The Littlest Boss

by Janet Lee Nye

  Putting the reheated lasagna on a plate—he wasn’t a savage—he sat at the dining room table. While waiting for it to cool, he noticed the dog fur on his pants leg. Jack was a good dog. He’d seemed to sense the need for support. Maybe he should get a dog. Or a cat. Cats didn’t need to be walked. Cats didn’t care if you were gone all day as long as you left enough food out. Maybe if he had a pet, he wouldn’t feel so alone here.

  “What you need to do,” he said out loud. “Is to stop wallowing around. Eat your food. Go outside and do something.”

  Like get a suit for Sadie’s wedding. He had jackets and pants, but no real suit. A black suit. The invitations had been specific on the dress code. Black suits with red or white shirts and/or ties. Black or red dresses for women. He had no idea why. After eating, he rinsed the dishes and put them in the dishwasher. Maybe he should head out to the mall. See what Dillard’s had in the way of suits.

  He gave the lasagna another test. It had cooled just enough for him to dare stabbing the tines of the fork down into the layers, spinning a string of cheese around until it broke away. It was so good, almost decadent in its saucy, cheesy deliciousness and it made him happy in the moment.

  After eating, he rinsed the dishes and put them in the dishwasher. Maybe he should head out to the mall. If he was lucky, maybe he could find a nice Ralph Lauren or Hart Schaffner Marx at Dillard’s. Weren’t they running one of their famous 30 percent off deals right now? That’d kick the happiness of the moment up another notch. And if not, well, he was doing okay.

  Doing okay other than all the what if, that was.

  What if. It kept running through his mind. What if he told her everything?

  Too much. Let’s just go get that suit, he decided.

  * * *

  “HMM. I’M THINKING more like a 42R.”

  DeShawn looked up. He’d found a nice section of suits in the men’s department at Dillard’s—and hey, hey, they were having a sale after all, how great was that?—and was browsing through the selection when she walked up. She had her thumb on her jaw, index finger pressed to her lips, appraising him. “What’s that?” DeShawn asked.

  “Definitely 42R,” she said, decisively. She extended an arm to her left. “Which means maybe over here.”

  “Oh,” he said. The section he was in was marked 40. So close! “Okay, we can try that.”

  She lifted a fine looking specimen off of the rack. It was black, but not just a flat black, it had a little something else threaded through it, giving it a touch of texture. The words warp and weft ran through DeShawn’s mind, but he left them there. It was a really nice suit. He accepted the jacket from the salesperson and shrugged it on. It fit him perfectly.

  “Mm-hmm,” she said. “Told you so.”

  He looked at himself in the triple mirrors and...yeah. This suited him, this look. He could see himself wearing this. He added a black shirt and red tie to the mix. Looking at his reflection in the mirrors, he thought, Not bad. Not bad at all, and told her, “I’ll take it.”

  Perfect,” she said, handing him the matching pants. “Let’s get these right and we’ll have you ready to go.”

  He slipped the pants on in the changing room, pulled the unfinished ends up over his shoes, and walked back out.

  “I’m Tammy, by the way,” she said, between the pins she held in her lips as she rolled up the bottoms of his pants legs and measured them out. “How do you like them hemmed?”

  DeShawn watched a worried expression cross his own reflection. “You know, I’ve mostly been a jeans and T-shirt kind of guy...until now. What do you recommend?”

  “Nothing wrong with a classic half break,” she said and adjusted one cuff as an example.

  He took a look at the bottom of the pants in the mirror. “Good choice, I like that,” he said. “Make it so.”

  She had the pins in on both sides within a few seconds. A few minor adjustments to the jacket later, they were at the register and he was the proud owner of a great looking new suit. Well, at least of an alterations ticket that promised the suit to him within a few days. He was good with that. He was happy with the relief it gave him to have made the decision to get it done and do it.

  But as soon as he was back in his car, it started again. What if?

  “Okay, dude,” he said out loud, looking at himself in the rearview mirror. “Are you going to do this? Or just torture yourself with it?”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  “SO WHERE ARE all these girls going to sleep?” Viv asked in a skeptical tone.

  “In my bed. I’ll sleep on the couch. It’s going to be fine, Mom.”

  Kasey and Jordan were coming over for dinner with their daughters. Then the girls were having a sleepover here. So they could get used to her place. So her mother could meet everyone and stop acting like she was letting random strangers take care of her baby.

  They’d chosen this night, Sunday, because the girls wouldn’t have been in school all day, but having school the next morning would give Tiana practice getting all three of them there.

  She turned back to the meatballs she was rolling. Spaghetti with meatballs and garlic bread. Seemed like a kid-friendly kind of meal. “I don’t know. You sure you can take care of two extra girls? Get them all up and to school on time?”

  Clenching her teeth, she drew in a slow breath. Then threw a fake smile at her mother. “I guess we’ll find out tomorrow.” She turned the heat on under the pot and began chopping sweet onions.

  “Okay. But you better not add too many onions to that sauce. Little girls can be picky eaters you know.”

  “Okay, Mom.”

  “You got a backup meal in case one of them won’t eat this?”

  “Yes, Mom.”

  “I like s’getti!” Lily said. “Can I help?”

  “Thank you, Lily. In a minute, I’ll need to stir the sauce once I get it going, okay?”

  She resisted sticking her tongue out at her mother. Barely. She was nervous enough without a professional childcare expert standing around judging her every move.

  Half an hour later, her nerves were forgotten when Kasey and Jordan showed up with their girls. Ear-shattering noise erupted as Lily, Claire and Shay ran off to play in her room.

  “Lordy, it sounds worse in here,” Tiana said as she hugged Kasey.

  “Girl. You should hear it when they are in my den with the ten-foot ceilings. Echoes for days,” Kasey said.

  “Y’all. This is my mother, Vivian Nelson. Mom, this is Kasey, the brilliant and wonderful preceptor you’ve heard so much about. And this is Jordan, the brave nurse who threw herself between me and an arrogant medical student and saved my career.”

  “Pleasure to meet you both,” Viv said. Her tone was a bit icy.

  “Ugh. Medical students. They’re the worst,” Jordan said.

  “Nope. The worst would be the baby docs,” Kasey replied.

  They both groaned. “Baby docs?” Tiana asked.

  “First of July. The brand-new baby doctors start their residencies. It’s our job to not let them kill anyone while not puncturing their egos.”

  Kasey stepped forward. “Let’s not talk shop around your mother. I’m sure it’s very boring for her.” She turned to Vivian. “I just wanted to tell you what an amazing job you did with Tiana. She is so smart and such an amazing nurse already. Compassionate. No-nonsense when she has to be.”

  The ice thawed a bit. “Well, thank you. She was a project.”

  Tiana waved a hand toward the living room. “Go sit down. Dinner is almost ready.”

  * * *

  DINNER WAS A huge success with all three girls asking for seconds. Tiana tried not to smirk as she and her mother cleared the table.

  “I saw that,” Viv murmured.

  “Saw what?”

 
; “That look. Don’t get a big head just yet.”

  “Hey!” Kasey said as she plopped down on a barstool at the counter that separated the kitchen from the living room. “I’ve got a great idea. Jordan and I should take your mom out for a drink and a movie. Let you do this solo.”

  “My mother doesn’t drink.”

  “Oh, I’d have a glass of wine,” Viv said.

  Panic began to nibble at her guts. Tiana turned to Kasey. “Well, if you think that would be best.”

  “Sounds like a plan!” Jordan said. She scrolled through her phone. “I’ve been wanting to see this movie and my husband refuses to go with me because he says it’s a chick flick. And it’s playing at the Citadel Mall, so we’ll be just down the road.”

  She handed her phone to Mom, who put her reading glasses on to see. “Oh, yes. I’ve heard wonderful things about this movie.”

  “Awesome! Hey, Claire, Shay, come here.”

  All three girls came reluctantly out of Lily’s bedroom. “We’re going to take Ms. Vivian out to a movie,” Kasey said. “Ms. Tiana will get you ready for bed and I will see you after school tomorrow. Okay?”

  “Okay. Can we go back and play now?”

  The two women hugged and kissed their daughters while Viv got her coat. Tiana could not believe this. They were all going? All of them? Leave her alone with three kids?

  “You think they’ll be okay?” Viv asked Jordan.

  “Yeah. They’ve been spending nights at each other’s houses since they were babies. This is normal for them. They love it. Makes them feel like they have a sister. Now with Lily, they’ll each have two sisters.”

  “Okay then.” Viv shrugged on her coat and kissed Tiana on the cheek. “Have fun now, you hear?”

  And they left. Just like that. Out the door. Since when does my mother drink wine? She closed her open mouth and returned to the kitchen. This was nothing. Easy. You made it through nursing school. You can handle gunshot victims without breaking a sweat. Three little girls? Piece of cake. Get the bubble bath going, toss all three of them in the tub. Pajamas. Story time. Lights-out.

  She made a face as she thought of Mom, Kasey and Jordan in the movie theater. All three of them are going to be staring at their phones, waiting for me to call for help. That ain’t going to happen. She finished rinsing the dishes and loading the dishwasher listening to the happy chatter of the girls. This really was good for Lily. To have friends.

  She went down the hall to peek in on them. They were playing some sort of very involved game with Lily’s stuffed animals.

  “You guys doing okay? Need anything?”

  “We’re playing, Momma.”

  “Okay. You play.”

  Back on the couch she flicked on the TV, decided on something child appropriate to watch and kicked back. An hour to bath time. When that was done, it’d be bedtime. She was worrying for nothing.

  Until bath time came. Oh, the girls were all in for a group bubble bath in the giant garden tub. What she had underestimated was how much water three giddy, splashing girls could displace. Her bathroom looked like a pipe had burst. She gave up on towels and threw a blanket on the floor. Then there was the accidental flinging of soap into the eyes. She was surprised none of the neighbors called the police because it sounded like people were being murdered in here.

  She carried the towels and blanket to the laundry closet—right next to the bathroom, so she could keep an eye on the girls—and tossed them in the washer. At least the bathroom floor doesn’t need to be mopped anytime soon. Glancing at the clock, she shook her head. She had to have those girls into their pajamas and in bed, preferably asleep before her mother, Kasey and Jordan returned. She had about forty-five minutes. Anything less would be failure.

  Returning to the bathroom she clapped her hands. “Show me your fingers!” They all held their fingers up. “Look at all those wrinkly fingertips. You’re waterlogged. Come on, everyone out.” She handed them clean towels as she helped them out.

  Then came Pajamagate. Shay wanted to wear Lily’s Hello Kitty pajamas but Lily wanted to wear them. Then Claire wanted to wear Shay’s Minnie Mouse pajamas if Shay got to wear the Hello Kitty ones. She was about to send them all to bed in their underwear when she remembered her own Hello Kitty T-shirt. That was perfect. Until both Shay and Lily wanted to wear it.

  After settling that dispute, she felt as if she was qualified for a diplomatic position anywhere in the world. But finally, at long last, she got them settled. All three of them in her bed.

  She heard the key in the lock as she was coming down the hall and sprinted to throw herself on the couch. Feet up, remote in hand. Look bored.

  Her mother peeked in and she waved. Put a finger to her lips as Kasey and Jordan followed her inside.

  “How’d it go?” Kasey asked.

  “Fine. Not a problem.”

  Jordan snorted out a quiet laugh. “Liar.”

  “Okay. Everyone is alive and asleep. How that came to be will be between just me and God.”

  “Only answer that counts,” Kasey said. “Okay. Call us if anyone freaks out about being in a different house. Vivian, it was so nice to meet you. We’re going to have to go out drinking again. Tee, your mother is wicked funny.”

  Looking between the three women, Tiana shook her head. “I’m too tired for this. Screaming girls. Drinking mommas. I can’t even. Y’all go home.”

  After they left, Viv came and sat beside her. “Your friends are very nice.”

  “Thank you. I kind of like them.”

  “You were right, Tiana.”

  She sat up. “Wait. Hold on. Where’s my phone? Can I get this on video?”

  “Oh, hush up with yourself. I can admit it. You were right. Lily’s got two great friends there. And you’ve got a good support system with their mothers.”

  Tiana scooted over and put her arms around her mother. “Thank you, Momma. This is all going to work out.”

  “You’ve done very well. I’m proud of you. I’m sorry I’ve been sniping at you.”

  “I understand. You love Lily. It’s hard to let go. I get it.”

  “But it’s time that I let you take over.”

  “Getting there. Like I said, we can take it slow.”

  “You’re the boss now. You tell me.”

  “I’ll tell you this. This boss is exhausted.”

  “I can take a hint. Good night, Tee.”

  “Night, Momma.”

  She snuggled back under the blanket she’d thrown on the back of the couch. A warm sense of pride glowed in her chest. She’d done it. Convinced her mother that it was safe to go home. She turned off the TV and squirmed around until she was comfortable. She was exhausted. But her eyes stayed open and she stared at the ceiling. She’d left the hallway light on in case one of the girls got up and was confused in an unfamiliar house. She had everything she wanted now.

  Except DeShawn.

  * * *

  TUESDAY AFTER MEETING with his mother, he was pretty much settled. Sadie had been right. The feeling of peace he’d felt the afternoon after hadn’t lasted. It came in waves: the doubt, the anger, the guilt. But it didn’t stay. And he always felt in the end that he’d done the right thing.

  Good thing because he had Henry bringing two students to spend the day with him. He was looking forward to it and a bit worried. How to make engineering exciting to a couple of twelve-year-olds? He’d gone out to the project site early that morning and was just finishing up entering the data when Henry arrived.

  “Come on in,” he said as he waved them into his little cubbyhole.

  “DeShawn, this is Darius and Abigail. They are both honors math students. We’re looking into STEM programs for them,” Henry said.

  “Great. Okay. I thought I’d take you around to a couple of th
e different projects our office is working on. Give you an idea of how varied engineering jobs can be. Sound good?”

  They started at his project. The interstate exchange. As they stood on the road the current overpass lead to, DeShawn explained about the new railway that was going in and how this interchange would need to be moved.

  “So, my job is to figure out where to put the new road. The safest place for it. The place that will minimize the number of houses and businesses that will have to be relocated or torn down.”

  “What happens to the people who live in the houses?” Abigail asked.

  “Their houses are bought and they are helped to move somewhere else.”

  “Oh, okay.”

  He tried to paint a happy picture of it, but the truth was, relocation was the part he hated most about his job. The elderly people who lived along the proposed route would come out and ask him, “It isn’t coming through here is it?” And the only answer he could give was that he was looking for the best way to keep as many people in their homes as possible.

  “For right now, my job is mostly doing measurements and mapping out buildings in the area. Once that is done, I’ll start drawing up proposed routes for the new road.”

  “Do you build the road too?” Darius asked.

  “Nope. Once a design has been approved, it’s turned over to the Department of Transportation to build.”

  As they got back in the car, DeShawn turned and looked at them. “I think you’ll like this next one. They’re moving an old building brick by brick and putting it back together in a new place.”

  It was a short drive to the old navy base where the moving of the Sea Chapel was well underway. “It’s an historical building, so no one wanted to just tear it down. But it was also pretty unstable, so to move it in one piece might have caused it to collapse. So the engineers on this project had to figure out how to take it down without it collapsing.”

  “Like that game Jenga?” Darius asked.

  “Exactly,” DeShawn answered. He looked over and saw Alex, the lead engineer. Waved him over. “Hey, man, how’s it going?”