Page 3 of Marshall: The Manny

“Wow,” I muttered as Demi closed the distance between us.

I was sure she hadn’t heard me, but it was clear Jessica did because her body jerked slightly, and she grinned as she lookedme up and down. Lowering her head, she reeled her smile back in.

“Hi. I’m Demi Adams, and I see you’ve already met Denver.”

“Pleasure, Mrs. Adams. Marshall Yates.”

“Miss,” she corrected, prompting me to focus on her empty ring finger. “And please, call me Demi.”

“Demi it is.”

“Uh, I’ll take Denver so you two can talk,” Jessica offered, picking him and the toy up.

I told her that was cool but that I’d also like a little time with him before I left if his mother was okay with that, and Demi agreed. She motioned for me to have a seat in the throne like cream and gold chair. I did, and she took a seat in the one that was directly across from it. There were two others with a cream and gold marbled table in the center of them.

“So,” she said, crossing her legs. “Tell me about yourself.”

I told her the basics—that I was thirty-three, the oldest of two sons, and that my parents were still alive and married. I shared with her that I’d been a teacher for about three years before shifting into private childcare. People these days called me a male nanny, but I preferred private childcare provider because it sounded more serious.

She smiled at that.

She had a beautiful smile. Perfectly straight white teeth. Heart shaped lips. Almond shaped, honey brown eyes. I loved those eyes. And that smile. I loved her skin too. It was a cinnamon brown shade that molded against her curvy yet toned build. The longer I looked at her, the more I realized I loved everything I saw. From her long, jet black hair to the light pink nail polish on her toes.

“What caused the shift from teacher to man—private childcare?”

“I’ve always been great with kids and loved nurturing them. Becoming a teacher felt like second nature, but spending eight hours a day with two dozen kids just wasn’t it.” I smiled and she mirrored it. “I wanted something more personal that allowed me to help kids and have a positive effect on their lives outside of the classroom. My girlfriend at that time suggested being a male nanny. I shot the idea down at first, but the more I thought it over, the more it made sense. Not only would I have the opportunity to be there for kids, but I’d be helping their parents too. It provides me with great joy and fulfillment being of service, so I haven’t looked back since.”

She stared at me for a while before licking the corner of her mouth and smiling.

“I’ll be honest with you, Marshall, I’m scared of the thought of letting a complete stranger care for my son in my absence. Your recommendations were stellar. In fact, Noah told me he offered you three times as much to stay with him last summer. So I have to ask, why are you considering working for me?”

“I go where I feel there’s a need. Noah wanted me to stay, but he got married, and his new wife felt some type of way about my presence. She wanted more time with the kids and felt like I was doing a lot of the things around the house she was supposed to be doing.”

“Wait.” Her hand lifted. “What else do you do?”

“Cook, clean, whatever you need. I don’t subscribe to the narrative that those aren’t masculine things to do. Should you decide to hire me, I’m going to do whatever I can to make your life easier. If that includes taking Denver to appointments, handling your errands or a to-do list, your desires will be my command.” I sat up in my seat and added, “As far as why you… I looked up your company, and I think your app is pretty cool. What you’re doing is amazing. If I can take your son off yourhands for a few hours while you continue to create apps that change the lives of so many people, I’d be glad to serve.”

From the research I’d done, Demi’s first app was basically a film studio. It allowed people to create short films in the creator section, and people could join as subscribers to watch, rate, and offer feedback on videos that were fifteen minutes or less. The second app would be an actual streaming service for Black shows and films. It was a dope concept.

“Well… Do you have any questions for me?” she asked sweetly.

We talked about our expectations of each other, her schedule, and what she needed me to be aware of when it came down to having a smooth transition with Denver. After that, she gave me a tour of their home and showed me the guest house in the back for myself. We went back inside, and I spent the next three hours spending time with Denver. At that point, it was time for dinner and for her to get him ready for bed. Since I wouldn’t be starting technically until Monday, I left and assured her I’d be back Sunday evening ready to serve.

3

Demi

Marshall was humble.

He suggested all he did was private childcare, but thatcertainlywasn’t the case. From my continued research, or stalking him online last night, I learned that he was also an author. Marshall was well respected in the education community here in Memphis. He created books, workbooks, and resources for teachers and parents to use. Most of his content was digital but he also had a virtual assistant and business manager who I found on his website that took care of everything else. That would explain why he was able to have a business that sold tens of thousands of books and resources monthly while he still worked as a manny full time.

I was impressed.

He seemed really genuine, and I was honored he agreed to care for Denver. Marshall had taken some time off this year, and all of his previous families raved about him. That gave me some peace of mind about him and Denver being here alone, but still, I was a little nervous.

As I saturated Denver’s face with kisses, he squealed and giggled, and the sound went straight to my heart. It was a soundI wished I could bottle up and drop in my ear every time I needed a boost when we were apart. Until that was possible, videos would have to do. I sat him in his chair and prepared to make my coffee and his breakfast, which wouldn’t take a lot of work, since I had a personal chef come on Sundays to meal prep for the week. I also utilized a cleaning service twice a week to make my life a little easier.

There was a light tap on the back door before the bell signaled it had been opened. My heart dropped knowing it was Marshall, which was weird. I mean… I’d never deny that he was handsome, but I wasn’t expecting to be so attracted to him.

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