleaning supplies in case she went number two.

Ten minutes later, I buckled Sofi in her car seat and gave her a binky and her dolphin stuffed animal. I prayed that they’d keep her busy for our ride.

The car wasn’t, well, mine. It was Frankie’s. He’d be gone for a while, so he decided to leave me his car until he got back. At first, I told him it was unnecessary and would only mean I needed to spend money on gas. Then he told me that the South of Florida was a new place and reminded me that I still didn’t know the commute system yet. He also Venmoed me enough gas money for three months before leaving for Vienna.

I hated that Frankie felt obligated to look after me because we had suffered from the same predicament while we were in the foster system. I’d told him countless times that he didn’t need to, that he should enjoy his life wherever his job took him, and that he didn’t have to worry about me. Frankie kept saying I might still change my mind about how I felt. I knew for a fact that I wouldn’t.

Rounding the front of Frankie’s gray Bugatti Chiron, I buckled myself in my seat, and we were away and rolling.

It was my first time driving a luxury car in my entire life, and a sense of awe washed over me when my back settled into the leather seat. I bet the steering wheel alone cost more than my Queens apartment. Even the engine’s purr was exquisite. I made a small prayer not to crash the vehicle because not only was my life’s daughter at stake but also because Frankie might officially hate me for doing so.

I saw Sofi’s reflection in the rearview mirror sitting in her seat. She looked at me with curiosity, perhaps wondering why she was all buckled up in a moving thing.

About twenty-five minutes, two wrong turns, and a quick diaper change later, we arrived at Bright Heights Academy, a private school by the beach with a spacious parking lot, a two-story L-shaped building, and a small playground facing the beautiful blue ocean and white sand. God, I’d love to work here simply because of the view.

The parking lot was empty when I took the turn at the entrance. This made sense given that it was spring break, and the students were likely in their beds, still asleep.

I killed the ignition before hopping out and unbuckling Sofi from her seat. I put on my sunglasses as we marveled at the ocean in front of us, smelling the salty sea breeze.

A teacher in her early thirties, with blonde hair and gray eyes, wearing a pair of skinny jeans and an orange blouse, jogged towards us. A smile of excitement painted her face.

This must be Savannah, the person I talked to last night after looking for job vacancies around the area. She said that I could drop by personally so we could talk. She didn’t give me much over the phone but an address and a time.

“Oh, you’re Ms. Kennedy, right?” Savannah reached us. An awkward one-handed hug was all she could manage with me carrying Sofi.

“Please, just Chloe.”

“And who’s this little pumpkin?” She softly cupped Sofi’s cheek, and the latter giggled from the attention. See? Even Sofi was in a good mood just by being near a beach.

“This is Sofi,” I introduced myself. “And you must be Savannah, yes?”

“Just Savv. It’s so nice to meet you, Chloe. And you, Sofi.” I liked Savv already. She was perky and full of sunshine. “So I’m the school’s secretary slash HR, and I’m so happy that you called last night because we need a faculty member.”

Savv led us to her office at the left end of the hall when you enter the building’s entrance. The building had a few lockers in the hallway with streamers on blue and white on the ceiling.

An ocean-themed bulletin board caught my eye just outside her office, and I caught a glimpse of an image of little kids with their small trophies plastered there, along with memos and club sign-up sheets for spring. From the looks of it, the school was a tightly-knit community.

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