Lexi

I followed Carlton as we left his office, with him carrying his coat and the baby bag, and me holding Sam. Even though he’d slowed down his steps for me, I made sure to walk just behind him instead of beside him. Not only because I didn’t want the people we passed to get the wrong idea, but also because I found Carlton intimidating.

Even when he smiled, it was hard not to think that way. He was my boss, he was a few years older, and his sudden interest in me made me nervous, even though I was really great with his son. I think I’d have handled it better if he’d just looked down on me and ignored me like Alec did, since I’d expected that ever since I heard he would be coming to the office.

Carlton was stopped several times on his way by employees asking questions. Every time, he stopped and talked to them, but didn’t take even a minute before we were moving again. He hadn’t been in the office for long, maybe a week or even less, but he still commanded more trust from the staff when compared to his brother. Alec had been here since before their dad had the heart attack, but he’d used his place in the company to cower employees, where Carlton hadn’t.

“Sorry for all this delay,” Carlton said when we stopped by the elevator, waiting for it to come up.

He even smiled that soft smile, like he wanted to reassure me, but I only felt my panic slide around into a knot inside my stomach.

“There’s no reason for you to apologize,” I said quickly. “It looks like you’re really busy…”

He shrugged. “Not really. There isn’t anything that I can’t do from home, anyway, I only specifically came in today because we had the meeting and I was required to attend. I think things around here are still a bit unbalanced because Dad worked really hard every day, and he just can’t be here for a while. I don’t think I ever remember him taking any long breaks, either. Things will adjust.”

The elevator doors opened. A few people came out and greeted Carlton, and we got inside. The door closed with just the two of us, though there seemed to be others waiting for one as well. The door slid closed and I watched in wide-eyed horror as it cut us off from the rest of the floor, leaving the two of us together.

“So, are you old enough to go for a drink, Lexi or do we stick with the plan for coffee?”

His voice wasn’t loud, but I thought it echoed in the small space, and I jumped a little.

“I’m twenty-one, s-sir,” I winced at the stutter.

He hummed. “Seven years, huh…”

“Sir?”

He shot me a quick smile. “Sorry, just talking to myself. Where do you go to school? I don’t think I’ve heard.”

“Oh, uh…”

Is he thinking about the age difference between us?

When I first met him, it wasn’t like I worried about his age. All I knew was that he was older than me by a lot of years, since the last time I saw him, he was in high school and I was still a kid. It had been a little over a decade since I last saw him. It was before he went off to college and I didn’t get to see him again. If the difference was seven years, then he’d be twenty-eight, Alec, too.

The difference between us went far beyond just age, though. Carlton carried himself like someone in charge, someone confident, and I more often than not faded into the background or was seen as an obstacle by other people. Because my confidence hadn’t been the best since I was a child, I didn’t put too much effort into high school. I didn’t know what I wanted to do in the future, either and that had created havoc too. The one sign that I was actually a functioning adult was when I finally made a decision about what to major in.

A decision that landed me here.

When I thought back to how carefree I used to be, I wanted to go back and smack myself, to tell myself to be more serious in my studies, because I was definitely regretting it now. The average teenager just doesn’t think ahead. I didn’t really want to take the same path that my parents did, and they didn’t want that for me, especially after how hard they worked to put me through school. Dad even helped me get this job so that I could get a step ahead.

There’s been very little I’ve actually done for myself, up to this point, and it made me ashamed when I thought about it.

We arrived on the first floor and made our way out of the building. Carlton didn’t stop this time, but quite a few people stopped when he walked by, others greeted him. He hadn’t been around long and already people knew who he was. Of course, that wasn’t hard when he came in with Alec this morning. Most of the staff was less nervous around him than his brother because he didn’t have the same severe expressions Alec did. Alec always looked as if he was looking down on everyone he passed.

“There’s a small café just a block from here that sells good coffee,” Carlton offered as we stepped out the building. “Are you okay to walk? Should I take Sam?”

I shook my head. “I’m fine.”

I guess that was why the offer of a drink was off the table, we had his little son with us.

Having Sam in my arms was a good distraction for me, he was also the only thing keeping me calm. I was still very nervous. Carlton had said he had an offer for me, and by this point, I could only guess that was offer to care for his son. I wasn’t secretary material and Treveor would need a sitter to watch him if Carlton was going to be in the office more. It was the stupidest deduction I’ve ever made.

Luckil, the café really wasn’t that far. We got there in five minutes, and the only reason it took so long was because the street was a bit crowded. The café itself was full of people, and the noise of a busy café filled the air. We were lucky to get a table. The place was clearly busy, but a waitress came to our table almost as soon as we sat down.Carlton seem ver familiar with her as she took our order and I wondered if he came by here often.

“I’ve been here a few times,” he said, as if he’d read my mind. “It’s popular with the company because it’s the closest place and has great coffee, and the same people have been working here since the place opened three years ago. And Lisa is just friendly.”

I nodded without saying anything, but I thought that Lisa was a little more than just friendly. Carlton either didn’t catch the interest, or didn’t care. Then again, since he had a son, he must have been married, though from what I’d gathered, his wife wasn’t in the picture anymore.

“What about food for the baby?” I asked.

“He can eat some of my chef’s salad, and Lisa will bring him some juice in a covered cup, it’s not big deal.”

We didn’t have to wait nearly as long as I thought before our order was brought, which was good, because we spent the entire time in silence, and I couldn’t help feeling awkward. Carlton gave Sam his cup, with the lid and straw on it, and I pulled my own mug of coffee closer to my side of the table.

“You’re surprisingly good with him,” Carlton said.

I looked down at Sam beside me, who was holding onto the cup with both hands as he sucked on the straw. His eyelids were lowered, as if he was close to falling asleep, and I knew the toddler was tired from his busy day.

“It’s because I used to babysit my younger cousins growing up,” I admitted. “I would babysit for other families in the neighborhood, too, while I was in high school.”

A lot of kids got spending money from their parents, but mine couldn’t give me too much, and I needed money for when I went to hang out with friends. I liked kids, and the mess and noise that came with them was only mildly annoying, it was an easy enough job for me to do when I was a teenager.

“Sam’s just really well behaved, though,” I added. “A lot of kids don’t really like strangers and have to get used to them, but every child is different.”

“So, why don’t you tell me how you came to be at my father’s company?”

“Oh,” I murmured quietly. “That.”

He smiled reassuringly, and I looked down with a sigh.

“To be completely honest, I wasn’t trying my best in school at all. By the time I thought I needed to get a bit more serious, it was a little too late. I needed a job for the summer, but because of the economy, getting a position was difficult. I couldn’t even get a spot at a fast food place. My dad asked your dad to help me out, and he got the position for me.”

I looked at Sam, then peeked up at Carlton from beneath my lashes, watching as he picked up his mug and brought it to his lips. I blushed and quickly turned my gaze away.

“The situation at work hasn’t been going well, though, right?” He asked, sounding sure of himself.

I nodded slowly and hesitated before I spoke. “Honestly, from the moment I walk in up until the time I leave, I can’t help but think I’m only an errand girl. The money is good, but…”

“You’re thinking about the future,” he finished for me.

“Yeah,” I sighed.

It was a little late, but I’d started to think about what would happen after I graduated. Just looking for a job for the summer was hard, how the hell was I going to get a job with a salary I could live on? I lived in the dorms at school, but technically, I still lived at home with my parents, and I’d have to think about where to live after graduation. So many things I’d only thought of in passing, haunted me now, as I realized how close I was to graduation. I’d always thought that things would work out somehow, but I was starting to realize just how hard life could be.

“I have a proposition for you, Lexi.”

I looked up at Carlton, cautious. “What kind of proposition?”

A part of me felt ashamed of thinking he had different intentions, especially when I owed his dad already, but I still had no idea what he wanted from me.

He took another sip from his mug, then set it down and folded his hands together, eyes looking at me so intently I could feel my cheeks burn self-consciously.

“You see, Lexi,” he started. “My problem right now is that I’m in urgent need of a babysitter to look after Sam while I’m busy with the company. It’s not a permanent position. I had one, and she’d been reliable for more than a year, but she left to go to the Philippines for the summer, because her aunt is sick and there’s no one else to take care of her.”

I frowned, my earlier deductions proving to be no so stupid, after all. He couldn’t want me to babysit his kid, though. Even if the position at the office was menial it was a foot in the door. I didn’t want to just be his babysitter.

No way, right?

He seemed to have noticed I got it, since his lips quirked up in a smile, ruining his serious expression. “It’s not so bad, really. He’s not a difficult child, and I promise his other sitter really did leave to take care of an aunt. She told me ages ago that she was leaving, and I was going to do something about it, but then dad suffered a heart attack unexpectedly, and with Sam going through the terrible two’s, it slipped my mind, and I just don’t have the time to keep looking now.”

“You’re not seriously asking me to…”

“I know it’s not quite what you had in mind, but it’s a job. The pay isn’t bad, and since it’s more of a favor to me, it’s not like it’s for free, either.”

“Can’t your mom take care of him?” I asked.

He shook his head. “No. She’s the one mostly taking care of Dad, she didn’t want to leave it to a nurse. I don’t have any other relatives, so I’m stuck for childcare. I wouldn’t be asking if this wasn’t urgent, and I’m willing to make it worth your while.”

How exactly was he going to do that, though?