𝑻 𝑯 𝑬 𝑵 𝑨 𝑵 𝑵 𝒀 (18+)

thirty-seven

                                  A M A R A

"After telling you to stop and tie your shoe four times, what did you take away from this fall?" I asked Josh while blowing gently on the open wound on his knee. He didn't cry but a string of curse words unexpectedly flew from his mouth and outside of the people looking at the poor kid scream in pain, it was pretty funny. Dominic would have my head if I told him what he'd said today and knowing that I tucked it into my pocket for a later date. Of course, I told him what Dom always told him, "curse words are for grown-ups," but because I would say much worse if I'd scraped up my knee as bad as him I let him off easy.

"Your mom is gonna kill me when she sees this," I laughed and gently rubbed some topical cream over it before adding a bandaid. Zaria used to make fun of me for keeping a first aid kit in my car but this was the exact reason why I did so.

"Can we have ice cream before dinner since Joshy hurt himself," Jamie asked while spinning himself around in a circle. He'd been doing that for the past thirty seconds and if he didn't stop soon I'd be dealing with throw-up and a crap knee. "Jamie stop spinning please, and no no ice cream before dinner. I think Olivia made fajitas do you really want to ruin your appetite with dairy-free ice cream?"

Josh scrunched up his little red nose, "I don't want fajitas."

"Fine by me, just make sure to give me your plate when no one is looking. Jamie, grab your books we're going." I groaned while trying to pick Josh up—unsurprisingly Dominic made it look easy. I struggled to shuffle to the car when I heard a voice call after me. "Miss! Excuse me, I think you might've dropped this!" I turned around with a huff and stared down the breathless stranger. He stopped to catch his breath for a moment before extending a small stuffed dinosaur toward me. "Is this yours little man?"

Jamie smiled and grabbed the plush toy from his hand with an enthusiastic thank you. I smiled and thanked him as well, "You're a lifesaver actually. I would've been dead if he'd noticed any later."

The man who looked to be around my age maybe a few years older smiled and took a deep breath. "I get it, my little sister is the same way." He looked between Josh and Jamie before tipping his head, "are they yours?"

Fighting a God no, I shook my head and adjusted Josh on my hip. "No, I'm just the nanny. A nanny that really has to get going or else I'm going to be late, thank you again..."

"Harry," he smiled. "Well then thank you, Harry, I'm Amara." I extended a hand and he shook it. His grip was strong but his hands were so soft, "are you from this area or are you a transplant?" Was it that obvious I wasn't from around here?

"They are but I'm not. I'm from Maine and—" A little girl with two pigtails smacking her face ran over and hung off of his free arm, "there you are!"

Jamie took a few steps back and grabbed my hand, "Ah yes Amara this is my sister Megan." She smiled and waved at me but since all my hands were taken I gave her a warm hello instead. "Shit, I'm probably holding you up aren't I?"

I could see Josh nodding his head from my parephial vision, "Just a tad but it was really nice talking with you. Thanks again for the dino, I'll see you around maybe?"

He nodded and his sister waved beside him, "I'll hold you to it. I'll see you, Amara."

❥

"What is this? On his knee?" Stephanie asked me with a harsh tone. I bit off the end of Josh's fajita and shrugged, "he scraped his knee. I cleaned it and then I'll do it again before he goes to bed."

She hummed, "Is it bad?"

"It was a nasty fall but I think he's looking forward to the scab," I joked regretting it soon after. Dominic would laugh but Stephanie on the other hand—"I'm sorry?"