My Mr. Manny (7 page)

We all laughed.

“Hey, what’s that?” He pointed at the chocolate on her shirt. When she looked down, he bopped her on the nose with his crooked forefinger. She cracked up as if that were the funniest thing ever. It was a great icebreaker. They hit it off from there.

I was still worried about what my dad thought, however. When Dominic stood up, I decided I would let my dad have his own chat with my new manny. “Lucia, come on. Let’s get you washed up and change your clothes.” I put out my hand, and she grabbed it.

Overall, the meeting went well, and I had a very good feeling about having Dominic there to help out with Lucia.

Chapter 10

Telephone

The next morning, as I sat on my balcony before Lucia woke up, I was able to relax and reflect. Mornings were my favorite time because I was able to relax and gather my thoughts before the day began. The quiet allowed me to breathe and to take in my surroundings. I sat there and reflected on my meeting with Dominic and my call to Lori the day after.

The day we met Dominic had gone so much better than I had expected. Dad gave me his approval of Dominic, and, to celebrate, I cooked us dinner, where I offered him the job. Dominic was excited and expressed his desire to work with us.

Now, the morning after he’d left, I had to make that call to Lori. I sat outside in my spot on the balcony with my coffee and the phone.

“Yes?” she answered.

“Is that any way to answer the phone, Lori?” I laughed.

“Well, I
do
have caller I.D., so I knew it was you.”

“Fine. So, I have a bone to pick with you. Why didn’t you tell me Dominic was so fine? Oh, my God, Lori. I think I’ve fallen in love.” I chuckled.

She gasped. “Mia, are you kidding?”

And I laughed some more. “No, I’m not, Lori. Okay, yes I am, I think. I mean, how cruel to just let him show up and catch me off guard like that. You should have seen how foolish I acted.”

She was laughing so hard that she couldn’t even speak while she gasped for breath. “Well, I never paid attention to his looks. I mean I only have eyes for Chris. But I should have known he would catch your eye. What did you do when he arrived?”

I laughed and replied, “Well, I eye-fucked him when I opened the door, and it took about five minutes too long for me to snap out of it. That’s so not like me. Once I realized what I’d done, I was so embarrassed, just acting like a love-struck teenager. He must think I’m a fool.”
Although, he did accept the job
, I mused.

“In all seriousness, Lori I think I’m in love. When our hands touched, I saw flashes of a future of us together.” I put my head in my hand at my ridiculousness. “I know, I sound crazy, but he seems like the perfect man for me, for us. And now I’m doubting my decision to have him here.”

“Well, it sounds a bit crazy, but I understand. I mean when I met Chris, it was love at first sight. But, if you’re feeling that way now, just pay attention and see how it goes. If he was afraid of your reaction to him, he wouldn’t have taken the job.”

I sighed and fidgeted with the tie of my bathrobe. “I guess you’re right. I’m just worried I’m going to want more than he will. I don’t think I could take the rejection after what Alex did to me. Dominic seems mature, and he wants a family, so I guess that’s a plus. Well, I suppose I’ll just wait and see,” I muttered the last part.

“You’d be surprised, Mia. It all may just work out for you. Just see how he interacts with Lucia and go from there.”

“Lori, he was wonderful with her. Here at the house, he engaged her in conversation and games. And at dinner, he helped me with her. He was very conscious of our norm and rules. Dominic would look at me for approval on things to make sure they were okay with me. It seems as if he will fit in just fine with her. She loved having a male figure around. I just worry that if it doesn’t work she will get hurt,” I said. I thought back to the previous evening.

After my dad and Dominic had a few words, I invited them to stay for dinner. I didn’t want to send Dominic back to his hotel to spend the rest of the evening alone. I also wanted to watch him interact with Lucia more. Dominic agreed, but my dad had to leave. While I stood in the kitchen, preparing spaghetti with marinara sauce and garlic bread, I watched while Lucia bombarded him with random questions and information.

“Dominic, did you know I’m going to learn ballet? Dominic, do you want to play a game with me? You know I go to school? My mom says I’m smart.” She went on and on, but I thought it was funny how Dominic did not seem flustered at all. He looked interested in and intrigued by her every word.

While I defrosted and warmed up the homemade sauce I had in the freezer, I heard Lucia talking about a candy board game she had.

“Dominic, you can be the green furry monster because his fur matches your eyes.”

I laughed at that, because even she had noticed his beautiful peepers.

Dinner was almost ready so I popped the garlic bread in the oven.

“Lucia, I don’t know how you do it. Look at where your character is and where mine is. I keep getting sent backward,” said Dominic in mock surprise.

My baby laughed at him. “I don’t know, but I’m win-ning,” she said in a singsong voice.

“Okay, you guys, dinner’s almost ready. Lucia, you want to show Dominic how to set the table?” I yelled out from the kitchen.

“Yes, Momma. Come on, Dominic, let’s go.” She got up, pulled him into the dinning room, and showed him where the place mats were and where to get the silverware.

So far, they worked well together. Dominic pretended to put the fork on the plate instead of on the placemat. Lucia had fun with that and playfully scolded him. “Hey, silly. The fork doesn’t go there. See where I’m putting mine? It goes on the side.”

“Wow, you’re good at this.” He smiled at her.

Peeking through the oven door, I saw the bread had turned a golden brown. “It’s ready. Get drink orders, Lucia,” I called out.

“Dominic, what do you want to drink?” she asked.

“Umm, water? How about you?”

“I’m gonna have milk. Momma, what do you want?”

“Water, baby, please.”

While I placed the bread in a basket and plated the spaghetti, she asked Dominic for help pouring her milk. The bottles of water were easy for her to pour into glasses, so she did those on her own.

We all worked well together to get the meal on the table and sat down. Our usual seating arrangements had me at the head and Lucia to my left corner, but today she placed Dominic in that position and herself on the other side of him, far away from me.

Before we dug in, Dominic asked, “Do you say grace before dinner?”

“We do most of the time. It’s Lucia’s job, but if you’d like to, we’d be fine with it. Right, Lucia?”

“Yup, you can say it. I don’t mind.”

He nodded in agreement and looked thoughtful for a moment.

“Okay, let’s hold hands.” I held Dominic’s hand, and he held Lucia’s. “Thank you, Lord, for your gifts that we are about to receive. Thank you for bringing me into the lives of Mia and Lucia. Amen.”

“Amen,” Lucia and I said in sync.

“That was nice; thank you,” I said. “All right, dig in, and later we’ll have some dessert,” I said, winking at Lucia.

She squirmed in her seat with excitement. “I love dessert,” she said.

We must have been very hungry because there was not a lot of conversation. But I did watch as Dominic helped Lucia wipe sauce off her face, twirl the spaghetti onto her fork, and encourage her to finish all of her food so she could have the after-dinner treat I had prepared.

“I’m done,” announced Lucia.

I smiled when I spied her empty plate and said, “Wow, great job.”

Once Dominic and I finished, we cleared the table, and Lucia placed spoons and clean napkins by our placements.

I took three of my homemade chocolate chip cookies and warmed them in the microwave, and then topped them with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream. I also brought different types of sprinkles, jimmies, and chocolate syrup to the table. By the time Lucia was done with all of the toppings, we couldn’t even see her ice cream. Dominic and I just used the chocolate syrup.

When Dominic was getting ready to leave, Lucia ran over to him and squeezed him with her little arms wrapped around his waist. He bent down to pick her up to give her a proper hug. They whispered to each other, and she gave him a smooch on the cheek. I stood off to the side watching. Even though I felt like I was an intruder on their newfound friendship, it was a wonderful ending to a pleasant beginning.

Lori shook me out of my reverie: “You can’t predict what is going to happen, nor should you lose out on a great opportunity because of what might be. Just go with it. He’s a wicked good guy, and I’d trust him with my kids if I had any.”

And she was right. If he were good to my baby girl then I’d have nothing to worry about. I breathed out a big sigh, ready to start a new chapter in our lives.

~*~*~

Sunday, Dominic’s move-in day, arrived. Lucia was just as nervous and excited to have him come live with us as I was.

In his new room, I placed a basket with toiletries and brand new color-coordinated towels to match the decor. His bathroom and bedroom were decorated in chocolate brown, burnt orange, and a beautiful shade of teal, which seemed masculine enough for him. I put fresh, sweet-smelling lilies and tulips in his room, and the scent wafted out into the hallway, making the whole house smell delicious

I was both anxious and nervous for him to arrive. The refrigerator was stocked with enough fruits, vegetables, and meats to make dinner for about a week. Lucia’s favorite strawberry yogurt sat in there as well. I had Lucia put her backpack, shoes, and the few toys she had in the living room, away in her own bedroom. She had made him a “Welcome Home” sign to make him feel comfortable. I had a set of keys made for the house and a key-card for the security gate ready for him. Also, I set up a binder with phone numbers and all of the information he might need. Lucia and I made him chocolate chip-oatmeal cookies and placed them in a decorative fashion on a fancy platter.

Dominic was supposed to come straight from the airport, which was about fifteen minutes away. We had arranged for SuperShuttle to pick him up and drive him to the condo. The service was cheap, and it allowed Lucia and me time to get everything ready. The phone rang, and Lucia began jumping around screaming, “He’s here! He’s here, Momma!”

I laughed as I reached for the phone. “Yes baby, I think he is.” I picked up the phone. “Hello.”

“Hello, this is Shawn from security, and Dominic Roberts is here.”

“Send him in, Shawn. Thank you.”

I turned to Lucia. “He’s here. Get ready.” She ran to get her sign so she could hold it up when he walked in the door. On the inside, I felt like jumping up and down too, but that would look ridiculous, so instead, I just waited in front of the door.

At last, he knocked, and I swear both Lucia and I ran for it. I reached for the knob while placing my right hand on my heart in an attempt to calm it down from beating so fast.

Taking a cleansing breath, I opened the door, smiling so wide my cheeks hurt. “Hi, Dominic.” I waved him in. When I closed the door, I turned around and shot my eyes to Lucia so Dominic would notice the sign she was holding. Her arms must have been hurting from lifting it up so long.

“Hi, girls. Wow, Lucia. Is that for me?” he asked, and his eyes widened in delight. His smile was so beautiful. His lips turned up a little more on one side than the other. Adorable.

“Yes, it is. I made it all by myself.” Lucia was so proud.

He walked over to her and looked at the sign she had so painstakingly made for him. I had written the letters on a separate piece of paper so she could copy them and write the sign herself. Then, she’d drawn flowers all around the letters, with a sun and bird at the top of the paper. She had taped two eight-by-eleven inch sheets of paper together to make it bigger. It was colorful and very pretty.

“It is so beautiful, Lucia. I love it so much. I’ll keep it in my room,” Dominic said in the sweetest tone.

Her curls bounced around while she clapped in excitement. She loved attention — most of all, male attention. I knew she wanted to make him proud, and I could tell by the look on his face that he was.

“Lucia, why don’t you take Dominic to his room so he can set his things in there? I’m sure he wants to wash up and relax while I make us some lunch,” I said. Then I looked at Dominic and asked, “You’re hungry, right?” I nodded over exaggeratedly to get him to agree.

“Yeah, sure. I’ll just go and put my things away,” he said, picking up his bags and following Lucia to his room.

~*~*~

The three of us sat around the kitchen bar comfortably and ate our sandwiches.

“How was your flight?” I asked before I popped a chip in my mouth.

“Long, but good. Happy to be here, though,” Dominic said with a chuckle that resembled his brother’s.

“Momma, can I have some more milk, please?” Lucia asked. She must have been hungry; she’d eaten most of her sandwich and drunk all her milk.

“Sure, baby.” I pulled the milk from the refrigerator and filled her glass again.

“Thanks.” She took a huge sip of her milk and was left with a big milk mustache. Lucia knew it, too, because she smiled so wide it stretched across her face. She was in a silly mood.

“Dominic, what kinds of fun things are we going to do after I get out of school?” she asked him with her broad grin. Giggles were about to burst from my mouth, but I tried to hold them in.

When he heard his name, Dominic looked at Lucia and noticed her mustache. He sucked his lips into his mouth to hold in his laughter. Once he had himself under control, he answered her. “Well, I’m not sure yet. I think you have ballet and homework; we’ll have to figure the rest out together. How does that sound?”

With her forefinger tapping on her bottom lip in deep thought, she let out a sigh. “I guess so, but we’ll have to find fun things to do.”