A Bundle of Mannies

by Lorelei M. Hart

  “Oh that. I was wondering if I could take a shelf in the bathroom.”

  “Absolutely, or if you need your own bathroom, I’d be happy to swap out the master bedroom with you.”

  “Sharing will suffice.” He opened his notebook. “First, let’s see if I’m a good fit. I assumed I was. Manny does an amazing job, but now…can I ask you a few things?” Were those waves of nerves or anger coming through? Not that either filled me with the happy.

  “Sure.” I swallowed. The corner was most assuredly in my future. But for what?

  “Why do you have a two-story home?”

  “It was a wedding gift,” I whispered, not meeting his eyes. “I thought about selling it, but…” I couldn’t even pick up the phone to dial. Not that I wanted to share all those details.

  I could see his implied point. Of course, I could. Who has a home that makes things extra difficult for their child when they have a choice? I justified it to myself with the notion that he couldn’t be sheltered forever, and stairs were going to be a part of his life.

  Maybe it wasn’t fine.

  “I see.” He flipped the blank paper of his notebook, and I wanted to ask why, biting my tongue instead. “What are the doctor’s orders about his walker?”

  “I already discussed that with Graham. He was showing off for you. I think it’s because he wants you to stay, and he is having a really good week.”

  “I see.”

  He saw a lot from the sounds of it.

  “And why does he sound like a mini adult?” He didn’t mince words, did he?

  “Probably from hanging out with so many therapists.” I shrugged not wanting to get into the fact that the kids at school would rather laugh at him than play with him, but feeling the need to. “His school has been less than strong at preventing bullying.”

  “I see.”

  Dagnabit. Was that all he said?

  “I was hoping, while he was rehabbing and getting tutoring, I might be able to find a better place for him.” He’d been turned down from the private school that had been my first choice, citing they didn’t think they could meet his needs, making them my last choice. That made me gun-shy about trying others, but the beginning of this year had me getting over that shyness and quickly. “And don’t answer I see, please.”

  “Sorry. That is my default when I’m nervous,” he confessed, blowing my mind. He seemed so put together, and here he was…nervous. “I usually go into a place feeling like I’m needed, and you seem to have it all together, and I…I think this will work out well.

  I sat there unsure how to reply when a crash came from the kitchen.

  Chapter Five

  Sebastian

  It never took me long to settle into any new posting, at least so far as putting things away in my new room, but learning about my clients took a little bit longer. Especially in a case as specialized as this one. Even with all the information I had going in, medical information, special accommodations at school, mental assessments, all the science was not the same as knowing a person, knowing a family.

  And this, a complex case regarding the needs of the child, and I had to make it more convoluted by the fact I couldn’t sit in the same room with his father without drawing in his scent and wanting him.

  Bald statement, but there it was. And I’d never felt that way. Sure, most of my clients had been couples, one throuple even, but I’d worked for a couple of very handsome single dads and had zero interest. Had, in fact, turned one down who had looks, money, and a really great personality.

  But he wasn’t mine.

  So what made me think Walker was?

  “Does that work for you?” From the tone of my new employer’s voice, he’d asked me more than once.

  “I’m so sorry.” Because fake listening wasn’t me. “I am a little tired from the trip. Would you mind repeating what you asked?”

  “I said, I’ve been telecommuting a lot, and with the surgery coming up soon, I’ll likely be doing more of it. Do you think you could start tomorrow morning by taking Graham to school?”

  “Sure. Absolutely.” I looked through the sheets in my folder. “Doesn’t he have a bus picking him up, though? I read something here…”

  “He does, or did. But that was where he was having the most trouble with bullying, so I have started driving him myself. He does take his chair, but the van has a lift, so it’s not too hard.”

  On the bus? Or… “Weren’t the other kids aboard special needs as well?”

  “Yes, but somehow that didn’t make one child in particular understanding of others’ special needs.”

  Ouch. “Sometimes, people forget kids are kids.”

  “Exactly. This one is a temporary situation, since the troublemaker has a broken leg and will be back on the regular bus in a couple of months, but for now…”

  “And the bus driver and other adults aboard aren’t having any luck dealing with it.” You’d think they could, but experience had taught me stuff still happened. “Anyway, I’d be very glad to drive him. And maybe see what I can do to make things better there, if it’s not overstepping?”

  Lines of tension eased from around his lips. “Not at all. Maybe as a professional, you’ll have skills I don’t. Experience.”

  I nodded. “Not my first bullying. I don’t see that Graham has an aide at school.”

  “No, he doesn’t, anymore. He is able to move from room to room on his own now without getting knocked over by the crowd. He is so proud to be more independent.”

  Shifting on the sofa, I crossed my leg and leaned back, trying to appear more comfortable than I felt. The bullying issue had not come up in the notes I received, and, although I gathered it wasn’t physical at this point, it could be. After the procedure Graham would undergo, he would be vulnerable for some time. “I can appreciate that. Of course, when he is back in class after his surgery, he will need one.”

  “Agreed.” Walker stood and stretched. “But we’ll have to address that then because he’s really enjoying coming and going around the school without an adult dogging his every step. He’s even made a couple of friends, something that hasn’t been easy.”

  I stood, too. “All right. I believe you received a list of my responsibilities. Do you have any questions or need me to do anything additional?”

  “No, in fact, I hope to need less than that. But I thought we’d start as written and then is it okay if we adapt as we go? I’ve never had a manny before, so if I overstep, you’ll tell me?”

  Like this very sweet, kind man would take advantage of an employee? Still… “Of course. Now, can I help you cook dinner? What did you have planned?”

  He flushed. “Uhh…takeout. Any preference?”

  “No, but I would like to say how much I enjoy cooking. It’s a hobby, of sorts, and I also specialize in various diets for the clients’ needs. Has Graham’s doctor given him a list of foods to avoid or anything?”

  Walker looked startled. “No, we’ve always eaten normally. Is that something I should be doing?”

  “Not necessarily, but since you have a new team, it’s something to bring up. See what their thoughts are. With no special rules, I try to cook wholesome homemade meals. Just doing that takes out a lot of chemicals and hormones, antibiotics… Stuff nobody needs in their food. Kids who have a lot of mountains to climb need nutrients even more than others.

  “Maybe instead of takeout, we can have a big salad?” he suggested, and the groan from the kitchen confirmed my suspicions that a certain little boy was listening.

  “Dad, you promised!” he moaned.

  “Graham, we’ve had takeout three times already this week,” Walker replied. “Sebastian is right. We need to eat better.”

  I cleared my throat. “Ah, since you did promise, I don’t want to be the bad guy on my first day. Maybe after school tomorrow, Graham and I can do some meal planning for the next week. He can help me with your likes and dislikes, and I can show him how various foods help build strong bones and muscles. I
bet we can come up with some superfoods to get him on his feet and scooting along twice as fast.”

  “Super?” Graham moved into the living room, walker gliding along like a pro. “Food can be super like Superman or someone like that?”

  “Kind of. Not that we can fly, but if we feed our bodies the things they need, they can be at their very best. Do you like the idea of helping me plan our new super diet?” I gave him a friendly, non-pushy smile. “I told your dad we can start tomorrow.” Like he hadn’t heard every word, the scamp.

  “Can we start today?”

  “If it’s okay with your dad.” I scooted over to make room on the couch. “Sit down here, and I’ll get my tablet. It’s important to find out which super foods you enjoy.”

  He pushed the walker away and plopped down. “I like all foods that are super. Even if I haven’t tried them.” He tilted his head to the side. “If we have a big salad tonight, is that super?”

  “It would be a good start. Maybe one with protein in it. Like hard-cooked eggs…some cheese? And lots of veggies.”

  “Super.”

  Chapter Six

  Walker

  “One hundred!” Graham shouted into the doorway before I got the door completely open. I’d never seen him so excited over a grade, and he had plenty of good grades to be excited over throughout his schooling. He’d inherited his omega father’s brains, that was for sure.

  “I don’t think he heard you,” I teased as I pushed the door the rest of the way open and got out of his way. I knew better than to intercede once Graham was on a mission, and on a mission he was—a mission to find Sebastian.

  “One hundred,” he called out again, this time with even more volume. “Manny Sebastian, are you even home?” he added two seconds later, when the desired effect of his announcement didn’t materialize.

  “His car is here. He’s probably in the bathroom.”

  “Then we should wait outside a bit longer.” Graham had started to rotate his walker when Sebastian came around the corner from the kitchen, holding a laundry basket. The man had been in my home less than two weeks and I’d already had to tell him four times he wasn’t our maid and I could handle the laundry. Each time, he lied and said it was relaxing. There was nothing relaxing about laundry. Nothing.

  I appreciated his wanting to lessen my burdens. But at the same time, I needed him not to get overwhelmed with the surgery less than a month out. That was when we really needed him; just the physical therapy transportation alone was going to be a full-time job.

  “Sorry, I was in the basement. You don’t need to turn around. I’ll go put these in the other room, and you can pretend you just got here. It will be epic. I promise.” He left the room, and I very much did not glance at his ass a few seconds too long. It was getting more and more challenging not to ogle him, and that was a very bad thing. We needed his help, not his resignation over my inappropriate glances.

  “Epic,” he called back.

  And suddenly, I felt like I was missing something. There was nothing epic about getting a 100 on a math test when you did more often than not. Fabulous? Absolutely. Epic? Not even close.

  “Graham?” I gave him my best what’s going on eye.

  He smiled and then called out, “One hundred!” at the top of his lungs.

  Next thing I knew, “Shake Señora” blared from the next room and got closer and closer with each beat, and Graham started to rock out, first with his arms, then his left foot. Not much more than that, but for him, that was amazing, as was the smile on his face as Sebastian rounded the corner, a tiny boom box on his head, shaking his hips and singing along with Harry Belafonte.

  He set the player on the coffee table and went into full-on dance mode, doing a move, with Graham doing his best to mimic it. They went back and forth like that as I joined in the singing, and finally Graham belted it out as well. By the time the song ended, Graham had physically had enough and was bracing himself on his walker again, his smile no less grand.

  “Epic.” I high-fived my son, wanting to whisk him to the chair to sit down but having some part nagging at me to restrain myself. He had been waiting for this moment all day, a moment I still didn’t quite understand but was so happy to have been a part of.

  “See?” Sebastian pointed to me. “Even your dad agrees me.” He gave me a playful wink, something he’d done a few times, and something I had to actively convince myself meant nothing each and every time.

  “Epic.” Graham’s breath was heavy. He’d gotten a workout.

  “I need to sit down.” I hoped my son would get the hint it was okay to be tired and rest after fun like that. Being tired didn’t make him any less. That was something I’d struggled with getting through to him since school began. He wanted to be like the other kids, and I’d still not been able to truly convince him that he was amazing exactly how he was.

  “Me, too. Getting old.” Sebastian came over and plopped down beside me, giving Graham the chair closest to where he currently stood.

  The warmth of Sebastian’s body paired with his scent was far from ideal. No, it was beyond ideal and yet completely wrong making it the…ugh. I couldn’t even think with him here like this.

  “Not like the movie, but really fun.” Graham took the hint and sat down. “Next time, can we do it on the stairs?”

  I looked between the two of them, trying to figure out what I wasn’t piecing together.

  “Beetlejuice.” Sebastian mouthed.

  “Best movie ever, Dad!” And if it got him this excited about a math test, who was I to argue with that assessment.

  “Indeed.”

  “I gotta go in the other room. Can we do it again when I get back?” Graham pushed himself up with the aid of his walker.

  “Not until you get another A.” The manny leaned back on the sofa, his thigh touching mine briefly in the motion. Not that I should be noticing accidental thigh touches.

  “Be that way.” Graham rolled his eyes and stepped in the direction of the bathroom.

  “I didn’t know kids did that so young.” I waited for Graham to reply that he’d heard me.

  Instead, he mumbled something about doing it as he walked away, and I found myself chuckling at his humor. He’d always had the ability to make me laugh. It was one of his many gifts.

  “Was that one of your confidence-building things?” I turned to Sebastian when we were alone. One of the immediate goals he had set for his work with Graham was to build up his confidence in social-type things to help him be more able to handle asshats in settings like school. Sebastian hadn’t said the asshat part, probably because he was a better person than I. Some of those kids were just little shits. Part of the whole you plant a potato you get a potato theory, I’d imagine, given that none of their parents seemed to give a shit about their behavior.

  “Nope. Something I saw on the Internet.”

  “So it must be true,” I joshed.

  “Exactly. There’s this group that is making dance videos for kids with cerebral palsy specifically to help children in places where they don’t get the kinds of therapies we have here, and the results have been amazing.”

  “So you thought you’d give it a go.”

  He gave a nod, his smile just as sexy as his head tilted slightly to the left. Not that I was looking…much.

  “More like we were watching a movie and inspiration hit.”

  “You’re good for us.” I spoke before thinking it through. The words were true—so very, but somehow, they felt too personal maybe. And they must’ve been because, next thing I knew, he was mumbling thanks and excusing himself to finish the laundry.

  Chapter Seven

  Sebastian

  I fit into this family as well as any I’d ever met. In most ways. Graham and I had settled into a routine for school days, with me driving him to school and picking him up. The bus situation would resolve in time, and perhaps Graham could ride the regular bus once he’d worked his way through therapy. But the doctors, at the pre-op a
ppointments with the different specialties so far, all cautioned that they could make no promises. As in, results varied. But if determination and grit counted, Graham would end up on the top of the heap. He and his dad were positive and hard-working, as his progress so far indicated.

  One of the docs told me that was a big reason he’d been selected for what was, in many ways, an experimental procedure. There would be pain and incapacitation before we came out the other side. I hated that he would have to go through that, but I believed in him. And his dad.

  His dad…now there was an issue. I was still attracted to the man no matter how much I tried not to be. He was hot, sexy, built, and had eyes that pierced right through me. But he was also kind and patient. And intelligent no matter how much he tried to say Graham got all his smarts from his late other dad. Walker was the whole package.

  And I worked for him. So hands off the package.

  And don’t think about the package.

  But with the surgery looming, it was easier to focus. Graham had been invited to a sleepover and, never having been to one, he’d begged and pleaded until his dad gave in. It was just a few houses down the street, and I’d held my breath until permission was granted. He’d had playdates there when he was younger and the families had a long friendship. Still, Walker had hesitated on the overnight idea.

  Until Graham broke down and said he didn’t know if he’d ever be able to do it again, if his surgery didn’t go well…

  Sleepover it was. I’d just dropped him off and chatted with the mom, Clara. The party for his buddy, Ken, would be a couple of other boys who Graham hung out with at school and one cousin, featuring video games, pizza, popcorn, and ice cream sundaes. The games were age appropriate, the kids nice. The parents planned to stay up as late as the partiers even if that meant all night.

  They also didn’t mind if Walker checked in by phone once or twice. But when I opened the door at home, I found him pacing the living room, chewing on his thumbnail.

  “Maybe I should go bring him home.” He stopped and gave me the most woeful expression I’d ever seen.