Jenny (Babysitter's Club 5)

“But what if you get called out to a site or something?” I shook my head as I got to my feet. “I’m not working on anything that can’t be passed to someone else if something comes up.”

“I thought you guys were really busy.” Dad, who still keeps his nose in where the business is concerned, spoke up.

“We are, but if this thing is going to go on for any significant amount of time, I’m going to have to figure out how to deal with it.” Maybe part of the problem is that my parents have always been there as my cushion. Mom hasn’t let me fall and scrape my knee since I was about two.

I poured myself a cup of coffee from the carafe mom had going. She drinks this shit like water all day every day. I turned back to the room to look at the two of them as I realized the truth of my thoughts. Mom has babied me my whole life, in never realized it until now, until I saw the raw panic on her face at the thought of her son needing her and she not being there.

“It’s fine, mom; you don’t have to worry about me anymore. I’m a big boy.”

“Why are you talking like that? Of course, I know you’re a grown-up. But as a parent, I know how hard it is to raise a child, let alone two.”

I walked over and hugged her, kissing her forehead. “I know, mom, I need to do this, though, okay. I don’t know what’s going on with Lauren. You guys didn’t tell the cops the truth, but still.” I had a sudden thought that left me cold.

“Jenny, what if she says something?”

“She wouldn’t; she’s not that type. Shame on you for thinking it. That girl has been heaven-sent. She wouldn’t even let us pay her for her time, and she was the one who thought about the girls being fed when the rest of us never even gave it a second thought.”

“Okay-okay, she’s a saint. We’re going to have to come up with something, though before people start asking questions.”

“Well, Jenny already told some of the women in the neighborhood that Lauren fell ill and had to go away for a little bit. That’s the excuse she gave them for needing the milk. I say we stick to that story until further notice.”

“As to us going away and leaving you like this, not a chance. We’ll go back to our place tomorrow, but we’ll be…

“No love, we won’t, we’re going to do as our son says and get out of his hair. We raised him right; he’ll handle himself well.” Dad gave me a wink as if he knew what I’d been thinking, and I mouthed the words ‘thank you’ over mom’s head.

Derrick

I’m jinxed, fucking all the way under some kind of hex or some shit. “Are you shitting me right now?” I kept my voice down as I watched my girls rolling around on the floor at my feet. We’d had an okay morning where I’ve been waiting for the other shoe to drop since my parents left.

I’ve taken care of the girls on my own before, but somehow this feels different; now this. “No, sir, he says he needs someone down there right now, and you’re his first choice.”

“Is there something wrong with the specs on the project?”

“I don’t think so; he didn’t sound like he was upset or anything just over-excited about something.”

“Shit, tell him I’ll be there in an hour.” I hung up the phone and thought of what to do next as if I didn’t already know.

It would take the Cummings woman too long to get here, and I got the feeling the last couple of times she was here that the twins were one too many for her to handle. Plus, the fewer people who know what’s going on in this house, the better. I’m not about to call mom and dad who’re about to leave on their vacation, not after making such a case about them going.

I had to laugh at myself as I looked up towards the ceiling. It seems no matter what I do, providence keeps throwing me, and this girl together for whatever fucked up reason. I went in search of my phone but then remembered I didn’t have her number.

I recalled seeing Lauren’s phone on the nightstand. I guess she didn’t have time to stop and grab it in the midst of her murderous rage. I didn’t see Jenny’s number in there, and on a hunch looked under B. I was looking for babysitter but found something else.

I could only shake my head when I saw the two numbers; one had an X next to it, so I guess that number was no longer in use, so I pressed the other. She answered on the third ring, sounding frazzled. “Hi Jenny, it’s me, Derrick.”