Page 21 of Well Aware

I caught her jacket off the hook and helped her slip it on.

She zipped it up herself, then started reading her book again.

“That one,” Bobbie Price, the daycare teacher who had been hired to teach the kids while their mothers were working, clucked. “Gonna read herself to death one day.”

As if that was even a thing.

But I chose not to say anything and said, “Where’s Margie?”

Bobbie pointed toward the corner of the room.

I frowned. “She’s sleeping?”

Wasn’t nap time over two hours ago?

“Never woke up from her nap,” she said. “Never wake a sleeping baby.”

I ignored that and walked to where Margie was asleep and found her wide awake just lying in bed.

She smiled when she saw me.

“Hey, Peanut.” I tickled her belly.

“Oh, she’s awake?” Bobbie asked.

I chose not to say anything and picked Margie up.

She cooed as I curled her into my body.

My hand went to her bottom, and I found that her diaper was full. “You mind changing her before I take her?”

“Boone can’t do that?”

I leveled her with a look. “I hope that you don’t regularly give these kids back to their parents dirty.”

Bobbie blinked. “Of course not.”

She took her from my arms and went to the changing table to get her changed.

When she was given back to me, Margie gurgled again in happiness.

She hadn’t gurgled for the teacher, I’d noticed.

“Do you think it’s okay to go home, boss?”

“No,” I said. “I’m not sure if I can keep Iris all day, nor do I know if she’ll want to stay with me for the rest of the day. And you’ll need to be here, like always, until the players all go home.”

Like you know is in your contract.

“Got it.” She smiled.

Though it looked forced.

I tucked a blanket from Margie’s cubby around her, then called to Iris. “You ready, Worm?”

It was short for bookworm.

I’d started calling Iris Bookworm at first, but it’d slowly morphed into Worm.