Her alarm sounded earlier than she normally would have set it for a Sunday, and Jasmine rubbed her eyes wearily as she tried to pull herself awake.

“Jeez,” she yawned as she stretched and tried to open her eyes. “Two weeks without working and you’re already turning into a lazy ass.”

She cricked her neck and forced herself to sit up and stare at the wall ahead of her.

“Wake up,” she told herself as she reached for her cellphone and opened up the messages. She had been so excited the previous evening she hadn’t even got around to telling Cadence she’d landed herself an interview and trial for a new job.

J: Morning! You’ll never guess what… today I’ve got an “interview” for a babysitting job! Surely has to be better than working alongside Arlene in the diner…? ;)

She pressed send and within a few seconds, she had a reply…

C: No way! That’s awesome! Well done you. Of course it will be better than the diner LOL – not that you would ever have worked there. Now go and smash it! You’re wonderful with kids, I’m sure you’ll be a natural xx

J: Thank you, you’re too kind. Much kinder than you were yesterday anyway…. X

C: Very funny. Let me know how it goes! Love you xx

 

Jasmine laughed as she placed the phone on the nightstand and peeled back the covers, stepping out of bed. It was always the toughest part of her day, making herself get out of the warm covers, but as soon as she had done it, she always felt much better and was raring to go.

She made the bed before she left her room and pulled open the curtains. The sunlight shone in and made her white, clean and tidy room with silver accessories look even more bright and alive. She winced as her eyes became accustomed to the light and then she put on her robe and opened the door.

“Coffee, coffee, coffee,” she said aloud as she reached for her favorite mug and set it down on the counter.

She opened the refrigerator and reached for an apple and some peanut butter, and then she sat and chopped it up into slices, slathering the butter on top of them before popping one into her mouth.

She made her coffee and stretched again as she looked up blearily at the clock. Even though the television was on in the background, she had no idea what they were saying, and all she could think about was counting down the moments until she had to leave the apartment to go and meet Brick and Madison. It was only eight thirty; she had a hell of a long wait until that time was going to arrive. But she didn’t mind, at least she could spend her time getting ready slowly, not rushing, and picking out the perfect outfit.

Finishing her coffee and apple, she wandered back to her bedroom and opened the closet doors.

When she had worked in the store alongside Lisa, it had been part of her job to always look smart, fashionable, and girly. She wore the clothes the store stocked, and even though they mainly catered to the older woman, Jasmine had always found a way to make the items work for her and make them relevant.

She reached up and started to look through her longer dresses. It was a stiflingly hot day and she knew jeans or trousers were going to be out of the question. But she didn’t want to wear shorts and seem far too casual. This was a job interview, after all.

She stopped on her maxi skirts and her knee-length dresses. She was sure one of them would be suitable and she breathed a sigh of relief when she came across her black, knee-length shirt dress.

“Bingo,” she grinned, reached up, pulled the hanger free and held it out in front of her. It was light, loose fabric; she could roll up the sleeves. It wasn’t short as it just skimmed her knee, but it was well tailored and looked expensive.

She hung it up on the outside of her closet and found a pair of flip flops to go with it. She couldn’t very well wear heels when she was going to be running around after a child all day, and she didn’t want to look under prepared or out of touch.

She picked out a simple pair of diamante stud earrings, a little silver pendant necklace, and a black leather-strapped watch with a small face.

“A regular Mary Poppins,” she joked. “Desert style.”

She nodded her head with approval before she headed for the shower. It was time to get ready and ensure she stood out, looking smart and responsible.

Some would say Jasmine would never have a problem with that, but with her being such an over planner, she didn’t want to leave anything to chance.

 

By the time it was ten thirty, she had blow-dried her hair, put on some subtle make-up, dressed in the outfit she had picked out, and had even managed to pin her hair in a half-up half-down style. She stood back, looked in the mirror and smiled.

“Not bad, Jas,” she said to herself with a smug grin. “You look pretty damn good.”

She reached for her sensible purse. A black tote she could fit a ton of things in if needed, and she slipped in her wallet, keys, cellphone and diary. She checked the clock again and only a few more minutes had passed. It would only take her a matter of seconds to reach the dance studio around the corner, and if she left at that moment, she was going to be ridiculously early.

“But it would be better to be early than late,” she convinced herself as she turned off the lights in her bedroom and headed down the hallway.

She looked out the window and tried to lean around to see if she could make out the edge of the building where the dance studio was, and if, by any chance, a man and little girl were waiting. But it was pointless, she couldn’t see anything apart from the back of a scraggy looking fire escape. She sighed and leaned back down, chewing the inside of her cheek.

“Come on,” she said to herself as she marched toward the door to the apartment. “May as well go down and wait.”

She walked slowly and calmly around the side of the buildings and across the alleyway. She could hear the muted sounds of life out on Main Street and felt a pang of sadness all over again. Normally, it would have been filled with the blaring of car horns, the thunder of motorcycles, the chatter and laughter of children and families heading out for the day. But all she could hear was a few engines rumbling along and the odd snippet of conversation.

She raised her arm and used her hand to shield her eyes from the sun as she rounded another corner and the dance studio came into view. It was a small rundown looking warehouse, with a faded poster on the side with a dancing princess and a smudged out name which, from years of living in town, Jasmine knew to read: ANGELICA’S DANCE.

She crossed over the street so she was on the same side, and then suddenly, up ahead, rounding another corner, she saw a little girl running into view… holding the big, strong hand of a man.

Jasmine stopped in her tracks and felt her breath catch in her throat.

A man.

He really was a man.

An older man, maybe around forty years old. Handsome, muscular, stern looking and sexy.

She swallowed and looked down to the ground and then brushed a strand of hair behind her ear to stop herself from fidgeting. The little girl was blonde and adorable, she skipped along wearing a pair of ballet slippers and a leotard covered over with a slip-skirt and cardigan.

“Come on, Maddy,” the man said as he moved ahead of her and stood in the doorway. He leaned against the side wall and Jasmine couldn’t take her eyes off them. They were both so perfect to look at, but in completely different ways. He looked like the ultimate badass, the kind of man you would see hanging around dive bars and tattoo parlors, while his little girl was so pretty and sweet, it was as if she had just fell from heaven. Jasmine knew the second she saw her it would be hard not to love her instantly.

She was suddenly nervous, the sight of him had thrown her, but she smiled and took a step forward. He was still yet to notice her as she emerged from the darkness of the alleyway, and she cleared her throat to catch his attention.

“Hello?” she offered. “Brick and Madison?”

The little girl spun on her heel and turned to look up at her with big, blue eyes, and her father crossed his big, mean, tattooed arms over his chest and glared at her with a look she could only describe as contempt.

“Jasmine?” he asked gruffly.

The voice she had heard on the phone the previous evening now had a face attached. And she couldn’t have gotten it more wrong. She had imagined someone much younger, someone brooding and immature. Someone with a bad attitude. Instead, she had an older man who looked mean and dangerous, but was so handsome it was quite alarming.

She took another step forward.

“Hi, yes, I’m Jasmine,” she smiled as she held out her hand.

Brick looked down at her outstretched palm before reaching out to shake it. His palms were rough and his grip was so strong it made her tingle all over.

“And you must be Madison?” Jasmine smiled as she bent down and looked at the gorgeous little girl in the eye.

“I am,” she said sweetly. “But everyone calls me Maddy.”

“Maddy,” Jasmine beamed. “Well that’s a beautiful name.”

She smiled up at Brick who seemed to be giving her a good looking over, and he didn’t look too pleased. His face was crunched up as if he were angry or confused, and it made Jasmine stutter as she tried to calm her nerves.

“So, so, so,” she began. “We’re heading into dance class?”

Brick nodded and smiled, then he turned and stepped inside the warehouse and started to climb the stairs as Maddy followed closely behind him.

Jasmine took a deep breath and rolled her eyes.

“Nothing comes easy,” she whispered to herself as she took a step forward and started to follow them.