Page 26 of Fighter
“What would helping look like?”
He paused, as if startled I'd even entertain the idea, and said, “Ideally, depending on your schedule or interest, you pick her up from school Monday through Friday. Take her home and do girl stuff or homework, I don't know. Then have her in bed at 8:00. I'm changing things at work so I'm not the one closing and I can be home by 8:30, but that's just too late for her. I'll pay $20 an hour.”
Six-years-old likely meant first grade, and that schedule meant at least six-and-a-half-hours a day with her. My mind spun as I thought out the proposal. It would fit with my job and that kind of pay would probably cover a loft like this, although I didn't know for certain. I had no car, but maybe he’d be fine with us walking everywhere.
Above all the other questions was an undeniable urge to sayyes.I forced myself to stop and figure out why. Was it an urge to be part of his world? To keep him close? To feel safe? For a few moments, I considered all of those, but realized none fit.
No, it was about that lonely little girl drowning in her father's world.
I still didn't know so much about Ava—aboutthem—but I knew that I would agree. Not only would the work be fun and take my mind off the current affairs of my family, but it would give me a reason to stay here for a few more months. Besides, there was still a glimmer of hope for Talmage, and until that was completely stomped out by his own decisions, I wanted to stay.
So I swallowed and said, “Okay.”
Several moments passed before Benjamin seemed to comprehend my agreement. He blinked twice, opened his mouth, and finally managed to say, “Okay?”
“Yes. Ava is a lovely girl and I'd love to spend more time with her. And help you however I can. Single parenting must be difficult on many levels.”
Relief flooded him so intensely it altered his appearance. The coiled panther looked more like a sleepy bear now. He struggled to find more words, and I left him to it. Finally, he said, “Thank you. I can't thank you enough.”
I waved that off. “It's my pleasure. Ava is wonderful.”
“Can you start today?”
The plea didn't entirely surprise me. This man was nothing if not desperate, and I realized that he'd spent the whole morning with me, but likely had clients at the MMA Center right now. Clients that paid alotof money to train with him. Besides, he may have just found me a place to stay, so there wasn't as much to occupy my time today anyway. I wasn't the type to sit around and mope. Being with Ava would be a good distraction until my parents arrived.
“Yes, that'll be fine.”
For a second, he regarded my face. “Are you sure?” Then I realized that the bruises on my face may be a bit off putting for Ava.
“Oh,” I said, “yes, I’ll be fine. I’ll . . . explain this to her.”
“Right. Okay. I’ll call her teacher and tell her to let Ava know.” He dug into his pockets and pulled out a set of car keys. “This is for my SUV. You can use it to pick her up from the bus stop. When you start back to work, I'll drop the keys off at the Diner in the morning.”
“What about you?” I asked, accepting the keys, still warm from his pocket.
He shrugged. “I'll just jog home.”
I had no idea where he lived, but it could be several miles away. Then again, he probably didn't mind that sort of thing, and winter was in the taillights now. There had been something relaxing about my bike ride back to Talmage's at the end of the day. The thought of driving that massive SUV around gave me a little thrillandjolt of terror. How the crap was I going to climb up there with this rib?
“Okay.”
Seconds later, he was on his phone, which buzzed in his hands. He dismissed incoming text messages to type something out, then my phone jangled in my back pocket. I pulled it out to see an address from him.
“My home.” A look of something like vulnerability crossed his face then. “With the passcode to get inside. I trust you.”
Those three words were as loaded as any I'd ever heard. Had something happened in the past with his home so he didn't trust people? At this point, all my shock points were taken up, and the questions cluttered my mind until I couldn't have asked even if I wanted.
“Great.”
“Her school information is there as well. You'll have to pick her up from the bus stop that I texted you, but after that, you can figure out what's easiest, whether you pick her up or she can even get off the bus in town, if you want. Whatever you need. We just need to tell her and the bus driver.”
His shoulders sagged slightly as he met my gaze again. “Thank you, Serafina. I'm sorry, but I need to dash to work. Do you have any questions?”
A million, but I kept them pooled in my head for now. No doubt, most of them would work out over time.
“I'm good. I'll see you tonight?”
For the first time, a full smile found his face, no doubt driven by a sense of relief. “Tonight,” he echoed, and my stomach turned to jelly. Like it or not, Benjamin and I were tied together now, at least for the foreseeable future.
