Page 54 of Challenged By You
Damn, I wish it were. I open my mouth and close it before I get any more off course.
Chapter 20
Trina
“It’s not that I don’t appreciate the offer.” I hand Jonas a beer as I curl up on the sofa next to him. Annie and Chris are down for their naps. They’re exhausted from playing in the park earlier at Jonas’s suggestion.
It was a good one. Even though I had to spend time picking egg out of all of our hair and getting everyone dressed for an outing, it was a perfect way to spend a day. They ended up shrieking and chasing one another in the small green space provided by the apartment complex. Jonas outright laughed as I dashed behind them waving my hands like a monster. Then they’d shrieked at each other, “Play here!”, “No, here!” And I felt like a goalie defending my territory, pivoting back and forth to keep them herded.
Jonas, remarkably, had a blast. He hefted Chris into his arms and caved to the demand of “Swings!” when Annie pleaded with me for “Slide, Mama.” With a wink, he lugged my son over, so we divided and conquered the playground in a way I’ve never done before.
My brain keeps trying to tell me I shouldn’t get used to it. But my heart? God, my heart was turning somersaults every time I saw his smile.
Now that the kids have had a bath and they’re settled, I bring Jonas around to the oh so casual comment he made earlier about using his company resources to find my kids a sitter. “It was a sweet offer, but that’s just not right.”
“Trina, it not a big deal. All I’d be doing is…”
“Wouldn’t you get into trouble by doing that? Besides, I’m sure I can’t afford how much it would cost me anyway.”
“You never know unless you let me find out.”
“Jonas, it’s your uncle’s company,” I protest.
“Trina, it’s a web search,” he says exasperatedly.
“What? That’s it?”
“Actually, for me, it’s less than that. It’s a phone call I can make right now.” Sliding his phone out of his pocket, he presses a few keys to unlock it. Holding the phone to his ear, he jiggles his foot impatiently. “Hey. Are you near a computer? Cool. I have a favor to ask.” Rolling his eyes, he glances at me. “Yes, Chelsea, it involves the woman I’m seeing. I should have known Julian couldn’t keep his damn mouth shut.”
Oh, my God. He’s talking to his cousin about me. Then my heart lurches. He told histwinabout me. I start to take a drink when it goes down the wrong pipe and I choke.
Calmly, Jonas starts to whack me on the back. “No, she’s fine. Drink down the wrong pipe. Listen, can you pull up the Cheerful Star website?” There’s a pause. “No, Trina’s normal babysitter just did an abrupt bail on her. She doesn’t trust many people to watch her kids. You’re a mom; you know how that is.” He rattles off my address.
I don’t know if I’m holding my breath because I’m afraid of what his family might think of me or because of hope.
“Can you send that to my phone? Cool. That’s crazy. Yeah. Okay. All right, I promise. Bye.” Jonas hangs up. Just after I think it’s safe to take a drink of my beer, he asks, “Do you know a Marjorie McPhearson?”
And it immediately winds up on his sweater. “My next-door neighbor?” I exclaim. “How do you know who she is?”
“First tell me this: how much were you paying your mother?”
When I do, he says, “Do you like her?”
“Who? My mother?” I’m so confused.
“No, this McPhearson.”
“She’s always been nice when I’ve seen her. I haven’t spent a lot of time with her.”
“Well, get ready to, sweetheart.” A text comes through his phone.
“What? Jonas, why?”
He doesn’t answer me. All he does is hand me his phone so I can read the incoming text from his cousin. “Read this while I get the beer out of my sweater.”
“Spot remover’s under the sink in the bathroom,” I tell him absentmindedly while I anxiously read the information Chelsea sent about my next-door neighbor.
When Jonas emerges a few seconds later, I shove his phone back at him. “I have to call her. Right now.”
