Chance on You (Pub 4)

4 - Fish out of water

Isla laid awake wondering how long before he found out the truth. Then she wondered how long it would take to save up so she could have a safe roof over her head. At least he had stopped commenting about dropping her at the diner.

She tried to focus on the purpose of her job, the children. God didn't want them to be without their mother nearby. They were sweet and kind, and she felt the need to help them.

She tried not to think about the life she left behind. The reasons seemed more important. Her work was similar, but instead of caring for the elderly, she cared for children. She also didn't work as hard. Every afternoon, she took a nap to make up for the sleep that didn't come to her at night.

After the first day, she only had to be with him for the car ride between the diner and the train. When he had touched her in the kitchen, it felt strange. In the morning, she felt similar. Did all men smell so good? She pressed her hands into her stomach hoping the funny feeling would go away.

On Friday morning, he smiled when she slid into the passenger seat. His scent captured her again, as she focused on greeting the children.

"You don't need to pick me up. We're having company for dinner."

Cody said, "Lilli?"

He laughed. "Yes, Lilli."

She bit her lip. "Should I make something special?"

He frowned. "We usually just get takeout, but we had pizza this week for lunch. You can cook. Anything is fine, but nothing fancy."

Isla felt pressure to prepare something special for their special guest. She felt uneasy about things she didn't understand starting with divorce. In school, the nuns had taught her divorce was wrong. She didn't want to meet a worldly woman who Cody loved and suddenly became very aware of her appearance.

She let out a long breath after she dropped the children at school. As she had every day, she attended daily Mass before stopping at the supermarket. She gave the downstairs a thorough cleaning before lunch. After lunch she set her alarm for a nap but nervous energy prevented her from sleeping.

She took out her rosary and prayed. The pale blue translucent beads felt comforting in her hand. Isla remembered the day Sister Agnes handed them to her in religion class at Saint Clare High School. She had felt lucky to be a student at the private school and found comfort and peace in the old building. Those were not feelings she felt in any of the many foster homes she had growing up. Her enrollment to the private school was courtesy of a nameless benefactor.

Lost in prayer, she jumped when the alarm buzzed. Stowing it in her backpack, she set out on foot for the children. Isla enjoyed the walk on nice days, and it gave them time to tell her about their day on the way home.

"What are we making today?" Cody asked.

"Meatballs for spaghetti."

Riley scrunched her nose. "Meatballs?"

She looked at the young girl. "Surely, you've had meatballs before?"

"I don't think so."

Cody said, "Do we mush?"

She laughed. "Yes, we mush." She hadn't realized spending time with children led to laughter. "Do you have homework?"

"No, it's Friday." Riley added a hop to her step.

"Good. We can have some fun after we finish our work."

"Why do we have to work when it's your job?" Riley pouted.

"Because it's your family."

The tween walked silently for a few minutes. She said, "But we don't really have a mother like most families."