She stepped over to Judith’s side and helped her friend and coworker begin cleaning up the puzzle. It was the end of the day and the children had all gone home. Everyone, that is, but Ava.
Ava was a quiet little thing and sat on a little chair watching Judith and Heather work. Today had been her first day at Hourly Care, but the girl’s father said she would be coming on a semi-regular basis. Heather and Judith had both tried their best to make Ava feel comfortable, but they knew she was having a hard time being around other people. Her mother had died at birth, so her primary caregivers had all been babysitters.
“Did you have fun today, Ava?” Heather asked, reaching for a puzzle piece.
Ava just stared at her.
Judith shrugged and finished boxing up the rest of the puzzle before sliding the box back onto a shelf. She stood and glanced at the clock.
“I hate to leave you alone,” she said slowly. “But I promised Bruce I’d meet him at seven. Any chance you can close up shop without me?”
“Yeah,” Heather smiled at Ava. “We’ll be fine on our own, won’t we, Ava?”
Ava said nothing.
“It’s fine,” she reiterated, looking back to Judith. “Her dad should be back soon and I know you’ve been looking forward to your date.”
“Thanks,” Judith said. “I owe you one. He’s super hot.” Ava giggled and both women turned to her, then Judith blushed. “Oops,” she said. “Guess I need to watch my mouth. Later, hon,” she kissed Heather on the cheek, grabbed her sweater from a cubby, and left the room.
“Well, looks like it’s just you and me, kiddo.” Heather said. She grabbed a book from a shelf and sat down at the table with Ava. Opening the book to the first page, she started to read.
The CDC officially closed at six, but the Hourly Care room closed at five. Parents who picked their children up after 5:01 from the Hourly Care room would have to pay a fine. Heather thought about it worriedly as she kept glancing anxiously at the clock.
She would get paid overtime for staying with Ava, but that wasn’t what worried her. Where was her father? Surely he knew the rule about picking up children late?
Finally, at 5:59, Staff Sergeant Jake Adams strode into the Hourly Care room looking exhausted. He was in his blues, of course, because it was Monday. Everyone had to wear their dress uniforms on Monday to build morale. He looked uncomfortable and tired. He had dark circles under his eyes, but a smile lit his face when he saw Ava.
“Daddy!” She squeaked, finally talking. She jumped up and ran to the door in
the divider, and waited for him to open it. The door latched on the outside of the partition so toddlers couldn’t accidentally escape. At four, she was older than most of the Hourly Care kids, but the daycare manager had made an exception for her. Apparently Staff Sergeant Adams had some sort of special duty he couldn’t get out of and needed a little extra help with Ava.
“Hey, princess,” he said, sweeping his daughter up in his arms. He held her for a long moment, then put her down and turned to Heather. “Hey, Heather. I’m so sorry I’m late. I should have called.”
“It’s okay,” Heather said with a smile. She felt bad for him. His wife had died and he had to pull special duty with a daughter. Being a single parent couldn’t be easy. Though she was exhausted from being on her feet all day, she couldn’t imagine what he was going through. “No big deal. Did you pay Stephanie?”
Stephanie worked at the front desk and was responsible for scheduling, getting kids checked in and out, and taking payments. She wasn’t known for her charming personality, and Heather suspected she was responsible for at least part of the Sergeant’s weary look.
“Yeah,” he said gruffly. “All squared away.” Heather handed him Ava’s bag and they stepped out of the Hourly Care room together. She flicked off the lights and locked the door to the room, then headed out of the CDC with the pair.
When they reached the parking lot, Heather turned to go to her car, but felt a soft touch on her shoulder. She turned. Sarge was looking at her.
“Is there something else?” She asked quietly.
“I just wanted to thank you again,” he said. “For staying late. And I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine,” she said slowly, but couldn’t shake the feeling of excitement she felt at his touch. Seriously? Why was she getting so worked up over a random man touching her at work? It wasn’t like this was her first day being around hot guys. As a CDC employee, she met hot airmen every day. Today was no exception, except that it was.
There was something about him that made her tingly and excited.
She hated to even think it because it might be disappointing later, but was there a chance – any chance – that Jake could be her mate?