The Rules of Dating

Just when we’d started bracing for the worst, nothing happened—for weeks. We’d had a three-week break from any action as we waited for the next step in the hearing process. Every single day that went by felt like borrowed time, so once again, Colby and I cherished each minute. And just as this latest stretch of peace had been unexpected, so was the moment it all came to a screeching halt one Friday afternoon.

It was the start of the weekend, and Colby had gone to pick up some takeout. I’d closed the shop down early, and we’d planned to have an early dinner and watch a kid-friendly movie with Saylor.

There was a knock at the door, and I assumed it was Colby returning earlier than expected with our food: sushi for us and Panda Express for Saylor. She loved their orange chicken. I figured maybe he’d knocked because he’d forgotten his key or was carrying too many things.

I opened the door with a smile, which quickly faded when I realized it wasn’t Colby standing before me. It was a strange-looking man with a handlebar mustache I didn’t recognize.

“Can I help you?”

“I’m looking for Colby and Maya Lennon,” he said.

My stomach sank. “They’re not home. Who are you?”

“I’m Officer Richard Weber, an investigator on Mrs. Lennon’s immigration case. I’ve been assigned to do a home visit today.”

Shit. Even though I figured it was legit, I needed all the time I could get, so I asked, “Do you have identification?”

“Of course,” he said before taking out his official badge and showing it to me.

Saylor was playing on the ground. I looked over my shoulder at her, then back at him. “Like I said…they’re not home at the moment.”

“And you are who exactly?” he asked.

“I’m the babysitter. My name is Billie.”

“Good to meet you.” He nodded. “Are they due back anytime soon?”

“At some point, yeah. We didn’t discuss an exact time.”

He took a step inside. “Do you mind if I stay here until they return?”

Ugh. I paused to think about this before answering him. My first inclination was to ask him to leave. But then what? Sending him away would make things seem more suspicious. No matter what decision I made right now, I knew one thing: he was not getting anywhere near Saylor.

“I was just about to put her down for a nap.” Quickly realizing late afternoon was an odd time for that, I added, “She’s not feeling well. They told me she didn’t sleep last night. So she needs to lie down.”

“Her parents went out despite the fact that their daughter is sick?”

Adrenaline rushed through me. “Well, that’s judgmental of you,” I said. “They called to cancel, but honestly, I told them I didn’t mind taking the risk in getting sick. Quite frankly, if you must know… I really need the money.” I huffed. “So, if you could just wait here, please.”

Crap. I might’ve botched that one. I walked over to where Saylor was playing with her toys. “Come with me for a moment, sweetie.”

She dropped the baton in her hand and obediently followed me into her bedroom without question.

I knelt down so I was eye level with her and whispered, “Saylor, I need you to listen to me, okay? I need you to do me a really big favor. Alright?”

Her eyes widened. “Okay.”

“Everything is okay. But I have to have a grown-up talk with that man out there, so I need you to stay in your room and not come out until I tell you to.”

“How long?”

“I don’t know yet, sweetie pie. But I need you to play with your toys in here until I tell you to come out.”

A look of fear crossed her face. “Is he a bad man?”

Shit. What have I done? I don’t want to scare her. Squeezing her shoulders, I said, “No, not at all, honey. Not at all. He’s a nice man. But there’s just some grown-up stuff he and I need to talk about. You don’t have anything to worry about, though. Okay?”

She blinked several times. “Okay, Billie.”

I hugged her tightly. “Thank you so much, pumpkin. I’ll come back in as soon as I can.”

I realized telling her to stay in her room was not ideal. But all I needed was for the investigator to start questioning her. Or Saylor to innocently offer him information. Then what? It would all be over.

I have to warn Colby.

Before I left the room, I shot out a text. My hands shook as I typed.

Billie: There’s an investigator here.

The dots moved as he responded.

Colby: OMG. What?

Billie: I told him I was babysitting.

Colby: Fuck! I thought they didn’t do drop-ins until after the hearing!

Billie: Apparently, they do.

Colby: He’s not talking to Saylor, is he?

Billie: I made up a story that she wasn’t feeling well and asked her to do me a big favor and stay in her room. I explained that I needed to talk to the man about grown-up stuff. I’m texting you from her room. I feel sick right now.

Colby: You did the right thing.

Billie: He asked if he could hang out here until you got back. I was afraid to send him away because this might be a good opportunity to deal with it head on, since I’m able to warn you. One less visit where you’re unprepared. If you can get back here with Maya…it might work out.

In what universe was I actually asking him to bring that bitch back here?

Colby: Good thinking. I’m gonna try to track her down.

Billie: If not, don’t come back here at all because he thinks you’re out together. You’d better get your stories straight about where you went, too. I need to go back out there. Just get here if you can.

I put the phone in my pocket and headed back out to where the man was still standing by the door.

“Sorry… She wanted me to read her a story,” I said.

He crossed his arms. “So, how long have you worked here?”

“I don’t recall exactly when I started, but it’s been a while now.”

“Years or…”

“Months,” I answered.

His eyes wandered down to my chest and back up. Lovely. A perv in disguise.

He cleared his throat. “Do you mind if I ask you some questions about the household?”

If I refused, would that only add suspicion to the whole situation? “Sure…” I forced a smile.

“What’s it like to work here?”

“Oh, I love it. Saylor is the sweetest. And Colby and Maya are great parents. They mainly call me over when they need a break. I’m not the main nanny or anything. Just an occasional babysitter.”

“What do you know about their relationship?”

“They’re very loving toward each other. But given that I’m mainly here with Saylor, I can’t say I spend a lot of time with them.”

Richard scratched his chin. “I suppose that’s a good point.”

“Their lives aren’t really any of my business,” I added.

He wrote something down. “Where did they go today?”

“I don’t typically ask them where they’re going. But it was a day-date…for leisure.”

He arched a brow. “You said it’s okay if I wait for them to return?”

“Sure. I don’t mind,” I said, feigning a lax attitude. “Can I get you anything to drink? A juice box? Some Goldfish?”

He laughed. “I’m good, thanks. Although if my ten-year-old were here, he’d be champing at the bit for some Goldfish.”

Richard began wandering the space. There weren’t any photos out. Nothing incriminating one way or the other that I could see. I prayed he didn’t ask to go into Colby’s bedroom. When he finally stopped walking around and took a seat on the couch, I used the opportunity to go check on Saylor.

“If you’ll excuse me, I’m just going to check on her again—make sure she’s okay and doesn’t need anything.”

“Go right on ahead.” He smiled.

I slowly opened her bedroom door and closed it behind me. “How’s it going, Saylor?”

She waved her little hand. “Hi.”

She was being so good, with her dolls seated at the little table. I wanted to cry. Such an innocent scene in the midst of this horrid drama.

She looked so proud. “We’re having a tea party.”

“Wow. I can see that. What a nice spread you have set up.”

“Can I come out now?”

My heart felt like it was breaking. “No, honey. Not yet. I just wanted to check on you and let you know I really appreciate you being such a good girl. If you need anything, just yell for me, okay?”

Her tone was morose. “Okay.”

I fucking hate this.

A few seconds after I returned to the living room, the front door opened and Colby walked in—with Maya. As much as I hated having to see her, I breathed out a sigh of relief.

Maya promptly put her arm around him. And now I felt like I was going to be sick.

“What’s going on here? Can I help you?” Colby asked the guy, playing dumb.

I answered before Richard could get the words out. “Mr. Lennon, this is Officer Richard Weber with Immigration? I told him he could wait here for you guys.”

“I’m just here for a routine visit,” the officer said. “I was hoping we could talk for a bit.”

“Of course.” Maya put on her best fake smile. She then turned to me. “How’s Saylor feeling?”

“She’s still not feeling great. But no worse than when you left.”

She pouted. “Poor baby.”

I shot quick daggers at Maya. Hopefully the man didn’t notice.

“Where were you two coming from?” he asked them.

“We just had a little mommy-and-daddy time,” Colby answered. He looked over at me. “Since she was nice enough to babysit for us.”

“We went to a movie and lunch,” Maya added.

Richard tilted his head curiously. “What movie did you see?”

“The new Tom Cruise one,” she said.

“Ah, yes. I saw it last weekend. It was very good.” He turned to Colby. “What was your favorite part?”

Colby scratched his chin. “That’s a tough one. I really like the whole dynamic between Goose’s son, Rooster, and Maverick.”

“Oh yeah. I loved that whole plotline.” He smiled, seeming to buy it.

Maya clung to Colby tighter. “We don’t get to the movies very often, so it was nice.”

My blood felt ready to boil.

“I have a ten-year-old, so I can relate to the need to get out.” Richard nodded.

Colby must have noticed my eyes fixed on Maya’s arm around him. I suspected he wanted to put me out of my misery. “Do you mind looking after Saylor while we talk to Officer Weber in private?” he asked me.

“Of course not.” I thumbed back toward her bedroom. “I’ll just go join her.”

I went back to Saylor’s room and found her still at the table she’d set up.

“I’m back, honey. Thank you for being such a good girl.”

“I heard Daddy. I wanted to run out to see him, but you told me to stay in here.”

“Yes!” I smiled. “Thank you for listening. It’s Daddy’s turn to talk to the man now. And as soon as he’s done, we can both go back out there. But the good news is, I’m done talking to the man and can play tea party with you now.”

As I sat down with Saylor and began pretending to drink some of the imaginary tea, I tried to make out what they were saying behind the door in the living area, but it was all faint and jumbled.

“Is there a lady out there, too?” Saylor asked.

Crap. “Yes. She’s an associate of Daddy’s who also came to talk to the man.”

“What’s her name?”

Hesitating, I answered, “Maya.”

“That’s a pretty name.”

I cringed. “Yeah, it is.” It was unsettling to appear jovial around Saylor when that bullshit was happening in the next room.

A few minutes later, the door burst open. “How’s my baby?” Colby headed straight to Saylor. It was like he couldn’t get to her fast enough.

“Daddy!” She ran to him.

Colby looked exhausted as he glanced at me and murmured, “He’s gone.”

He knelt and pulled her into a tight hug. “Were you the best girl ever while we were out there talking? Thank you so much, sweetheart.”

“I was, Daddy. Can I have orange chicken now?”

His shoulders sank. “Baby, I didn’t have a chance to pick up the food after all. I’m so sorry. But how about I make you your favorite homemade cheesy macaroni? You haven’t had that in a while.”

Her eyes lit up. “Okay.”

He stood up and whispered in my ear. “Maya insists on saying hello to her. I didn’t want to make a scene. I’m too damn spent. She promises to leave right after.”

Ugh. She’s still here? I let out a long sigh. “Okay.”

“You wanna come say hello to someone, Saylor?”

“Is it Maya?” she asked.

He looked to me, confused.

“Saylor heard a woman’s voice and had asked me who was talking. I told her she was an associate of yours named Maya.”

He nodded and looked down at Saylor. “Yes. Her name is Maya.” He exhaled. “Let’s go say hello.”

Saylor followed him out. “Okay.”

Maya was sitting on the couch. She stood up as soon as she saw Saylor enter the room.

Saylor was the first to speak. “Hi, Maya.”

Maya bent to meet her. “Well, hello, beautiful girl. How are you?”

“I’m good. Who are you again?” Saylor asked.

“I’m your daddy’s friend.”

“Oh.”

“Were you playing with Billie?” Maya asked.

The sound of my name coming out of her mouth was grating.

“Yup. We had a tea party.”

“That’s so much fun. I used to love to do that when I was young.”

Several awkward seconds of silence passed as Maya just stared at Saylor’s face. Poor little girl had no clue what was really happening.

“Well…” Maya’s eyes started to water. “I just wanted to say hello to you before I left.”

“Hello,” Saylor said innocently. She apparently hadn’t picked up on the fact that Maya was about to cry; I knew Saylor would have said something if she’d noticed.

Then Maya pulled Saylor in for a hug. Colby’s face was beet red. He looked like he was ready to lose it. She finally let Saylor go and turned to us. “Well, goodnight.”

Colby nor I said anything as she left.

Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

Thankfully, Saylor didn’t question us any further about Maya or anything else that had happened. She was just happy to have her daddy home and cooking her favorite meal.

Colby ended up making a huge batch of that mac and cheese for all three of us. It wasn’t the dinner we’d imagined, but then again, this entire evening had been flipped on its axis. I only hoped it had been worth it.

Because we ate later than expected, we opted to let Saylor pick an episode of a Disney show on demand instead of watching a full movie. Colby and I mostly stared at each other, still in disbelief as Saylor watched TV.

After the show ended, I offered to put her to bed.

When Colby and I were finally alone for the first time since this ordeal began, he wrapped his arms around me and let out a long breath into my neck. “You were a fucking rockstar today. I can’t thank you enough for putting up with that and for saving the whole situation. It could have been a huge disaster.”

“I didn’t do much.”

“Are you kidding? You handled it like a champ. You could’ve sent him away, but you knew facing the fire would be best. And it worked, I think. She and I didn’t fuck up because we’d had a chance to talk about what we were going to say.”

“I wasn’t sure if you were going to come back.”

“I probably wouldn’t have come back if I hadn’t located her in time.”

“How did you know that detail about the Tom Cruise movie?” I asked.

“I Googled spoilers on the way here.”

“Smart.”

He shook his head. “This whole thing is like a mind game, isn’t it? Like how fast can you absorb information?”

Colby’s phone rang, and he picked it up immediately. “Hello?” He turned to me and whispered, “It’s the attorney.”

Once again on edge, I watched as Colby spoke to him.

He pulled his hair in frustration as he listened. “Okay. Well, it’s unavoidable, so at least it’s set.” He stood up and paced. “Yup. Okay. That sounds good. I’ll see you next week on Thursday then. Thank you.”

After he hung up, he let out a long breath. “They set a date for the Stokes hearing. The attorney wants Maya and me to come in and meet with him this week so we can discuss a strategic plan.”

“Well, at least it’s progress.”

“Exactly. It’s like we have to go through hell to get to the other side,” he said.

“That’s a good way to describe it.”

A dark expression suddenly came over his face.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I feel like today is hitting me in waves,” he said. “I’m so ashamed to have put you through that.”

I shook my head. “Don’t worry about me. I’m fine. Truly.”

“Well, I’m not. You’re the most important thing in my life besides Saylor, and to have to reduce you to a babysitter? That just felt so damn wrong.”

“Please don’t expend any more energy worrying about my feelings. It was all an act. I know that. I handled it. It’s all good, Colby. Get out of your head tonight and come back to me instead.”

I tried my best to reassure him, but I knew with the hearing looming, the coming weeks were going to be the beginning of a new and very difficult chapter in our lives. For tonight, I just wanted to make him feel good again. Make us feel good again.

There was only one thing I could think of that might make that happen. “Hey, I have an idea,” I said.

“What?”

“Let’s go to bed early and play Mr. Lennon fucks the babysitter.”