Cedar stood in the middle of the hallway and stared down at her charge. She hadn’t thought past the chance to make a quick five hundred dollars. She hadn’t even thought about what she would do with Akoni. She hadn’t asked for a car seat or a stroller, which meant she’d be hauling him around again. Her triceps and lower back were screaming at her for not thinking harder. They already protested her idea of an easy paycheck.

Hanging around her old job wasn’t an option. She got to work, hauling the files and personal items from her cubicle to her car. Moving everything took three trips with Akoni on one hip. “I’m starting to understand why your dad is always late.”

Akoni smiled, showing off his two bottom teeth. They were pearly white like Teo’s. Akoni looked like his dad, the same black hair and smooth Polynesian skin, the same soulful dark brown eyes. Those eyes were old soul eyes. On Akoni, they were simply adorable. On Teo, they drew her in and made her stomach feel all melted-butter-and-brown-sugary.

With one last look around the space where she’d hoped to make her start in the world, she hiked Akoni up on her hip and set out to explore the downtown area on foot. Their first stop was the gas station on the corner, where Cedar purchased fresh fruit and a yogurt. They soon came upon a park with several moms clustered on benches and children running around, grateful to have a shady place to run free. There were large trees circling the play area. Off to the right was a splash pad. More children played there, enjoying the whimsical water fountains more than a trip down the slide.

Cedar didn’t feel like wearing wet work clothes for the rest of the afternoon, so she and Akoni played on the slide until the baby swing opened up. Akoni laughed and laughed until he dropped into sleep. The transition was so abrupt Cedar thought he’d passed out and scrambled to get him out of the swing. He rallied long enough that she realized he was just exhausted and she hugged him close.

With the humidity, the two of them sweat through their clothing as they rested on a park bench. The stickiness was a price she happily paid to snuggle him as he slept. He still had that calming effect on her, or maybe his deep breathing was like listening to the sound of ocean waves before bed. Either way, she was thankful for the serenity as she pondered her employment predicament.

Her résumé would need a once-over. The university required students to maintain an online version she could easily send out. Researching local companies to apply to would take a full morning. And then writing cover letters tailored to each company would take a day or two. Then there was the waiting. If all the stars aligned, she could interview in a week, nab a second interview a week later, and start a job in a month. There would be a lag in pay as her direct deposit information was processed. Six weeks without a paycheck wasn’t too bad.

But that was if the world worked on her schedule, and she was pretty sure that wasn’t how the world worked. More than likely, she would have several weeks before an interview.

That left her with few options. There was always the chance that if she didn’t pay rent, she’d get a month before they evicted her, but the very idea was as ugly as a bold-faced lie.

Her phone, nestled in the outer pocket of the diaper bag, dinged. She carefully maneuvered Akoni to check the text from an unknown number.

Just checking to make sure six still works. My agent wants me to do an interview.

Ah, Teo. That was nice of him to check in with her. He didn’t have to. She’d told him she was fine until six. Perhaps he was worried about his son. Cedar snapped a picture of Akoni asleep against her chest, his mouth hanging open. She had to get the right angle so it didn’t look like she was sending a picture of her cleavage. That would be so embarrassing. Not that the players didn’t have women thrusting their chests at them. She glanced down at Akoni. Maybe not Teo. He’d been married, though she couldn’t remember seeing a ring. Nevertheless, there was no point in giving him the wrong idea. She’d already blushed under Teo’s soulful eyes; she didn’t need to advertise her assets. She thought for a moment before sending the picture and a reply.

We’re doing great. Good luck with the interview.

Teo sent back an emoji with heart-shaped eyes. Cedar barked a laugh, cutting it off quickly when Akoni jumped in his sleep. The big, bad football player certainly was in love with his son.

Cedar glanced around to make sure no one was close enough to look over her shoulder before she did an internet search on Teo’s wife. Images of Teo in a black suit and gray shirt standing beside a pale pink casket filled her screen. He wore dark sunglasses and an unreadable expression. In one picture, an older version of Teo had his arm around Teo while a woman who must be his mother patted his hand. The accompanying article explained that the cause of death was a blood clot in his wife’s brain.

Cedar’s heart immediately went out to Teo and Akoni. No wonder Teo was late and always running. He had to balance his grief with raising his son by himself and maintaining a career in the spotlight.

The article continued with the funeral details and Teo’s request to be left alone by the press. He hadn’t been much of an attention grabber before, so the attention died off quickly. She switched over to the gossip pages. If Teo so much as looked at a woman after his wife passed, they would have been all over him for begging to be left alone to grieve and then partying it up.

His name didn’t bring up so much as one search result, which gave her pause. She’d assumed quite a bit about Teo because of his good looks and his job—all of which appeared to be untrue. Her conscience prickled, and she promised herself to be nicer the next time they talked.

Another thought made her want to bury her head in the playground wood chips. She’d checked him out! Here he was, widowed six months, and she let the butterflies loose and—oh man! She’d told him off for asking her out. She sank lower on the bench, feeling the need to find a hole to crawl into.

Akoni’s cherub cheeks were flushed from the heat. As soon as he woke up, she’d find them both water and air conditioning. Today would be a great day for the kid, and Cedar would be the best babysitter ever and reduce her fee. She hadn’t worried about asking for five hundred dollars when she thought of Teo as a football star with a fat contract, but seeing him as a struggling widower made her feel like something slimy on the playground that all the kids wanted to poke with a stick but no one wanted to touch. Yep, it was time to play nice with Teo Parata.