Mila's Reckoning

Chapter 6

Gino

"Hey, Elena. I need a huge favor," I said, knowing that opening this door with my sister was going to cause a series of questions to follow. "A friend of mine needs an in-home aide to help out with taking care of her grandpa."
"Hey, little brother. Good to talk to you, too. I mean it's only been a month since you've picked up the phone to call me," she said, just as I had expected.
Elena and I have always been close, but these last few years have created a hardship on the two of us. When we were younger, we were inseparable. It's crazy how much distance 45 miles can create between a brother and a sister.
"Yes, I know, I'm a terrible brother. But really, do you know anyone who may be interested," I asked, hoping that we could skip over the friend details.
"Well, first of all, since when do you have friends? You have co-workers and girls who fly in and out of your life, but your friends are here at home, Gino. Who is she," she probed, prying into my life as she always does. However, she's the one person that I enjoyed talking to about these things.
"Calm down, Elena, she doesn't have a ring on her finger. She's my lab partner, and she needs help. So once again, do you know of anyone?"
"Depends, how much does it pay?"
"It's really good pay, but the person needs to be prepared to be on-call at least 40 hours a week," I said.
"Yeah, there's a woman named Claire. Sounds like the job would be perfect for her, she doesn't have much of a life. Want to give this friend her number," Elena asked.
"Actually, I'll need to meet her first. Just text me her number and I'll reach out to her. Thanks, Elena," I said.
"So, back to the important things. Who is she," Elena asked.
"Right now, she's my lab partner," I said, hesitating to tell Elena how I was really feeling. I was still intimidated by the feelings myself, so I sure as heck wasn't about to chat about them with my nosey sister. "But hopefully, in the near future, she's something more."
"Wait a second, you're not doing this to get laid? You actually care about this girl," she questioned, sounding anxious.
"I'm not 18 anymore Elena, no I don't want to get laid. Text me Claire's number, we'll talk later. Goodnight," I said, hanging up before she had a chance to respond.
My sister has always known how to push my buttons, but I love her regardless. She's been there for my horrific romantic relationships or one night stands, and I'm sure it was bothering her that I may have feelings for someone that she's never met before. The whole family would be stunned to think that I would even consider dating someone outside of our tiny little town.
I felt a twinge of guilt for being so harsh with her, because a month ago, I would've been doing this to get laid. I wasn't sure what my motivations were, but they had nothing to do with getting Mila to bed. But that doesn't mean that I haven't thought of it. A lot.

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I had Claire meet me at a coffee shop downtown. When she showed up, she was dressed in casual clothing - I had tried to make sure she knew this wasn't really an official interview. Claire was late 40's, and had blonde wavy hair. She looked like a really kind woman, I should've known that Elena wouldn't disappoint.
"Claire, it's so great to meet you," I said, as she pulled up a chair across from me.
"And I, you. I'm quite intrigued as to why I'm meeting with my potential client's lab partner," she asked, laughing as she took off her scarf. If she only knew.
"I know it's weird, but this arrangement will probably be just as weird. My friend is in a tight spot, so I just want to help her out. Like Elena's probably told you, you'll need to be prepared to be on-call pretty much anytime throughout the week, maybe even the weekends. Obviously, it won't be any more than 40 hours, but it could be up to 40 hours some weeks. Do you think that will be a problem for you?" I asked, taking a sip of coffee. I had no intentions of beating around the bush with her because the sooner Bob has a nurse, the sooner Mila has one less thing on her plate.
"I don't see why it would, my day life is next to nothing and let's just say my night life can be as flexible as you need it to be," she said, laughing, "which is code for, I have no life." She smiled, looking toward the door.
"Now, Mila won't be able to pay much. Which is why we're meeting like this," I said, pausing to read the reaction on her face. "Whatever Mila offers you, just take it. I will pay the difference to make sure that you are making $35 an hour," I paused, as I noticed she had almost choked on her water, "which is about $10 more than you would be making at any other in-home job. These two mean a lot to me, and I want you to take the best care of her grandfather that you can. Does that sound reasonable?" I could tell that she was sold when I mentioned the rate, but I wanted to make sure.
"Wow. Absolutely, this job is perfect. I'm really glad Elena called me," she said.
"One last thing - Mila, nor Bob, can know anything about this arrangement. I would like for you to give Mila a call saying that you heard about the job opening, and go through the motions of an interview or whatever it is she wants. I promise, you'll get the job, you just need to make sure to keep this between the two of us. Okay?" I asked.
"Absolutely, Gino, I completely understand. Mum's the word," she said, winking as she put her scarf back on. "I'll give you a call when the deal is done."
"Good," I responded.
"If you're trying to woo a girl, little Goretti, you're on the right track," she said, and then sauntered out of the coffee shop.