“Like they didn’t like me.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Janie said. “You’re amazing with kids. There’s no way that, after two days, either of those kids had a problem with you. Not a chance in hell.”
“How can you be so sure?” I asked.
Now that the thought crossed my mind, I couldn’t get rid of it. In such a short time, I’d grown very fond of both Tommy and Sarah. They were sweet, bright kids who were nervous around new people. I didn’t know the details of what happened to their mother, but I could see how much they missed her. It affected everything they did; from Sara’s angry streak to Tommy’s shyness, everything came back to their mom.
That knowledge, more than anything, made my heart ache. I longed to see them. My curse was that I always became too emotionally involved with the kids I watched. Sarah and Tommy, even more so. With their family history, I wanted to help them through this transition. Now, it seemed like that would be an impossibility.
“Listen,” Janie said, her voice soft and comforting. “I don’t know what happened, but I know it’s not the kids. From what you told me, those babies adored you. Maybe Sean just decided he wants to take care of them on his own. I mean, it was only a summer job anyway, right? He probably decided it would be better if he spent time with them alone before they start a new school in a few months. That’s all.”
“Yeah,” I said. “Maybe.”
Despite her efforts to cheer me up, I didn’t believe Janie’s idea. It simply didn’t add up. “How about some lunch?” Janie asked. “Let me jump in the shower, and I’ll meet you for pizza.”
“Okay,” I said. “Sure.”
“Great. I’ll see you in a bit.”
With that, Janie hung up. I sighed and tucked my phone in my pocket. As I lazed around the house for half an hour, I thought more about what Janie said. It did make sense that Sean would simply want more one on one time with his kids. After all, they did just move to a new town.
Still, something didn’t feel right. I remembered the way Sean looked at me in the kitchen last night, his eyes boring so deeply into mine. There was something else there, something that had nothing to do with his kids.
***
I met Janie at the pizza spot. It was still slow, everyone trying to leave work for their lunch breaks. We ordered our usual and found a table in the middle of the restaurant. Janie immediately launched into a story about the latest town gossip to distract me from my recent firing. It didn’t work. My thoughts stayed focused on Sean, Tommy, and Sarah throughout the entire afternoon.
When Margie brought our pizza, she set it in front of us and pulled up a chair to join us.
“What’s up?” Janie asked, grabbing a slice.
“I have gossip,” Margie said conspiratorially.
“Oh?” Janie sat up straight, eager to hear. I smiled but didn’t say anything.
“That new guy?” Margie said. “Sean Evans? Word is, he moved out of San Diego to escape some lurid secret.”
“What?” I asked, suddenly interested.
“That’s what my dad heard,” Margie said, her eyes wide and her lips pursed. “Apparently, something sordid went down between him and his wife. That’s why he left town.”
“I thought his wife died,” Janie said with a frown.
“I think she did,” Margie said with a knowing nod. “But not before whatever happened between them happened.”
“That sounds like a bunch of bullshit to me,” I said boldly.
Margie and Janie both looked at me in surprise. It wasn’t often that I put my foot down about anything, but I couldn’t sit there and listen to Margie spread rumors about Sean. He didn’t deserve that. His kids didn’t deserve that.
“What makes you an expert?” Margie asked, annoyed.
“She knows them,” Janie said quickly. “She nannied for his kids for a couple days.”
“You did?” Margie’s annoyance suddenly vanished. She moved her chair closer to me. “What’s Sean like? How’s their house? Are the kids well behaved? Tell me everything.”
“They’re a perfectly normal family,” I said pointedly. “That’s all you need to know.”
“Oh, come on!” Margie complained. “I just know there’s something dark in Sean’s past. I can tell.”