by Claire Adams
“You have to go home for dinner,” I whispered.
“I don’t want to,” he said, looking at me sadly.
“Buddy, I know you don’t, but you have to, but I promise I’m working on seeing you more often,” I said. “I love you very much.”
“I love you too, Daddy,” he said, as I put him down and smiled at Quinn.
I watched them walk across the lawn and towards Quinn’s car. Soon he was buckled in, and they pulled away, disappearing around the corner. I took a deep breath and sulked back to my truck, climbing inside and turning on the engine. My mind immediately went to Quinn, and I thought of how she was seeming like the perfect choice for the job of replacement wife. She had all the qualities I was looking for, but I still knew I should take my time deciding. This was a really important decision and would be the basis of my court battle to get my son back. I couldn’t act on a whim like I had grown accustomed to doing lately. I needed more information. I pulled the truck out of the parking space and headed toward my place, a million different things blurring through my mind.
When I got inside my house, I slipped off my shoes and grabbed a beer from the fridge, popping the cap off and sitting down in front of my computer. I put in the information that I had on her and started to look at different sites that came up. She had a Facebook profile, but it was really basic and mostly had pictures of her with what looked like cousins or siblings. She didn’t post political stuff or spam, but it did give me her birthday. I opened up the server that I used to do background checks on past employees and put all of her information in, paying to get a background check done on her. As it was processing, I skimmed through different news articles, but the names weren’t matching up, so I figured they didn’t have anything to do with her. When the background check came up, it showed that she was divorced, which surprised me. It also showed that she had quit a very lucrative career in the energy field to start babysitting children. It seemed a bit odd, but I knew that the energy business could be stressful.
There was definitely a story behind why she stopped working in her once chosen field, but I didn’t think it would be anything that would mess up my plans. She had never been arrested, and her driving record was crystal clear, so she really was looking just as perfect as she seemed. On paper, she was the perfect fit, and in person, I couldn’t imagine a better woman to be around Jake. The whole situation seemed like an excellent fit for Quinn, but the hard part was going to be convincing her to do it. It wasn’t like I was asking her to come babysit; I was asking her to pretend to be my girlfriend, and eventually my wife. She would have to marry a man she didn’t even know, and though it seemed far-fetched, I knew that if she knew it would help Jake, she would at least consider it.
In reality, Quinn was my only hope, and I was dead set on making her understand that.
Chapter Ten
Quinn
A couple days had passed since Jake got to see his dad and he was already whispering to me about seeing him again. I wanted to do whatever I could for him, but I also wanted to be certain that I wasn’t making a mistake. There was a reason Sarah was so adamant, and it was either soaked in truth or a complete lie. I was leaning toward the latter, but I couldn’t be too careful. As I prepped the vegetables for dinner, Jake was sitting at the kitchen table playing a game on his tablet. Suddenly there was a knock on the door, and I put the knife down and wiped my hands on my apron.
“Stay there,” I said to Jake. “Just keep playing your game; I’ll be back in a couple.”
He nodded his head as if he wasn’t actually listening to me and I laughed to myself as I walked through the living room to the front door. I opened the door and smiled, completely surprised to see Luke standing there. Immediately, I pulled the door back shut, so just my face was poking out, not wanting Jake to see his father there. I had been given very strict orders, and Luke showing up like that was going to put both of us in jeopardy.
“Luke,” I whispered. “What are you doing here? You can’t just show up like this. What if Sarah were here? She would lose her mind and probably fire me on the spot. I don’t want to lose this job; I really care about Jake.”
“Look, I know exactly where Sarah is,” he said, laughing. “She is at her bi-weekly mani-pedi. It’s like clockwork with her, no surprises. Besides, I haven’t contacted her at all, so she wouldn’t be expecting me to come to the house. I knew when I looked at the calendar this morning that she would be at her appointment; she goes every other Tuesday. It’s been a long-standing appointment of hers, and she started it about five years before we got a divorce. Rain or shine, apocalypse or not, she will be at that appointment.”
“It would be weird that you knew that if you hadn’t been married for so long,” I whispered. “Nonetheless, it is still dangerous for you to just show up like this out of the blue. It was one thing at the park, but not the house. I half expect her to have one of those nanny cams up in the house to catch you, not me.”
“She isn’t that smart,” he chuckled. “Trust me. But I didn’t come to see Jake, though I really miss him. I know if he sees me he won’t be able to go to bed tonight and I can’t ask him to lie again.”
“So, why are you here?”
“I came to talk to you,” he whispered. “It’s important.”
“Me?”
“Yeah, can I come in? I promise to get in and out before Jake realizes I’m here,” he asked.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” I explained. “Sarah has forbidden you from stepping foot inside this house. The last thing we need is the cops coming and arresting you in front of Jake. That would mess him up for a long time. I don’t know why Sarah hates you so much, but she has made it impossible for me to have you here at the house to visit with Jake, even when she’s gone. It sucks because I know he would really love it.”
“That sounds like her,” I said, nodding, half expecting that. “She doesn’t have anything against me besides what she made up in her mind. She can control me through Jake, and that is exactly what she is trying to do. She thinks she has the upper hand, but she is sorely mistaken.”
“Well, right now she does have control, over Jake and over my paycheck,” I pointed out. “Her finding you here would affect both of them.”
“I understand,” he said quietly. “I really need to talk to you though. Can you step out on the porch, just for a minute, and let me explain? I want to ask you something, but I can’t do it through the crack in the door. When I’m done, I’ll let you get back to your dinner; I know Jake is waiting to eat. Please, it’s for him.”
I stood there for a moment thinking about it, not knowing whether I should take the chance or not. I looked over my shoulder and could see Jake still sitting at the table, not paying any attention to anything but his tablet. I was curious, and though I knew it was dangerous to be curious, he said it was for Jake. I had grown very fond of him since I had come to work for Sarah and I knew that I would do just about anything for the little guy. I took in a deep breath and slid through the door, knowing I needed to be careful. I looked up at Luke, who seemed different, almost frantic to talk to me. I was used to his charming and nonchalant demeanor, so I knew there was definitely something important going on. I looked through the crack, nervous that Jake was going to find out what we were doing. At the same time, I was no one but the babysitter and couldn’t even imagine what was so important that he had to talk to his son’s nanny about it.
I stood there and took in a deep breath, my mind swirling. I cleared my throat and looked up at Luke who seemed to be running his own words through his mind before speaking them. I shifted my stance nervously, incredibly curious about what he was about to tell me. I had a million different ideas, but none of them could have prepared me for the bombshell that he was about to drop on me. He said it was about Jake, and that was the truth, but it was nowhere near what I thought he was going to say. However, before he had even started, his body language was that of a man desperate for something. I was pretty sure
that desperation had to do with Jake, and how much time he got to spend with him. At first, I figured he was going to ask me to help him see his son more. Maybe call him when we were going on outings so that he could join, or have him over when I knew Sarah was going to be out late. However, as he began to talk, my nerves immediately went on high alert, and I realized I was caught up in something I couldn’t even have imagined.
“When Sarah and I first started going through our divorce proceedings, she was sweet to my face, talking about split custody, co-parenting, and doing what was best for Jake,” he started to explain. “I was happy that she had changed her demeanor and was more than ready to have Jake in my life. Everything changed when we got to court, though, and she played me big time. She started out with all of these false allegations of abuse and then, out of the blue, sprung the whole full custody thing on me. I wasn’t prepared, I’ll be honest. It hit me like a ton of bricks, and I lost physical custody of Jake.”
“Okay,” I said, listening intently now.
“I should have fought harder, but that is neither here nor there at this point,” he said. “I love my son so much, and I would do anything in the world to have him in my life again. I took care of him when he was a baby, I nurtured him, taught him things, and we had become best buddies. I think that was where all this came from: Sarah was jealous thinking he loved me more than her, but I knew that wasn’t true; he is just a child and loved us both equally.”
“So, what are you doing now?”
“I’m trying to get custody, at least half,” he said. “I know that Sarah is going to fight me every step of the way. My attorney suggested that I find a strong female influence for Jake. The county and state look down on single fathers, thinking they cannot give a child the nurturing that a mother can, but obviously Sarah missed that memo. I need a woman who will look good in court and help to sway the judge in my favor. It’s really simple: stupid, unfair, but simple, and it’s really my only hope since she has accused me of so much bullshit.”
I listened to him talking, trying to understand why he was telling me all of this. I thought the fact that he was single shouldn’t play against him in court, and that the court systems here were a bit behind the times, but I didn’t see how I was going to help him with that. Then it all became clear. With one little sentence, I realized why I was standing on the porch sneaking around and listening to his plight.
“I think you would be the perfect one for the job,” he said.
“Wait, what?”
I shook my head and blinked my eyes, wanting to make sure that I heard him correctly. He thinks I would be the perfect person to pretend to be in a relationship with him so he can get custody of his son. I was so completely shocked by what he was saying that I was left speechless. How do you even respond to something like that? I stood there staring at him for a minute, trying to gather my words, but nothing wanted to come out. Was he looking for an answer right then and there? This was absolutely ludicrous on so many levels. For some reason though, I wanted to hear more about his plan, and what it entailed. I was about to open my mouth and say just that when the smoke detector started going off in the house.
“Oh, God,” I said, turning back toward Luke. “I’m so sorry. I left food cooking on the stove, and it is probably burnt to black by now. Jake is going to come looking for me. I need to get inside before I burn the house to the ground and Sarah finds out I was distracted while cooking.”
I turned to walk back into the house, but as I reached for the door, Luke grabbed my arm. I turned my head back and looked at him, panic from the smoke detector making my heart beat faster, or maybe it was from his touch. Either way, he needed to say whatever it was he wanted to say before I got fired.
“Quinn, please have dinner with me tonight so that I can explain further what I am talking about,” he whispered. “This is so important, and I don’t want to leave you with just those words.”
“This is crazy,” I whispered, thinking of how it was also crazy that I was feeling such a strong sensation when he touched me. “Fine. Meet me at the diner about four blocks away in two hours.”
“Thank you,” he said.
I looked back at the house where smoke was starting to gather.
“Oh shit,” I said and hurried back inside, my mind completely racing.
Chapter Eleven
Luke
I got to the diner about ten minutes early, knowing that if Quinn came and I wasn’t there, she wouldn’t wait around for me. I ordered a cup of coffee from the waitress and sat there nervously, stirring the spoon around and around until the coffee was a soft caramel color from the creamers I continued to pour into it. I looked up as the door swung open and Quinn walked in, no longer wrapped in a dirty apron. I was taken back by how gorgeous she was, not noticing her full effect until that moment. She was definitely self-conscious, I could see that in her clutched hands, nervous nail-biting, and the way she crossed her arms over her chest anytime she was uncomfortable. But still, even her strange nervous shuffle across the floor was appealing. It was like all of a sudden I was seeing her as a woman and not just as the babysitter for my son. I mean, I wasn’t blind to her curvy hips before, but the package as a whole was almost enchanting. The feeling itself took me by surprise, and I had to push the thoughts from my mind as I stuck my hand in the air to get her attention.
She let out a deep sigh and walked across the diner, smiling at the waitress. She took off her coat and hung it over the empty chair, sitting down across from me. I looked at her for a moment, watching her eyes dart back and forth around the room like we were spies meeting in secret to trade information. She knew that Sarah was at home, she just left her there, but I could still see her vibrating with nervous energy. I was pretty sure at that moment she could have run ten miles without breaking a sweat. The waitress came over and brought her a cup of coffee and a menu, then left us with a sweet smile. I watched as Quinn scraped the spoon around the sides of her cup and then looked up at me, waiting for me to say something. She wanted to hear more, but it was making her crazy with nerves.
“First, I want to thank you for coming,” I said. “Thank you for hearing me out because I know what I said at the house was pretty heavy. I know it was shocking, and you are probably questioning why you even came to hear my thoughts on this.”
“Well, you said it was for Jake, and though it does seem insane, I want to hear your side of everything,” she said, trying to be diplomatic. “I can’t imagine you would come up with this whole scheme for no reason, and you said your attorney was right on the same track as you, so I was curious I guess.”
“I’ve been looking and thinking about the woman I wanted to be part of this and you fit that bill in every way,” I said, launching into the details. “You’re sweet, have a clean background, you care deeply for children, and most importantly, for Jake. Jake loves you already, you are single, and unattached, and you know Sarah and her life very well. This makes you a prime candidate for this kind of thing. In reality, I can’t think of anyone better than you to take this on. I know it seems like a lot.”
“No kidding,” she scoffed.
“But it really is the only way for me to prove to the judge that my house is just as good, if not better, than Sarah’s,” I explained. “So, the plan would go like this; we would get engaged, setting a date for a couple of months from now. Obviously, it would need to look as real as possible, but you wouldn’t have to worry about actually going through with it. I’m sure I would not be a top candidate on your list of potential husbands.”
“Ha, I have a list?”
“Don’t all women?” I shrugged my shoulders and smiled at her reaction.
“I must have missed that memo,” she said, smirking. “It never fails that I miss the important memos for women. Maybe that’s why I’m divorced.”
“Well, you won’t have to go through that with me,” I chuckled. “So, after that, you will appear with me in court, which is next week, for the initial motion. At
that point, the judge would make a preliminary decision, hopefully going exactly how we want it to go. If the judge rules in our favor, then we will go through the motions until the custody is written in stone. I’m not saying that it will be easy, but it will definitely go a lot smoother than me going on my own. The judge will be impressed by you, there is no doubt in my mind, especially since you really do love Jake and won’t have to put on an act about it.”
“So, what happens when the final custody papers are signed?”
“Well, it really depends on the specific situation, but I was figuring we would quietly break it off and go our own ways,” I said. “I mean you can stay in Jake’s life, of course, because he loves you and I don’t want to see this hurt him in any way, but I am not going to force you to marry me if the charade is no longer needed. Once the custody agreement is signed, it would take a lot for the judge to change it, even when we do break up.”
“I feel like if every relationship was planned out like this beforehand, there would be a lot less broken hearts,” she said, laughing. “I’m sorry, I make jokes when I am nervous.”
She wrung her hands together, her motions letting me know that she was extremely nervous. There was something about the way she handled her nerves that was absolutely adorable, and it forced me to fight back a smile. I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable, but there was no real way around it with the proposal that I was laying on the table. She took in a deep breath and relaxed her shoulders before voicing her concerns.
“This is awkward to talk about,” she said, looking around. “I mean the whole thing is strange, but to have to ask you about this makes me uncomfortable.”
“What? What is it? You can ask me anything, and I’ll be straightforward with you,” I said honestly. “If you decide to help me with this, I think it’s important that we are always honest with each other about everything.”