"What do you think, want to head out to the park?" I asked her.
Her face lit up. "YES," she declared, running over to me.
She was toddling around pretty well, but not quite ready to handle city sidewalks, so I trundled her into the stroller and headed outside. The air was crisp and clear, and we both basked in the sun as we made our way through the crowds.
While I walked, I tried to understand what it was about this city that everyone found so magical. Sure, it was alive - people everywhere, to the point where you could practically hear a heartbeat. But it was exhausting, too. I almost felt like I could hear the buzzing of everyone's thoughts, their worries, the hum of nervous energy that kept everyone swarming around in all directions like so many ants.
The park was a little more peaceful. I walked slowly, enjoying the dappled sunlight through the leaves and letting the noise of the city fade into the distance.
"Fancy meeting you here."
I stopped in my tracks, turning towards the sound. Ben was ambling towards me, hands in his pockets, wearing an easy smile.
"You didn't mention the little bundle of joy." He grinned at me, and I couldn't tell if he was messing with me or not. She was Daniel's spitting image, but he might not have looked close enough to notice.
"Just doing a favor for our mutual friends," I said, forcing a polite smile.
"Hey, now that you mention, I do see the resemblance." He crouched down by the stroller, catching Laura's attention with a little wave. "How's it going, Ms. Thorne?"
She glanced at him, and then quickly back down at her own hands, squirming.
"She can be a little shy around strangers," I said, as Ben stood back up.
"Well, that's no surprise." He shrugged. "But I'm sure she'll do absolutely fine for herself."
Laughing, I gently rolled the stroller back and forth a little. "That's a fair bet. It helps to have billionaire parents."
"Successful parents," Ben said. "Money can't buy ambition."
"Right. I'm sure you were voted most likely to succeed among all the other trust fund babies."
He looked a little surprised. "What makes you think I'm a trust fund baby?"
Rolling my eyes, I didn't bother answering. Let him think that it rolled off of him in waves - he didn't need to know I was basically the Horse Whisperer when it came to sniffing out the idle rich.
Ben folded his arms across his chest, his eyes glinting a little as he gave me an assessing look. Out in the sunlight, I could see the little gold flecks in his irises. "You haven't really forgiven me for the ice cream incident, have you?"
I shrugged. "Doesn't really matter, does it?"
"It matters to me." He had his hands buried in his pockets, shoulders hunched slightly - a posture that was intended to make him seem less threatening. Or maybe it wasn't calculated.
Hell, this was a billionaire businessman I was talking about. What were the odds of that?
I wasn't sure why he cared so much. Unless, of course, it was just the sheer irritation of some plebe seeing him for who he really was. I couldn't imagine that was uncommon for him, but maybe his charisma managed to win people over in spite of the current cultural disdain towards men like him.
"Why don't you like me, Jenna?" He looked like he actually wanted to know. For crying out loud.
I just laughed a little, finding it difficult to believe that I was really having this conversation. "What's your investment in this? Now that I'm the Thornes' babysitter, I doubt we'll be spending much time together socially. You can just move on with your life and conveniently forget that I ever existed."
"But I don't want to forget," he said, sounding remarkably sincere.
Oh my God, was he hitting on me?
I frowned at him. Was it possible? Did he actually think, after the way we met...
His eyes look so much more green today. It must be the tie. They're like emeralds.
I shook my head suddenly, to dissipate the unwelcome inner monologue.
"Trust me, you'll be better off," I said. He'd conveniently glossed over my accidental admission of my real job. Maybe he didn't notice, or maybe he just didn't care.
"Babysitter?" he repeated, as if he'd heard my thoughts. "Thought you were working on a commercial."
"Believe it or not, most commercials aren't ten-month shoots," I told him. "I'm just picking up a few jobs on the side until something more permanent comes up."
He just watched me thoughtfully for a moment, and I kept expecting him to say something else. But after a few minutes, he said:
"Well, I'll let you get on with your day."
Disappearing into the distance, his head was slightly bowed, like he was lost in thought.
***
Maddy had gone to spend some time in her studio space after her daytime errands, so Daniel was the first one home that evening. I'd put Laura to bed, and was flipping through the sad offerings on T.V. before deciding to settle for the Storage Wars: Texas marathon.
I half-expected him to forget I was there, but he offered me a slight smile when he walked in the door, his shoulders slightly tight, like he was bracing himself for a stranger in his house.
"Welcome back," I said.
"How is she?" he asked, setting down his briefcase and walking into the kitchen.
"She's sound asleep," I said. "Couldn't get her to go down for her nap today, so she's out like a light."
"Excellent," said Daniel. "I hope she didn't give you too much trouble."
"Oh, no." I waved my hand dismissively. "I never argue about naptime. She was a perfect angel for everything else, but she decided she wasn't tired, so she just played with her blocks quietly for a while. I think some kids just naturally have enough steam to get through the whole day without stopping."
"No problem with that, as long as you have enough steam." He smiled. "I don't mind admitting that she runs me ragged, but I guess that's normal. Can I have John give you a ride home?"
I shook my head. Much as I appreciated the job, that seemed like a step too far. "My bus comes in another forty minutes or so. It's fine, I'm in no particular hurry."
"Well please, feel free to wait here - you want something to drink, now you've been relieved of your duties?" He pulled two beers out of the fridge, and I shrugged.
"Sure. Might as well." Immediately, I wondered if I could somehow direct the conversation to Ben. I figured there was no chance in hell that Daniel would spill anything I really wanted to know, but I might be able to at least get a sense of what kind of person he really was, underneath that carefree veneer.