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CALLIOPE

W hat the hell was I doing? The competitor in me wanted this job not because I’d ever wanted to be a nanny but because I desperately wanted a win. Life had been kicking my ass recently, and I wanted to prove to myself that I still had a future.

I immediately liked Kelsey, Crew’s mother.

Through my quick search on the way here, I realized that her husband Sam was a player for the Minutemen and that Tom, Crew’s biological father, was an NHL player based in Colorado.

The family was attempting to raise their little boy with impossible schedules.

“Do you want to meet Crew?” Kelsey asked, and both men relaxed.

“Please. Is he here?” I asked, my eyes drifting towards the door.

“No. My sister brought him to a playground around the corner, and they could be here in a few minutes. Did Monica tell you anything about our situation?” She asked as she sent a text message, likely to her sister.

“Not really,” I admitted. “I used the NDA to obtain your names and did a quick Google search on the way over.”

“We do our best to keep things as private as possible for Crew’s benefit. I met my husband Sam when Crew was three months old. I was raising Crew alone, not because Tom didn’t want to be involved, but because I didn’t know how to contact him,” she explained and smiled reassuringly at Tom.

“Unfortunately, the story leaked sooner than we planned. That’s likely what your Google search turned up.

Until this summer, I was breastfeeding Crew, and all visits with Tom were coordinated around my schedule.

And as much as I would love to be able to spend the entire winter traveling, I’m four months pregnant and due in December. I can’t travel after October.”

It was only then that I noticed a cute baby bump. I mean, everything about Kelsey was cute. Of course, she’d have an adorable baby bump.

“How old is Crew?” I asked.

“He’s sixteen months old. I won’t lie; he’s a handful,” she said apologetically. “But he’s a better traveler than most adults. He’s been traveling almost weekly since he was three months old.”

“Will I always be traveling alone with him?”

“The first trip to Colorado, I’ll be there with you.

But after that, when Tom has him this winter, you’ll be alone with him.

Tom travels with the team, and families are rarely allowed on the charter, so if you go to the away game, you guys will fly separately.

Sometimes, you might stay behind in Colorado, be here, in Boston, or travel with Tom.

It’s complicated, but Monica helps us keep track of the schedule. ”

“I like to have him at as many home games as possible. And he goes to every game Sam pitches,” Tom, the hulking Viking in the corner. Dear Lord, this woman picked some good-looking men to procreate with, and I ended up dating Zander, a man who thought an internship was more important than me.

I then noticed a calendar with Post-it notes and color-coded dates. “This is Monica’s handiwork. I can tell. We see a tangled mess; her brain sees solutions.”

“She makes the impossible seem possible,” Sam said.

“Hey, Kylie is here with Crew. I know it’s probably awkward for you, but do you mind just playing with him while we observe you?” Kelsey asked.

Oh, my word. Crew came running in, much steadier on his feet than I’d been expecting for his age. And he was tall!

“Mama!” He yelled, running into her arms as she swept him off his feet, tickling him until he giggled.

Kelsey pointed at Tom, “Who’s that, buddy?”

“Dada,” the little boy answered proudly.

“And who’s that?” She pointed at Sam.

“Pops!” he answered excitedly, looking over at me, “Mama?” he questioned.

“That’s Calliope. Can you say Calliope, Crew?”

His face screwed up in concentration, “Pee?” He asked uncertainly, and when everyone laughed, he buried his head shyly in his mother’s shoulder.

“Hey, Crew, do you want to play blocks with me? I wanted to build a tower,” I said, sitting on the floor before the toy blocks. We sat on the floor, and I built several short towers that Crew knocked over before he got bored and pulled a book off the shelf.

“He’s probably ready for a nap. He’s been climbing and running for the last two hours,” Kylie said.

I sat on the floor, trying to keep my knees together in the pencil skirt, wrapping my ankles behind me.

Crew pushed the book at me. “Moo cow,” he said, pointing at the cow on the cover before settling next to me on the floor and flipping the pages of his book.

He continued to talk, and I did my best to understand what he was saying.

His language was still a lot of babble, with some keywords mixed in.

Kylie collected Crew and offered to take him home for a nap so we could continue with our interview.

Tom would be in Boston through the end of August, with training camp beginning early in September.

The baseball season would end in September, though the Minutemen were first in the league and almost guaranteed a playoff bid.

Kelsey explained that she would be fully available to help with the transition through October, but after that, I would be his full-time provider while he was with Tom.

When he was in Boston, I’d be on call. I would have a suite in both homes, first-class travel, and a credit card would be available for incidentals.

“The only thing we ask is that you don’t date our teammates, and the NDA will also extend to what you learn about them,” Sam said. “It would be immediate grounds for termination.”

“I don’t intend to date anyone, but can I ask why?”

“You will have access to athletes, not just our teams, but others. Many women would take this job to meet an athlete; we’d like to protect Crew from having a distracted caregiver and eliminate messy drama.”

I nodded in agreement, “Makes sense. But what will you do to protect me from them?”

“I’m pretty good at defense,” Tom said, his deep, booming voice making me jump. The man barely spoke, but when he did, he commanded the room. I met his gaze, seeing the resemblance between him and Crew. The little boy had his father’s eyes.

Tom was at least an inch taller than Sam, whom I estimated to stand at least 6’3”, but where Sam was lean, Tom was hulking and just plain massive.

At sixteen months, Crew already looked to be on the bigger end of the growth curve.

He also seemed very comfortable with his circle, and while he was a little shy at first, he was confident.

“When would I start?” I asked.

“Because we are still in Boston, we’d start by having you spend a few afternoons with him this week. Sam pitches on Friday. We can all attend the game together. It will give you a good indication of what he’ll be like on your own at a hockey game.” Kelsey explained.

“Am I expected to put him in Blizzard’s attire?” I asked, dreading wearing anything but Boston’s colors.

Sam interrupted, “He wears our jerseys. Always.”