6

                                    

                                          
Alex
Ihad absolutely no idea what to expect.
I'd given the woman on the phone – Teresa – the address to my house, but through texting her sister, Cassie, we decided to do the interview at the small park that wasn't too far from my place.
It was a beautiful day, and I figured taking Lucy somewhere she could run around and play would make this interview easier. I hoped so, anyway.
I was pushing Lucy on the swing, letting her laugh and talk about nothing as I did.
Higher, Daddy! Higher!" she shouted. "I want higher!"
"You're going high enough, don't you think?" I asked.
"Higher!" she cried.
"Okay," I said. "Hang on then."
I pushed her a little harder, but I didn't make her go much higher than she had been. She was strapped safely into the swing, but if she thought she was going higher, then I was happy.
In all honesty, I was nervous.
Far more nervous than I even thought possible for what I was doing.
I was the man who had made a billion-dollar business out of risk-taking behavior, yet here I was, feeling as nervous as a teenage guy on his first date. And all I was doing was talking to this woman about watching Lucy for me a few times during the week.
I knew part of the nerves came from the fact I had been burned by my ex-wife. I didn't trust very many people to begin with, and the idea of handing my daughter over to some strange woman wasn't the most thrilling thing in my mind. But I also knew I had to have someone who wasn't my ex taking care of my daughter.
And, short of going out and dating, this was the best way to find someone who would be a good influence on her.
The car pulled up right on time, which I found to be a good sign.
I did my best not to judge the fact there wasn't anything remarkable about the vehicle. It was older, but it was clean. There wasn't anything about it that said money, which I figured was likely because this person was used to carting kids around.
Simple could be good. It could be just what Lucy needed.
But then, when the woman stepped out of the driver's seat, I did a double take.
The woman was petite and curvy in all the right places, and she had such a smart, sharp way of dressing I almost couldn't take my eyes off her. She wore minimal makeup, which made the bright lipstick she wore suit her features perfectly.
She was elegant in every sense of the word, and when she took her sunglasses off, and I saw her eyes sparkle in the sun, I was sure my mouth fell open.
"Daddy! You're not pushing me!" Lucy shouted.
"Sorry," I said, snapping back into the moment. I gave her another push and smiled as the woman walked over to us.
"Alex?" she asked.
"Yes, Cassie?" I replied, extending my hand.
"It's good to meet you," she said. "Thank you so much for pushing the interview to now. I get caught up with some things, and it's not always easy to move my schedule around."
"I know how that is, which is why I'm looking for help," I said with a smile. She grinned in return, and I had to force myself to look back to Lucy.
"And this must be Lucy," Cassie said. "Hey princess, how are you?"
"I'm not a princess!" Lucy shouted.
I laughed. "She's a little headstrong."
"That's a good thing," Cassie said. "How old are you?"