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“Their house isn’t that far. You can ride with me and then I can drop you off. You’ll get to see Juni in her natural habitat.” She snorted.

“Oh. Sure.” That made more logical sense, but it also meant that I’d have to sit in close proximity to this incredible creature for a longer period of time and that was going to be brutal.

Still, if this job was going to work out, I’d have to desensitize myself from being around her. Just get used to her. See her as my employer. The mother of my charge. Once I started working for her, we wouldn’t see each other all that much anyway. She’d be at work and I’d be busy with Juniper. Just ships passing in the night.

I followed Larison out to her car that had a booster seat in the back.

“It’s great that you have a car. I have an extra seat at my moms’ house for you if you want to take Juniper somewhere. She loves the library and there’s a park right near our place. And the beach. She is obsessed with the ocean, but once she goes in, it’s impossible to get her out.” She laughed fondly and it was easy to see just how much she adored her daughter.

“Sounds like a fun kid.”

“She is. She really is.”

From what Sophie had told me, Larison had been young when she’d had Juniper and I guess the dad hadn’t stuck around. I wondered if she missed him.

While she drove, Larison told me more about Juniper, from her food preferences to the strategies she’d use to try and get her way.

“You’ve probably dealt with that kind of thing before though, so I don’t know why I’m telling you all this,” she said, sounding a little nervous for the first time.

“Every kid is different and sometimes it can take some time to figure out what they need from me.” Some kids were easier than others. I had a feeling that Juniper was going to be pretty easy.

We reached a lovely white-painted home with cheery yellow shutters that was smack dab in the middle of the kind of residential neighborhood where kids went trick-or-treating and people sat on their porches and waved to anyone walking by. It was all very idyllic.

“Here we are,” Larison said, pulling into the driveway. “I didn’t tell them you were coming with me.” She pulled out her phone and typed out a quick message.

The front door opened and a little girl who was the spitting image of Larison ran toward us.

She sighed and got out of the car. Juniper flung herself into Larison’s arms, but she set her down and crouched to Juniper’s level.

“Juniper Emily. What have I told you about running out of the house without an adult?” Her voice was muffled, but I could still hear her.

Juniper sighed and rolled her eyes. “Not to leave the house without an adult. But you were righthere. I saw you through the window.”

A woman with short graying blonde hair, high cheekbones, and a strong jaw came through the door and I assumed that was one of Larison’s mothers. She winced as she walked toward the car, and she had a visible limp. I remembered something about her needing help because one of her mothers was having surgery.

Larison and Juniper were still talking, and I didn’t know what to do.

“Who’s that?” Juniper asked, pointing at me.

I raised my hand and waved.

“That’s Jo. She’s a friend. Do you want to meet her?” It was probably good to introduce me as a friend for now. Springing me on Juniper without warning might be a little traumatic. I wasn’t sure how much her mom had told her about having someone like me watch her during the day.

I got out of the car and kept my focus on Juniper.

She eyed me suspiciously and I had to hold back a laugh. I liked this kid already.

Crouching down, I met her eyes. “Hi, Juniper. I’m Jo. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Hi,” Juniper said, her eyes flicking to me and then to her mom, who had stood up and was holding Juniper’s hand.

“Your mom has told me so much about you. She said you love to go to the library and you love books. Me too.”

Juniper was still studying me with reserve.

“Wanna know something cool?” I asked her.

“Okay,” she said, swinging her arm that was linked with Larison’s.