Marrying the Millionaire (5 page)

“
Yayyy!” Clapping his
hands, CJ jumped up and down.

After using the bathroom,
brushing her teeth, then making sure that CJ brushed his teeth and
freshened up as well, Kayla headed for the kitchen. As she walked
barefoot across the cold marble tile of the kitchen floor, she
thought of how she’d like to replace the green and yellow
pinstriped window treatment above the sink, and the dingy carpet in
the living room as well.
That’d be so
costly, though
, she thought, pulling a box
of pancake batter from the cabinet
. I’ve
filled out so many job applications. Somebody, please call me for a
job.

After Kayla got the pancakes, bacon,
and eggs cooked, she fixed CJ’s plate, then sat him in the chair at
the kitchen table. Hovering over her son, she sliced his pancakes
into tiny bite size pieces, then drizzled them with sweet maple
syrup. Using her hand, Kayla ruffled the hair on his
head.

“
Dig in, buddy. I’ll be
right back.”

CJ stabbed the fork into the pancake,
then jabbed it into his mouth. “Where you going, Mommy?” he asked,
chewing.

Kayla rubbed circles on his back.
“Don’t talk with food in your mouth. That can be
dangerous.”

CJ shrugged. “Why come?”

That was her precocious CJ…always
answer a question with a question. “Because if you talk with food
in your mouth, you can choke. And then you won’t be able to
breathe.” CJ’s eyes spread as if a light bulb went off inside his
head. Chewing with his mouth sealed tight, he nodded. She
reiterated, “I’m going outside to get the paper. I’ll be right
back.”

The raggedy screen door squeaked when
Kayla pushed it open and stepped out onto the porch. As she
descended the steps, the wooden planks creaked beneath her bare
feet. Darn, even the porch needed new boards. Walking the length of
the long driveway, the humid morning air felt clammy against her
skin. Spotting her neighbor Betsie Mae Dowling sitting in a rocking
chair on her porch, Kayla waved with a smile.

Fanning herself with her hand, Betsie
Mae stood, then trekked over to the iron fence that separated their
front yards from one another. “How you doing this morning, Kayla?
Need any help with anything?” The gray-haired lady curled her
fingers around the fence.

Kayla shook her
head.
Yes. I need help finding a job. My
car needs new tires. Grandpa’s truck needs an air
conditioner.
Determined to be independent,
Kayla didn’t dare tell her neighbor about her many financial
problems.

“
No, thanks, Betsie Mae.
I’m good.”

Betsie Mae dragged her back hand over
her wrinkled forehead. “Well, my Paul told me to tell you to let
him know if you need anything. Same goes for me. Okay?”

Grandpa had the best
neighbors, and now I do.
“Tell Paul I said
thanks.” Kayla stooped to retrieve the paper, then headed back into
the house.

Anxious to get her
caffeinated fix, she placed a pot of water on the stove and turned
it to high. Sitting beside CJ, she turned the newspaper to the
classified section in search of a job.
Shucks.
Everything required
experience, she thought, her eyes skimming over the paper.
Forbidding her to work, Carson had handicapped her, had caused her
to not have any darn work experience. Other than knowing how to
take care of a child, she didn’t know how to do
anything.

Growing frustrated, she folded the
paper, laying it aside. Watching CJ eat, she clasped her fingers as
terrible regrets assailed her.

I need to study for the
teacher certification exam and try to become a teacher, like I’ve
always wanted. Like I always dreamed of. Getting a degree is
useless if you’re not going to use it. I was so stupid for letting
Carson convince me to sit on my behind and do nothing with my life.
Walking around barefoot and pregnant, taking care of him. Letting
him have sex with me even when I didn’t feel like it. Keeping me
locked up in the house while he went out and partied. All for what?
To end up divorced. Lonely. Broke.

Reflecting with some
bitterness, Kayla put her elbows up on the table and fisted her
chin. The cordless telephone on the counter beside where she sat
rang. She hefted it from the receiver, dropping it on her
ear.
Lord, help me.

“
Hello.”

“
Yes. May I please speak
with Kayla Crawford?”

Kayla straightened her back against
the chair. “This is Kayla.”

“
Hi, Kayla. This is Sandy
Burgess calling from the Nanny Staffing Agency. How are you this
morning?”

Kayla’s heart pounded like
drums in her chest.
Please be calling me
about a job.
“I’m great. And
you?”

“
Just fine. Thanks for
asking. I’m calling because a nanny position just became open this
morning. One of our wealthy clients had to fire his nanny for poor
conduct yesterday, and he needs to replace her as soon as possible.
The gentleman’s name is Mr. Spaulding. He’s the CEO of Spaulding
Equestrian Center. Mr. Spaulding has very high expectations. If he
finds the right person, he wants her to start
immediately.”

Kayla’s mind whirled with excitement.
Feeling as if God had read her mind, she placed a hand over her
heart. “I can start right away. Today if he needs me to.” Excited
about the possibility of landing a job, she’d rushed the words out
of her mouth.

“
Good. Can you interview
with him today? Let’s say, mmm, mmm, around eleven this
morning?”

Blissful, Kayla smiled. Her eyes
traveled to the time on the microwave. It was nine o’clock. “Yes.
Eleven is fine.”

“
I’ll let Mr. Spaulding
know that you’ll be there at eleven, then. You’re his first
appointment. Whatever you do, please don’t be late. He’s very
particular about being punctual. If you’re late, you can forget
about him hiring you,” Sandy warned.

Kayla’s lips hitched. “I promise, I’ll
be on time,” she said, scooting back her chair. “Thanks for
thinking of me, Sandy.”

“
I’ve already told Mr.
Spaulding that I feel you’re the best person for the job. He and I
are close friends. He takes my referrals into great
consideration.”

This lady is too
nice.
“Oh, thanks, Sandy! Thank you sooo
much.”

“
You’re quite welcome. Good
luck, Kayla. And whatever you do, please be on time.” Sandy ended
the call.

Happiness twirled in Kayla’s belly.
She picked up her house phone and dialed Betsie next
door.

“
Hello,” Betsie answered in
that froggy, throaty voice of hers.

“
Hi, Betsie. It’s me,
Kayla.”

“
I know this is you, Kayla.
Don’t nobody call over here for Paul or me but you. Everything
okay, Ms. Lady?”

“
Yes. I just received a
phone call for a job interview, and I need somebody to watch CJ
this morning for a couple of hours. Will you watch him for me? As
soon as the interview is over, I promise to come get him right
away.”

“
No problems, chile. Just
bring that sweet little boy of yours right on over after you get
ready. You hear? And don’t rush. Take your time. Paul and I could
use some company to spice things up around here.”

Kayla felt her lips curve into a
smile. “Thank you so much, Betsie Mae.”

“
Chile, don’t even mention
it. Do good on your interview. Okay?”

“
Yes, ma’am.” She ended the
call.

Kayla grabbed CJ’s hand, then hastened
to his bedroom. Hands floundering over the clothes inside CJ’s
drawer while on her knees, CJ stood at the foot of his bed watching
her.

“
Mommy has an interview
today,” she stated, hefting a blue shirt with a white fluffy dog on
the front of it from his drawer.

Pulling him to her, she started
dressing him. She pulled a pair of jeans up over CJ’s hips, then
buttoned them. Lifting his arms in the air, she rolled the animal
shirt down over his head.

Fully dressed, CJ’s bottom lip folded
under. “I don’t like this shirt, Mommy,” he whined. “I want to wear
the Spiderman shirt.” Pouting, he folded his arms over his little
chest.

You always wear that darn
Spiderman shirt, CJ.
“You can wear the
Spiderman shirt tomorrow? Okay?” Wanting to make him feel better
about the shirt he had on, Kayla caressed his arm.

Disappointed, CJ stumped his foot and
frowned. “No, Mommy! No! I want to wear Spiderman
today!”

The corner of Kayla’s mouth
twisted with agitation. “Don’t get feisty, CJ. You’re wearing this
shirt, and that’s it.” She picked CJ up, gently sat him on his bed,
then turned the television to the cartoon show
Bubble Guppies.
“Stay in here and
watch TV, okay? Mommy’s going to take a shower.”

CJ nodded. “Okay. Bubble Guppies!” He
clapped his hands.

Kayla rushed into her bedroom,
stripped off her clothing, and hopped in the shower. Letting the
warm water pelt her skin, she lathered her washcloth with soap. She
had no clue who this wealthy Mr. Spaulding was, but she sure hoped
he’d find it in his heart to give her the nanny
position.

As she rubbed the soapy washcloth in
circles under her armpit, she squeezed her eyes together and
prayed.

Please, God. Please, let
me get this job. I need it. Bad. You know my ex-husband barely
gives me enough money to take care of CJ. It’d be really nice if I
could make my own money so I don’t have to financially depend on
Carson. Lord, thank You for everything You do for CJ and me.
Amen.

Kayla’s eyes sprang open. Hopefulness
warmed her heart. With her entire body covered in sudsy bubbles,
she turned her back toward the shower head and let the water rinse
her off. The water felt soothing against the hard knots in her
shoulders caused by her cheap, selfish ex.

“
I have to get this job.
God, I’m so nervous.”

Kayla stepped from the
shower onto the cool tile, grabbed the towel from the rack, and
toweled herself off. She spied the time on the clock.
Good Lord!
She’d been in
the shower thinking about Carson, and time had flown by just that
quickly.

Standing nude in front of the mirror,
she removed her shower cap and began brushing the tangles out of
her straight hair. After she applied her makeup, she threw on a
plain grey dress that stopped right above her knees.

I look awfully plain.
Boring. I wish I had a navy blue suit or something fancier to wear.
What the heck do nannies wear on interviews anyway? Shoot, if I
don’t hurry up and get out of here, I’m going to be
late.

Kayla grabbed her black bag off her
bed, snatched her keys off the dresser, and rushed out of her room.
Scurrying down the hallway, her hip accidentally bumped into the
desk pressed against the wall. A picture of her grandparents went
flying to the floor. When she bent down to pick it up, the back
slid off, exposing a picture of her grandfather and some man
standing on a boat dock, fishing.

Placing the broken frame
back on the table, Kayla flipped over the photo of the man to find
a name in her grandfather’s signature scribbled on the
back—Russell.
Who’s Russell? He never
spoke about a Russell to me. Mmmph. Must be a new
friend.

In a rush, she burst inside
CJ’s sports-themed, decorative room to find him not there. Standing
in the doorway, her heart dropped.
Where
did he go?

“
CJ!”

Not in the mood to play hide and seek,
Kayla searched behind the shower curtain inside his bathroom for
CJ, but he wasn’t there either. Panicked, she searched all the
closets inside the house, the bottom bathroom cabinets, and the
pantry. Both the living room and the family room.

“
Oh God, CJ! Where are
you?!”

Fear coursed through Kayla’s veins as
she flung open the kitchen’s back door, leading to the fenced-in
backyard. Worried, she stepped onto the back porch and spotted CJ
sitting inside the manmade tree house her grandfather had crafted
especially for him.

Holding a pair of
binoculars up to his eyes, CJ called himself birdwatching.
Damn him!
He’d changed
shirts and put on that darn Spiderman T-shirt anyway.
He’s going to have me late for my
interview.

Apparently spotting her through the
binoculars, CJ waved. “Hey, Mommy.”

Kayla’s face scrunched as her mood
veered to sharp disapproval. “CJ! You’re so darn hardheaded at
times.”

Exasperated, she scampered down the
steps of the back porch and ran toward the birdhouse out back.
Jogging through the slender, tall grass in her low heels, she
tripped and fell flat on her face in a pile of grainy
dirt.

CJ squealed. “Mommy! You
OK?”

I could kill this kid
sometimes!

Livid, Kayla pressed her flat hands
into the soil, lifted her face from the ground, and staggered to
her feet. Glancing up at CJ, she fisted her hips. It was a good
thing she didn’t believe in spanking because she’d probably beat
that boy’s rear until it turned piping red hot for this. She
marched closer to the tree house. She frowned so hard until her
face hurt.