I opened the door and came face to face with two different ladies than those I’d left that morning. Gina had one of her princess dresses on while Jess wore Gina’s duvet cover around her neck and it spread out behind her like a wedding gown train.
“Daddy!” Gina said and rushed over to me. She grabbed my hand and pulled me toward her table where she had her tea set. “We’re drinking high tea!”
Jess handed me a cup and saucer. “It’s mint tea.”
I pretended to sip at the empty cup. “Delicious.”
Gina bowed and said, “I made it myself.”
I turned to Jess. “How was your day?”
“It was great. She’s so smart.”
Sometimes Gina was too smart for her own good, but I appreciated Jess’s assessment.
“We had breakfast this morning,” Jess said. “Eggs, toast, and some fruit. Then she showed me around the house. She’s quite the little tour guide. Then we played in the backyard, had lunch, and she took a nap. I wasn’t sure when you were getting home, so I made dinner and fed her. The leftovers for you are in the fridge.”
That impressed me. Layla only cooked enough for her and Gina. Jess was already well worth the pay.
“Sorry we didn’t leave the house today,” she said. “I wanted her to be with me in a more familiar environment. I’ve found that helps with the transition.” She said the last part in a lower voice, only for me to hear.
“That’s perfectly fine,” I said. “So, she wasn’t too much for you to handle?”
“No way!” Jess said laughing. “She’s great.”
I checked my watch. It was nearly six-thirty. “Well, I can take over from here. Thanks again for everything.”
“Same time tomorrow?” she asked.
As much as I wanted that extra time with Jess in the morning, I’d already made her work more than twelve hours that day.
“You can come closer to six-thirty if that works better for you. I leave for work around then.”
“All right, Princess Gina,” she said to my daughter. “I’ll see you in the morning, ‘kay?”
Gina hugged Jess and kissed her cheek. “Bye!”
“I can see myself out,” Jess said to me.
I watched her leave the room before I picked up Gina and swung her around in the air. “How about bath time, princess?”
After her bath, I changed her into pajamas, and we cleaned up her room. It was a nice wind-down activity that we did each night before bed whenever I made it home in time to put her down.
Then I tucked her into bed and turned on the glow worm nightlight on her bedside table. The moment her head hit the pillow, her eyelids grew heavy.
“Did you have fun today with Jess?” I asked.
“Yeah,” she said through a yawn. “She’s fun.”
“I’m glad you like her.”
“I do like her. I’m happy, Daddy.” She yawned again. “She says things a little funny though.”
“Maybe you could learn some of her phrases and have your own unique language.”
“That sounds cool,” she said.
“Do you want me to read to you?” I asked.