Sorry I'm a little late...
Erina- yep. LOL, all those jobs will actually benefit him as you'll see here
.
Em- thanks, heh
Nat- LOL, me too!
spray- ok, make that me three
. Thank you!
Vero- thanks, me too
Jess- thanks
La'Shon- LOL, yep F-I-N-A-L-L-Y!
BehrObsession- LOL, clever aren't they
EVE- LOL, wow you're good
French- LOL, hmm? LOL, glad you like
. LOL, here ya go.
Jessika-thanks, yep
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Part 5
“So, Liz how’s the new babysitter doing?” asked Tess as she walked into Liz’s office and plopped down into the chair on the opposite side of Liz’s desk.
Liz looked up from her work and gave Tess a smile, “Well, so far so good, but it’s only been a few days.”
Tess quirked an eyebrow. “Has Kylan complained yet?”
Liz shook her head, “No, he can’t stop talking about Max. He says Max reminds him of Maria.”
Tess giggled, “Must be because she’s his sister, right?”
“Must be,” replied Liz as she stared out of the window.
Tess quietly watched Liz for a moment before she sighed. “But you’re still worried aren’t you?”
Liz turned to look at Tess and gave her a hesitant smile. “Yeah.”
Tess shook her head. “Really Liz, you said you checked him out. His references all had glowing praise for him and he seems to be doing well with Kylan too. You even told me the two of them clicked immediately when you introduced them.”
Liz nodded as she looked out of the window once more. It was true. When Max had showed up Saturday, Liz had still been a little worried. But she’d convinced herself to give him a try and see how he was with Kylan. She’d invited him in and they had sat in the living room. After offering him something to drink, which he’d declined, they had gotten down to business.
She had asked him to tell her about the other kids he’d once babysat and then she’d given him several scenarios and asked him what he’d do in those situations. Max had seemed at ease the entire time. Always wearing that gentle smile, he’d looked her in the eye and answered all her questions easily. When he talked about the kids he’d been with, she could see how animated he became as he talked about them and there was always this sparkle in his eyes too.
Still, no matter what kinds of questions she fired at him, he managed to have an answer that seemed honest and real. Finally, unable to find anything wrong with him, she decided that it was time for him to meet Kylan. So, she had led him to Kylan’s room where she had introduced them to each other.
“Kylan, there’s someone that I want you to meet,” she said as she’d stepped into the room and turned down his television.
Kylan had turned away from the cartoons to look up at his mother. “Who?”
Liz had motioned to Max to enter the room. “Kylan, this is Max Evans. Max, my son Kylan.”
Max gave Kylan the same full blown smile he’d given Liz at the door as he got down on his knee and extended his hand to Kylan. “Hey Kylan, nice to meet you.”
Kylan at first had inched behind Liz until Max had beamed the smile at him. Moving from behind Liz, Kylan had slowly reached his hand out and shook Max’s.
As they shook hands Kylan squinted his eyes and said, “You look like my babysitta.”
Max chuckled, “Well, that’s if your mom will let me be.”
Liz cleared her throat, “I wanted you to meet him first, baby.”
Kylan shook his head, “No, I mean you look like Ria.”
Max blinked, “I do?”
Kylan nodded, “She was my ol’ babysitta.”
“Yeah, I know. She’s my little sister,” replied Max with a grin.
Kylan’s eyes went wide, “Your sista?”
Max nodded, “Yep and she used to tell me about you all the time.”
Kylan smiled widely. “Really! I miss her!”
“I know. I miss her too,” replied Max with a wistful smile.
Kylan tugged on Max’s arm. “C’mon, you gotta tell me stories about Ria! I can tell you some too!” Max chuckled as Kylan led him to his bed where they both sat down and Max began to answer Kylan’s questions.
Liz had to eventually break up the lively conversation that had started between her son and Max, telling Kylan that Max had to leave soon. Kylan of course was upset, but Max said he’d come by and see Kylan again if Liz let him. After reassuring Kylan that she would let Max come visit, they had left Kylan to his cartoons and gone back to the living room.
It was there that Liz had laid out the rules about babysitting Kylan and that she was willing to give Max a try. Max had listened patiently as Liz spelled it all out for him and said he was fine with having a trial period. He seemed to know that Liz was still hesitant about hiring him.
Once they’d made the arrangements, Max agreed to be there bright and early Monday morning as Liz got ready to go to work. He would be taking care of Kylan that day and Liz let him know that Nancy would be popping in often to check up on them.
When Monday had arrived, Liz had rushed around the apartment gathering her things and once more going over all the rules and regulations with Max who simply stood there with an amused smile on his face, reassuring her over and over again that he knew what to do in case of an emergency. Kylan was still asleep when Max had seen Liz to the door and once more reassured her in that calm voice of his that everything would be all right.
And so far, it had been. Every day she got home to a happy Kylan who always told her what he and Max did during the day. Kylan wouldn’t stop talking about him and all the stories they shared about Maria. Liz was also finding out about Max through Kylan since Max often told Kylan stories about himself growing up.
Nancy had popped in often that Monday per Liz’s instructions and had told Liz over the phone that night that she had absolutely nothing to worry about because Max was a superb babysitter. Every day Liz had gotten home to find the house still in one piece, Kylan’s toys had been put up and Max and Kylan were waiting for her in the living room watching television. There was no sign of anything having gone wrong at all.
“So, why are you still worried?” asked Tess, her voice bringing Liz out of her reverie.
Liz blinked as she turned to look back at Tess. “I’m always like this Tess. You know how hard it always was for me to find a good babysitter who would stay with Kylan.”
Tess shook her head, “No, Liz. This has nothing to do with whether or not Kylan will run Max away. This has everything to do with the fact that Max isn’t a female.”
Liz’s frown told Tess she was right on the mark.
“Liz, guys can be great caretakers too, you know. Just like there are some women who were never meant to be nurturers.”
Liz sighed, “I know, I know.”
“So, Kylan likes Max. And you know Max has a great background. And so far, they’ve managed to get along just fine. Relax and let it happen, huh? Get over the fact that Max is a male. I mean, think of it this way, Max can be a great male influence for your son, right?”
Liz looked up at Tess and grinned, “You really missed your calling you know that?”
Tess quirked her eyebrow in question.
“As a motivational speaker,” chuckled Liz.
Tess chucked a cushion at Liz as they both broke into laughter over Liz’s joke.
************************************************************
Max looked up as he heard the front door open. Liz was literally being blown in from the strong wind and rain had soaked her from head to toe. Quickly getting up, Max rushed to help her with her burden as she forced the door shut behind her.
“Thanks, Max,” said Liz as she gave a sigh of relief.
“Do you have more stuff to get?” asked Max.
She shook her head, “No. I’ve gotten all of it.”
Max nodded as he carried the two bags of groceries into the kitchen while Liz set down her briefcase and bag. She shrugged out of her heavy raincoat, hung it in the hall closet, and pulled her now wet sweater over her head. Smiling, she picked up the folded towel Max had left for her on the hall table.
It was now mid January, a little over three months since Max had started babysitting Kylan and he had managed to fit right in to their lives. He obviously knew what to have waiting for Liz when she got home. Especially when she got home late like she had done tonight.
It was rare for Liz to work late, but there had been an important deal she and Tess had been working on for a few months already and both of them had been determined to see it through. She’d called Max and let him know she’d be late and if he’d mind staying with Kylan. After talking to Kylan and then Max again, she’d gone back to work.
When she left work at nearly nine p.m. the weather had gotten worse, but she still had stopped by the grocery store before going home.
She was towel drying her hair as she stepped into the kitchen to see Max putting away the groceries. She grinned as she realized he even knew exactly where to put everything.
“Max, you don’t have to do that! It’s late, I don’t want to keep you here any longer than I already have.”
Max shrugged as he continued to put away the groceries. “It’s not a problem, Liz.”
“I can finish, really.” Liz wrapped the towel around her shoulders and moved in to help Max but he grabbed her wrists and led her to a chair at the table.
“Sit,” he said as he gently pushed her down before walking over to the stove, where he fixed a plate for her. He walked back to the table and set the plate in front of her with a smile, “Dinner.”
“Max…”
“I know, I shouldn’t have,” replied Max. “I did anyway. So, what do you want to drink with that?”
Liz started to rise, “I’ll get it.”
Max pushed her back down with a hand on her shoulder, “Liz, you’ve been working hard all day. The least you can do is let me take care of dinner. So, drink?”
Liz nodded, “Tea.”
He grinned, “Tea it is.”
As Liz ate her dinner, Max continued to put the groceries away. When he was finished, he joined her at the table.
Liz gave him a grateful smile, “Thanks Max. It’s delicious.”
Max chuckled, “It’s nothing special.”
Liz rolled her eyes. He was being modest as usual. Max was a great cook. It wasn’t the first time she had eaten something he’d made and he was always making breakfast and lunch for Kylan.
Of course Kylan was always ranting about how he loved Max’s cooking, but then again Liz was wondering if there was anything Kylan didn’t like about Max at this point. In fact, she was even wondering if there was anything Max couldn’t do. She was quickly finding out just how beneficial having all those random jobs really were to Max.
Once her garbage disposal had broken and she had intended to call the landlord about it, but instead Max had fixed it before she’d had the chance. Another time, she’d come home to find him and Kylan folding laundry in Kylan’s room. Max had fixed a wobbly chair, stitched a few torn clothes, ironed clothes, and even built an extra shelf in Kylan’s closet for his shoes. Clearly having all those jobs had taught him quite a few things.
As she finished up her dinner, Max asked, “So, did you finish the deal?”
Liz nodded, “Yeah, finally! I’ve never had a client like this before. Even Tess was complaining that she’d never had anyone change their minds about what they wanted that many times within a week.”
Max chuckled, “That bad huh?”
She shrugged, “Well, it’s not that they were bad or mean, it’s just that they really didn’t know what they wanted and we tried to help them by showing them all sorts of samples, but it just seemed to confuse them even more.”
“Right, but they finally chose something, huh?”
“Yes. Now, all we have to do is get the contractors out to their house to begin work and keep our fingers crossed that they won’t change their minds while the renovations begin.”
Max chuckled, “I’ll keep mine crossed too.”
“Thanks. So, did you have any trouble getting Kylan into bed tonight?”
“Not really, no. I gave him a bath and watched as he put on his own pajamas.” Max grinned at that. “He’s really proud that he can dress and undress himself, you know.”
Liz nodded as he continued. “Then he got into bed and I read him a story, which he fell asleep half way through.”
Liz chuckled, “Yeah, he seems to do that a lot.”
Max nodded, “Yeah, I’m beginning to wonder if he just gets bored of the stories.”
“No,” laughed Liz. “Trust me, it’s not the stories. He always asks me to pick up from where I left off, doesn’t he do that to you?”
“Yeah, he does.”
“See, it’s not the stories. I think our voices are soothing to him. I used to sing to him when he was a baby and that always helped him fall asleep better.”
Max grinned, “You sang to him?”
Liz nodded, “Yes.”
The smile widened, “I’ll bet you have a great voice.”
Liz looked up at Max for a moment before looking back down at her plate with a faint blush spreading over her cheeks.
They sat in silence for a few moments as Liz pushed the remains around her plate and Max stared at her. Finally Liz cleared her throat and stood up.
“Well, it’s late and I know you have to be getting home soon. Um, I could drop Kylan at my mother’s tomorrow instead of you having to get up so early to be here. You can go pick him up from there when you’re ready to.”
Max shook his head, “No, that’s okay, I’ll be here.”
Liz frowned at him. “Max, you’ve been here all day and you’re just going to go home and come back in a few hours. Look, why don’t you just take the entire day off? I’m sure my mother won’t mind taking Kylan for a day.”
“Liz, it’s okay. I’ll be here.”
She was about to protest again, but Max beat her to it. “Really, Liz. I don’t mind. I like babysitting Kylan. And besides, I promised I’d make him my famous vanilla pudding for dessert tomorrow.”
Liz rolled her eyes, “You did, huh? Well, I guess you’ll have to then or he’ll never forgive me for it. Fine, I’ll see you tomorrow morning then.”
He grinned, “Great!” He started to gather up the remains of her dinner but Liz shook her head and guided him towards the hallway.
“Go home Max, you’ve done enough for today. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Max let her hand him his coat and duffel bag he always brought with him before he walked to the door. She held it open for him as he finished shrugging into his coat.
Tugging the hood over his head, he gave her a smile, “See you tomorrow. Goodnight Liz.”
“Night Max, be careful going home.”
He nodded before ducking out into the rainy night.
************************************************************
Kylan remained laying where he was under his covers with his eyes shut. He’d heard his mother come into the room and felt her place a kiss against his cheek before she’d left the room and closed the door behind her. Still, he’d remained where he was listening to the sounds of her taking a shower and getting ready for bed. When the lights had all gone out and things had gotten quiet, he knew she’d finally gone to bed.
“She’s asleep,” came Kyle’s hushed voice from near the door.
Kylan opened his eyes and waited until he could see Kyle’s dim figure moving to sit on the bed next to him. Kylan sat up and frowned at Kyle. “She made him go home,” he whispered.
Kyle nodded, “I know, but at least she ate the dinner he made and they talked for a while.”
“Yeah, but she was gonna make him stay home! She wasn’ gonna let him come ova tomorrow.”
Kyle sighed, “Luckily he convinced her otherwise, huh?”
Kylan’s frown deepened, “Why don’ she like him Kyle? I like him! An’ I know he could make my mom happy!”
Kyle sighed, “She’s just being careful, that’s all.”
“But since he’s been here, mom hasn’ been mad at me. An’ she hasn’ needed to worry ‘bout our home. Max does all a it an’ she don’ need to worry ‘bout a thin’!”
Kyle nodded, “That’s true, Kyl. But it’s only been a few months. Give your mom some time, okay? She’ll come around. You’ll see. In time, she’ll see how great Max is. In the meantime, you just keep on getting to know Max, okay? Maybe when your mom sees how close you and Max are, it’ll help her see Max better.”
“’kay,” whispered Kylan.
Kyle gave his son a smile, “C’mon, you should get some sleep. Max will be here in the morning, maybe you can convince him to make your mom some of those blueberry pancakes you like so much.”
Kylan grinned as he settled back under his covers, “Yeah, I think I’ll do that.”
Kyle smiled as he watched his son close his eyes and drift back to sleep wearing a soft smile on his face. Gazing at his sleeping son for a few more moments, he gave a wistful smile before slowly fading away.
************************************************************
“Yeah, yeah! Hold your horses, I’m coming!” growled Max as he fumbled with the key to his door. He could hear his phone ringing as he finally unlocked the door and pushed inside. Slamming the door shut with his foot, he shrugged out of his coat, draping it over the old chair by the door and dropping his keys on the table next to it.
He walked over to the couch and plopped down onto it as he reached out for the phone sitting on the footstool in front of it.
“Yeah?” he asked as he leaned back into the couch and began to kick off his shoes.
“Geez, man! What took you so long to answer the phone? I knew you couldn’t be asleep already!” came the cheerful voice from the other end.
Max rolled his eyes, “I was working late, Alex.”
“Seriously? Are you saying you just got home?”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
Max could hear his best friend chuckling on the other end of the line. “Damn, Max. This is a record even for you.”
“Alex,” Max growled.
“What? I’m just saying. Usually your babysitting jobs end much earlier than this. Why were you over there so late? Or were you really babysitting?” came the teasing voice.
Max sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair, “I was really babysitting. Liz and her partner were trying to close a deal and it just ran late. Then she had to stop by the grocery store before going home. She called earlier and asked if I could stay or she’d have Nancy go over.”
Alex chuckled, “And of course you said you could stay.”
“Of course. It wasn’t a big deal.”
“So, was Kylan upset that Liz wasn’t there to tuck him in?”
“Nah, I gave him a bath, tucked him in and read him a story. He was out like a light.”
“So what’d you do until she got home?”
“Made dinner.”
“What! For her?” exclaimed Alex.
“Of course it was for her! I figured she’d be hungry since she’d been working all evening and I was right.”
“Geez Max! You’re not just a babysitter, you’re like Super Maid or something. I hope to hell you’re getting compensated well for all of it.”
Again Max sighed, “Alex, I said…”
“It’s not a big deal. Yeah, I know, Max.” Alex sighed, “So, how long is this gig for?”
“I don’t know. For as long as Liz needs me, I guess.”
“You guess?”
Max leaned his head against the back of the couch and closed his eyes. “Alex, just say it.”
There was a moment of silence before his friend finally spoke. “I’m worried about you Max.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s just you seem to be putting a lot of effort into this job and you’ve never done that before. All the other jobs you’ve had. You’ve always known how long you were gonna do it and you just did it and went home. But this one, you seem to bring it home with you.”
Max frowned as he opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling. “They’re not here, Alex.”
“Max, man, you know what I mean! Every time I talk to you now, you’re always talking about what Kylan or Liz did that day. And during the weekends, when you’re off, you can’t go anywhere without mentioning one of them! Man, we’ll be sitting at the sports bar watching a game and someone mentions a good play and you go and say something like ‘I wonder if Kylan needs a basketball’ or something like that. It’s really starting to scare me.”
Max sighed. “Alex, Kylan is six years old and according to Liz he’s never had a male figure in his life besides his paternal grandfather. So, I’m just trying to make sure he knows what some things are. He’s going to start kindergarten in the fall, so I thought it would be nice for him to be a little prepared.”
“Max, it’s only January. August is months away and it’s kindergarten, not the NBA.”
“I know that! Geez Alex, I’m not just talking about sports. Just things in general, you know.”
Alex sighed, “I know. I just think you should be careful. Don’t get so wrapped up in a family that isn’t yours to begin with.”
Max closed his eyes again. “I know. I’m being careful, Alex.”
“Okay, that’s all I care about then. So, before I let you go get some shut eye, are we still on for this Saturday?”
“Yeah, I’ll be there.”
“Great! We are so going to slaughter them!”
Max chuckled, “Yeah, we are. I’ll see you Saturday, Alex.”
“Okay, good night, man.”
“Night.”
TBC...
