Candace has asked me to call the babysitter and offer to pick her up. Although she lives about a block away, it is getting dark, and her safety is of mild concern. I reach into my pocket to retrieve my cell phone and notice a missed text from Laura. 

You still haven’t told me why you needed to see me yesterday.

Although I am not entirely sure what I was hoping to get out of our meeting, I am taken back by her front of distrust toward me. I ignore her plea for information, and proceed to call the babysitter’s cell. 

She answers abruptly before I’ve had a chance to hear it ring. “Mister Hayes?!” She sounds delighted to hear from me.

 “Yeah, McKenzie…I was wondering if you would like a ride to our house this eve—”

“I would love one!” she interjects enthusiastically. 

“Great. See you soon.” I hang up the phone, and open up the text from Laura once again. My fingers hover over the keyboard, as I try to think of what to type. I sigh and set my phone back in my pocket. I’ll save this one for later.

As I make my way down the hall to grab my coat, I can hear Lilly getting into the pots and pans in the cupboard. She is making little grunting noises, signaling that she is very focused on the havoc she is reeking.

“Anthony, take her for a sec!” Candace yells from upstairs as she spruces herself up for the evening.

“Gotta go pick up McKenzie!” I yell up the stairs, closing the front door behind me. 

I make a last minute decision to take the family SUV, instead of my truck, and as I make the one-minute journey to her parents’ house, I think of Laura once again. The look on her face when I gestured for her to talk with me in the bedroom is cemented on my brain. I start to take pity on myself for a brief moment.

I pull up to McKenzie’s house with the headlights shining brightly, highlighting her slender little body standing there. She is wearing a tight-fitting pale pink dress, as if dressed for a high school prom. I immediately noticed her cleavage spilling out. Apparently she has refrained from covering herself appropriately despite the cold and drizzly weather. She is waiting for me on the front porch with a smile plastered across her beautiful face. Her father waves at me from behind the front door, and I wave back politely. 

The aroma of her sweet-smelling perfume fills the car as she enters and sits down quickly. She is shivering when she turns to greet me.

“Hi!” Her eyelashes bat relentlessly, her cheeks blushing a light shade of crimson over the darkness. 

Her outwardness is perplexing. How long have we known this girl? I am unable to think straight, as I try to recall the last time we hired her to watch Lilly. 

“How are you? Are you cold?” I ask, trying to make small talk.

She nods in a giddy fashion, her demeanor so bubbly and happy. When I turn to get a good proper look at her in the light cast by the street lamp, I see that she has decided to wear a significant amount of make-up. I frown, while trying to remember how old she is.

“Mister Hayes…” I feel her eyes cast upon me while I set the car in reverse. “Can we make a pit stop first?”

I look at her, confused, but she appears to lack any type of remorse.

“What for?” I ask.

She looks slightly embarrassed now. “I need to pick up some lady products.”

I smile, and try to hide my discomfort over her request. “I’m sure Candace will have something for that.”

Disappointment floods her face, but taking a detour doesn’t sound like a particularly good idea. 

As we drive back toward the house, rain begins to sprinkle delicately against the windshield, followed shortly by a colossal downpour, causing us both to gasp with disbelief. 

We pull into the driveway, and I wish for the first time in a very long time that the garage was not full of Candace’s junk, so that I may actually park inside it. 

I look at her apologetically. “I think we’re gonna have to make a run for it.”

The look she responds with is not at all what I had expected. Before I have had the opportunity to redirect my thoughts from her beautiful body and open the driver door, she has devised other plans for us.

She takes the lead in such a way that I actually feel used. She is almost relentless and tactful in her efforts. The strong feeling of confusion that washes over me matches the powerful surge of sweet relief when she is finished with her mission.

After our brief engagement in the sheltered car, I ran around and opened the door for her like a gentleman. She is beaming with happiness now. We ran back to the house, my arm sheltering her from the rain. But just before we reach the porch steps, I acknowledge the feeling of cold air blasting at my crotch. I reach down frantically to zip up my fly before opening the door.

Candace is standing in the hall when we enter the house. She is waiting impatiently, with her arms crossed, fingers tapping fluidly against her elbows. My heart sinks when I realize she is wearing a look of suspicion. I begin to orchestrate a myriad of excuses for being a little late, but she proceeds to greet McKenzie with a smile and grabs her overcoat to head outside. 

“Lilly is in her playpen in the living room. There’s a list of instructions on the kitchen counter,” she says politely. “Please don’t hesitate to call me if you have any concerns.” 

We head out to dinner, the rain still pouring relentlessly all evening. Memories of the surprise rendezvous nestle themselves into a tight crevice deep inside my brain, where I hope they will never resurface.