by Trina Solet
As Jeff updated him on his babysitting gig, Marco made a face. "Babysitting. It's down to that, huh."
Jeff didn't want to get into what his day with Ned and Mina had been like and how much it meant to him, so he kept it simple. "I already got two free meals out of this deal. It might not pay much in the long run, but at least I can afford to pay for my own Coke tonight," Jeff said and raised his glass. Only nineteen, he couldn't order a real drink.
"The soda wars of the 80's. We were just studying that," one of the two girls who had been arguing with Justin exclaimed.
"I was just going to drink it," Jeff said, afraid he would get pulled into a Justin type debate.
He had the attention of both girls now and Marco introduced them. "Marsha and Sing Wei. This is Jeff, an all around nice guy, not a creep."
Jeff turned to him. "This is how you introduce people now?"
"Just guys," Marco said.
"Saves us the trouble of asking," Sing Wei said and raised a bottle of hard lemonade to clink against his Coke.
"OK, nice to meet you," Jeff said.
After that, he spent most of his time talking with them. He noticed that in the drinking department, the girls were keeping pace with Justin, but they didn't latch on to any crazy ideas like he did. They jumped from topic to topic so that Jeff couldn't keep up, but at least he wasn't bored. By the time they were all talked out and ready to leave, the girls were leaning on each other pretty heavily.
"You, sir, with the honest face," Sing Wei said, pointing a finger at Jeff. "You're chaperoning us home."
"Only if you let him crash over at your place," Marco demanded on Jeff's behalf.
"They don't have to," Jeff said.
"Girlfriend trouble?" Marsha asked him.
"If there was trouble, it would be boyfriend trouble," Jeff told her. "But actually it's money trouble."
The girls each took one of his arms and he walked them home. At the door to their place, Jeff was ready to let them off the hook and say goodnight. He didn't expect them to really let him stay with them. After all, they just met him. But the girls weren't having it.
"Like hell!" Sing Wei said.
"Get in here. You'll be safe with us. But the sofa is a two seater. Sorry," Marsha said as she dragged him inside.
They decided a guy his size would be more comfortable sleeping on the floor. In their state, they only managed to throw random cushions on the floor as well as some toss pillows and a fuzzy throw. All three of them stared at the colorful mess.
"That will do," Jeff told them and thanked them.
In the morning, he heard their phone alarms but they didn't. He ended up waking them so they wouldn't be late for class. At first they cursed, but later on they thanked him for it and took him to breakfast. They were nice and Jeff was glad he met them, but he was really looking forward to seeing Ned and Mina again.
Chapter 7
For the next few days, Jeff earned a little more money helping a guy who had a lawn service and also by babysitting Mina. She was a good kid, but Ned had warned him to pay close attention in case she got scared. He knew being around too many people didn't sit well with her, but so far Jeff hadn't seen that for himself.
That day, Jeff and Mina were exploring the campus while Ned taught class. To pass the time, Jeff took Mina to the campus bookstore. She poked around curiously, pointing things out to Jeff with a questioning look. Jeff picked up a botany textbook, and flipped through it, betting it would have some pictures of flowers in it he could show Mina.
That's when a large group of students came into the store all at once. They came right to the isle where Jeff and Mina were hanging out. The small space suddenly became crowded with Jeff and Mina trapped at the end of the isle.
Mina got very nervous. Her breathing got fast. Her eyes darted around like she was looking for a place to hide. She found she could hide behind Jeff pretty well. She crouched right behind him with her eyes closed tight and hung onto the leg of his jeans.
When Jeff held her hand, he noticed that she was shivering, and she hardly seemed to be breathing any more. When he tried to talk to her and get her to come along so they could get out of there, she wouldn't move or even look at him. In the end, he had to scoop her up in his arms and carry her out of the store.
He took her straight to Ned's office, but by the time they got there, she was already OK. She jumped out of Jeff's arms and ran to Ned. By the look of it, Ned had just arrived there from his class. He still carried his laptop bag over his shoulder. He put it down on a chair and picked up Mina.
"Too many big people, huh?" Ned said to her after Jeff explained what happened. "But you are doing fine now?"
"Jeff did it," Mina said and she showed Ned how Jeff had carried her.
"Jeff was the hero?" Ned said though he hadn't done that much.
Mina nodded and Ned smiled at him with gratitude. Watching them together reminded Jeff of his own dad. He was a patient and understanding guy too. If Jeff was scared or upset, he could make it all better with just a few words and a smile.
Later on, while Mina was busy playing in Professor Swensen's office, Jeff asked about Mina's fear. "How often does it happen?"
"Not too often. Depends on the circumstances. She was a lot worse when she first arrived. She trembled so much with her eyes wide. When I held her, she was just a tiny bundle of fear. Sometimes I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get through to her."
"She came around pretty fast today. I mean, she didn't stay scared for very long after we got out of the store." Jeff was so relieved to see that she had recovered and was now poking around the office, showing no sign of her earlier fear.
"As long as you make her feel safe, she's OK. You did a good job. Thank you," Ned said. "Do you have time to go to lunch with us? Not the cafeteria, somewhere off campus."
Jeff wasn't sure he should accept, but now Mina popped up next to him, and she was looking up at him expectantly and nodding.
Jeff smiled at her. "I guess I could eat," he said and Mina looked so happy. The truth was, he could use every free meal he could get, but he didn't like to take advantage of Ned. He didn't hesitate to feed Jeff or overpay him whenever he got the chance.
But that wasn't the only reason why he needed a push from Mina to accept. Spending time with the two of them never seemed like work, and it was too easy to forget that this was a temporary arrangement. When he and Ned hung out and talked, Jeff could convince himself of all sorts of crazy things. Seeing the bright look in Ned's hazel eyes right before he turned away, he might start to believe that the attraction Jeff felt for him was mutual.
*
As the three of them went to lunch, Ned wondered if he should have a talk with Mina to let her know not to be such a bad influence on her dad. Mina was his tiny angel, but when it came to Jeff, she was a tiny devil on his shoulder. Ned was always tempted to invite Jeff to spend more time with them, and Mina only encouraged him in this.
Sugarcone, formally known as Sugarcone Diner and Ice Cream Shop, was one of Mina's favorite places to eat. Outside, it had red and white awnings, and inside, it was more of the same color scheme, including the red and white striped aprons that the staff wore. It was furnished with a lot of chrome and bright colored vinyl, like a classic car had been transformed into a diner and ice cream shop. Mina loved everything about it, though mostly they came here to eat dessert since their vegetarian selection wasn't extensive.
"Have you been here before?" he asked Jeff as they stood just inside the door to give them a moment to take it all in.
Jeff shook his head.
"It used to be more popular with college kids, but not so much lately. Just as well. For Mina's sake, it's better if there aren't too many people here."
Though there were some empty booths, Mina led the way to the counter.
"Mina likes to eat up here. It makes her feel tall," Ned explained. Putting her up on one of the barstools, he said to her, "Look how big you are."
As all of them took
their seats, with Jeff and Ned on either side of Mina, the waitress behind the counter handed them menus. Mina got one too though she couldn't read, of course. She mostly used it to hide behind when the waitress smiled at her and called her sweetie.
"They have these huge bacon burgers. I'll avert my eyes while you eat one," Ned said to Jeff so he would know he didn't have to order vegetarian.
"I don't have to have meat," Jeff said though he looked like he was dying to.
"No meat," Mina confirmed.
"Other people can have meat, remember?" Ned reminded her. She had already tried to convert that carnivore, Glen. Ned had to explain to her that other people could eat meat if they wanted to.
She didn't go along with it this time though. "Not Jeff."
"Not Jeff? Jeff is special?" Ned asked her.
She nodded and smiled up at Jeff.
Jeff smiled back and assured her, "I won't have meat. I'm sure they have lots of other good things."
"You don't need to do that. Have what you want. We can't let her be a vegetarian tyrant," Ned told him.
"I don't mind. Really," Jeff said. He was such a good guy.
"Looks like being special is going to cost you a burger," Ned said to him. But later, he made a secret takeout arrangement with their waitress.
Jeff settled for a mushroom frittata and smoky baked potatoes, which had a bacony smell to them but no actual bacon. Ned had a vegetarian shepherd's pie while Mina only wanted fries and a side of carrots.
"Look at her eating like a little mouse," Ned teased her and spooned some of his shepherd's pie onto her plate.
Mina ate it but made a mad face at Ned for calling her a mouse. "No Mina mouse," she said.
"She's so cute when she gets mad at me," Ned said.
"She's always cute," Jeff said and made Mina duck her head shyly.
As he looked at Jeff, Ned noticed that he had a cut on his arm. "Ouch. That's not a paper cut."
"Oh. I got some work putting up a fence, but first we had to get the old one down. A nail got me," Jeff said.
"So I guess you need more work than just babysitting."
"I've been looking for any kind of work I can find, but so far it's all been temporary," Jeff explained.
"Does that mean we might lose you?" Ned asked worriedly. As he did, he realized that he wouldn't be sorry only to lose him as Mina's babysitter. He would also miss seeing him almost every day. Ned hadn't counted on how attached he would become to Jeff in such a short time. Worse than that, Mina was attached to him too.
While Ned was concerned about loosing Jeff, Mina was fussing over Jeff's booboo. Jeff told them about all the different jobs he had, and Ned noticed a lot of them were in construction. Now that theme was going to take over Ned's fantasies. He was already trying not to picture Jeff wearing a tool belt, hardhat, work boots and nothing else.
To get his mind off indecent thoughts and to find out more about Jeff's plans, Ned asked about his major.
"I was torn between a couple of different engineering degrees, but I might not even be back next year. In that case, I'll switch to some sort of vocational training. I still want to make sure I don't fail the finals though. I hate to quit after my first year of college, but I might not have a choice," Jeff said ruefully.
More bad news. The thought that Jeff might not be here next year hit Ned hard. Whatever he felt for Jeff, he had to focus on the practical. He couldn't drag his feet lining up other babysitters even if he did have Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence to fall back on. He just hated to admit to himself that Jeff wasn't going to be around, but he needed to be more realistic for Mina's sake. He couldn't afford to lose his head over Jeff like he had been doing ever since he met him.
He was so preoccupied with worrying about losing Jeff that Mina had to show him her empty plate to remind him it was time for dessert.
Ned turned to her. "I wonder what Mina is going to want for dessert?"
"Pink pie," Mina answered right away.
"Pink pie? Does that exist?" Jeff asked.
"It's a strawberry cream pie. Mina loves it beyond all reason. She would murder for a slice," Ned claimed.
They both looked down at her where she sat between them like a little angel.
"Mina?" Jeff said. He was more than skeptical. "You're not going to have ice cream?" he asked since that was Sugarcone's specialty. He pointed to the soft serve machine that one of the staff was using right then.
Mina stuck to her choice.
"She never orders anything else," Ned told him. "Their strawberry pie is what Mina had the first time I brought her here. She hadn't been in the country long, only a few weeks. Luda had an appointment, so I brought Mina here. She didn't know what to order. And she was so shy, I couldn't get a word out of her. At that time, it was kind of cold out, so I passed on the ice cream and I ordered her the strawberry cream pie. It seemed like something she might like."
"And now it's her favorite," Jeff said and beamed at Ned. Then he got deadly serious. "Now here comes the most important question. Did she eat the crust?"
Ned had to laugh. "No. She did not."
"This kid," Jeff said and shook his head while he looked down at Mina.
Soon Mina's pie was delivered as well as Jeff's chocolate milkshake. Mina's pie had a pink cream filling and then a layer of fresh strawberries cut into halves so they looked like little hearts. Mina grinned over it and then ate everything but the crust. Though Jeff urged her just to have a little, she wouldn't touch it.
"I think not eating the crust has become a point of pride to her," Ned said while Mina looked up at Jeff stubbornly.
When they were leaving, the waitress brought over a takeout bag and placed it on the counter in front of them. Ned thanked her and sneaked it to Jeff.
"I know you wanted one," he said with a smile. The takeout bag held one of Sugarcone's big bacon burgers and a side of fries.
Jeff sniffed the bag and obviously liked what he smelled. "You didn't have to do that," he said but he looked surprised and happy.
Of course Ned stared at him too long. His blue eyes were irresistible. Ned was going to miss him when he got a different job. At the end of the term, Jeff might be going home anyway especially if he didn't have a job to keep him in town. To Ned, it seemed like a no-win situation. No matter what, they were going to lose Jeff.
With worries about Jeff crowding his thoughts, Ned called Nora that night. They met when she interviewed him for a newspaper article. He took her to lunch and talked to her for more than an hour and got one measly sentence in her article. Somehow that made them into fast friends. Now he always asked her advice on any major life decisions, not because he expected she would have a helpful or sensible solution, but more to find out what he shouldn't be doing.
"I'm worried because Jeff needs to earn more money than he gets just from babysitting," he told her.
"Offer him the job full time," she said.
"Full time?"
"Like a manny. Then maybe you can finally get a social life going," she told him.
Ned was pretty sure that wouldn't be the end result of hiring Jeff full time, and a social life wasn't what he was looking for anyway. "After Ted, I need a break from any more attempts at having a life." Ted was an ex from a while ago and Nora pointed that out right away.
"What are you talking about? Ted was ages ago. You had a break, a good long break."
"I know, but I think about what would happen if I was dating Ted now. Mina would get to know him. She would get attached to him. And then he would decide to leave on an extended study that took him to the middle of nowhere for two years. I can't risk that. And I can't risk bringing Jeff into our lives when I know he won't stick around." Not to mention that Ned wouldn't be able to resist him if he spent even more time with him.
"In that case, be prepared to lose Jeff," she told him bluntly.
"I am prepared," he claimed though it wasn't even remotely true. "Mina is the one who isn't ready to lose him. I have to start looking for someone
to replace him, but I don't know what I can do to make Mina understand that Jeff isn't a permanent fixture in our lives."
"She got over it when the other babysitters left," Nora pointed out.
"She likes Jeff more that the others, except maybe Mariah, and she sees her on campus pretty often. I didn't realize finding a great guy would cause so much trouble," he said and maybe revealed too much because Nora called him on it.
"Are you talking about Mina or yourself?" she asked but then cut him off before he could say anything. "No. Don't answer. You're just going to lie your ass off. I see it all now. You didn't call me to talk about a babysitter. You finally noticed that college boys are young, hot and legal."
"That right there, that is why I called you. Thank you, Nora, for that image of me slobbering over the babysitter. If nothing else will, that will keep me on the straight and narrow," he said and ended the conversation before she could make him feel any more ridiculous for lusting after Jeff and not being able to hide it better.
Chapter 8
The next day, Ned was already searching for Jeff's replacement. He didn't need him to babysit Mina, and by lunchtime, she was already missing him.
"Where Jeff," she asked like she expected him to spend all his extra time with them.
"He has his own stuff to do, but you'll see him tomorrow," Ned told her.
She looked sad. She was so attached to Jeff already, and he was looking for another job. Hoping a new person would distract Mina from missing Jeff when he left, Ned tried to line up someone she might approve of. Unfortunately his search was even more frustrating than usual. There weren't as many candidates so close to the end of the term.
In the end, he managed to find a few. They had previous experience babysitting and good references, but none of them were Jeff. As soon as he spoke to them, Ned could tell that they wouldn't be able to win over Mina the way Jeff did. He needed someone who could charm her and make her forget him.