Hawk picked up his phone as he headed toward his first job. “Hey Natalie. I won’t be bringing Damian over today. He has a fever.”

 

“Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear that! Poor little thing. Are you home all day with him?”

 

“No, I got my neighbor to watch him so I could do a few jobs.”

 

“Oh, that’s nice. Can you stop over later, after work?”

 

“Umm…”

 

“Damian left his little truck here. He might want it if he’s not feeling well.”

 

Hawk let out a sigh. “Okay. Yeah, I can stop by. It won’t be until later, though.”

 

“That’s perfect. Let me know when you’re on your way, and I’ll have it waiting for you.”

 

“Will do. Thanks, Natalie.”

 

He hung up and got about his business. His very first job, though, was a problem. The car wouldn’t start. It sounded like maybe the battery was dead. He didn’t have an extra. He called Jared to come with his truck to pull it out of there, but he hated doing that. It would mean having to give Jared the majority of the cut, and also that he had failed on some level. And that was the worst feeling. Though they traded jobs now and then, he avoided it if he could so he didn’t have to feel like this.

 

All day, it was one problem after another. An owner came out screaming at him and pulled a knife. That sort of thing never scared Hawk, and when he pulled out his pepper spray, the guy backed off. All the same it rattled him and pissed him off. He kept thinking of Damian, too, and wondering if he was okay. He thought about calling many times, but he didn’t want Alexa to think he didn’t trust her. He’d just never had to deal with the baby being sick like this. He called once at lunchtime, and Damian was sleeping and doing fine. He resisted the urge to call again.

 

By the end of the day, he was wiped. He was tired from not sleeping well the night before, and worn out from the hard day. He just wanted to get home, have a beer, and spend some time with Damian. He was also looking forward to seeing Alexa, but he tried to pretend like that wasn’t the reason he skipped the last job he planned to do. The baby was sick and he wanted to check on him. That was the real reason. Didn’t hurt that Alexa would be there when he got home.

 

He was halfway to home when he remembered he was supposed to stop at Natalie’s. He considered not bothering. What truck was she even talking about? But if it was something Damian liked to play with, then it might make him feel better to have it. He sent her a text that he was on his way, and made a turn to head toward her house.

 

He pulled up and went to the door, ringing it like he always did.

 

“Come in, Hawk!”

 

He opened the door and the house was quiet, which was unusual. There were always kids running around, playing, laughing, screaming. But today the house seemed empty.

 

“I’m in the living room!”

 

He took a few steps in the direction of the living room. When he entered the room, he stopped at the doorway. Natalie was sprawled out on the sofa, completely naked.

 

He turned away quickly. “Sorry.”

 

She laughed. “Don’t be sorry. I want you to look at me. I want you to touch me.”

 

He shook his head and turned back to face her, but looked only in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Natalie. I just can’t.”

 

“Oh yes, you can.” She beckoned to him with her finger. “Come on over here. You look like you’ve had a rough day. I can make you feel better.”

 

He had and no doubt she would. His mind flitted to Damian and Alexa, and the stiffness forming in his jeans faded. “You’re Damian’s babysitter. Or you were. I can’t sleep with someone who is caring for him like that. It’s not right.”

 

“Hawk. Please.” She sat up. “Don’t make this complicated. I want to sleep with you. No strings attached.”

 

“I’m just… not interested. I’m sorry.” He took a step away, then paused. “Is Damian’s toy even here?”

 

“Yes.” She pointed to a truck sitting on the coffee table.

 

He stepped forward and grabbed it. “Does he have anything else here?”

 

“No. Hawk, don’t be rash. Don’t stop bringing him over.”

 

“How can I keep leaving with you after this? I’ll have to find a new babysitter.”

 

“Hawk!”

 

He walked back toward the door, even more agitated than he’d been before. He slammed the door behind him and tore out of the driveway.

 

“Fuck!” He pounded on the steering wheel.

 

Now what the hell was he going to do? It’d been impossible to find a babysitter in the first place who could work with his schedule, and the other sitters he’d looked up had had a waiting list a mile long. He’d either have to restrict all his jobs to times that let him care for Damian, which would cost him jobs, or he’d have to pay out the ass for someone who could watch the baby on off hours.

 

Some repos had to be done in the middle of the night or on a Saturday. There were times he saw a car he’d been watching and had to leave Damian at a moment’s call. Most daycares didn’t appreciate that, and most babysitters charged an arm and a leg for that sort of thing. The thought occurred to him that maybe the reason Natalie was so accommodating was because she’d been trying to get him to sleep with her this whole time.

 

He had to figure something out fast or he’d end up either limiting his work, or bringing Damian on jobs. He really didn’t want to bring the baby along when he worked. Too much risk, too many opportunities for something to go wrong. That really wasn’t an option, the more he thought it through.

 

When he pulled into his driveway, he looked over at Alexa’s dark house. She lived so close. And she worked from home, which meant she was around. She was her own boss, so she didn’t have a schedule to keep up with. If she could help him out, even if for a short time, it might be an ideal situation. And it’d give him a reason to see her more often.

 

He went inside and found them in the living room, Damian in Alexa’s arms, sucking down a bottle. His color looked to be back to normal, and clearly, his appetite had returned.

 

“Welcome home,” she said, smiling up at him.

 

“He looks better.”

 

“He is. Fever stuck around a little this morning and he was fussy, but I gave him more Tylenol and rocked him to sleep and when he woke up, he was back to what I assume is his normal self.”

 

“Thank you so much for staying with him today and helping me out. Did you get any work done?”

 

She nodded toward her laptop, sitting on the dining room table. “I did. I was able to type while holding him on my lap or when he was sleeping. It worked out really well, actually. And he kept me company so I wasn’t stuck talking to myself all day. Working from home can get lonely.”

 

Damian finished his bottle and Hawk took him from Alexa to burp him. He rubbed his back as he walked back and forth across the room.

 

“You’ve done so much to help me, Alexa, and I don’t want to take advantage of your kindness. But I’m in a bit of a situation.”

 

She pulled together her eyebrows. “Okay. What’s going on?”

 

“I have to find a new babysitter. The place I had been taking Damian is no longer good for him. But it might take me some time to find a new place. My schedule can be a challenge, and not every place can accommodate that. Is there any chance—and I would pay the same rates I paid his last babysitter, or more if you need more—if you could help me out and watch him until I found someone else.”

 

She stood and came over to him, standing to look him in the eye. “I would be glad to help out for as long as you need. You don’t need to pay me. I like coming over here and being with Damian. It helps me imagine what it might be like to be a mom one day. Kind of like training for when I have that job, too.”

 

“I will pay you. And it would only be until I find someone long term.”

 

“Take as much time as you need. I’m happy to help.”