He knew how to clean house, shop for groceries, and play the piano. After high school, he’d won a scholarship to Temple University in Philadelphia and he’d majored in psychology.
His goal was to get his master’s degree in clinical psychology, but he was taking a year off to save money so he could go back to school and study part time. He said he was looking for a job as a live-in housekeeper so he could save up enough to pay for his own tuition, and he wanted to continue working full time when he went back for his master’s. But more than that, he loved working with kids and was hoping to find a job with a family that had kids. When he said he missed his own brothers and sisters, he looked down at his sneakers and frowned.
When they reached the patio off the kitchen, Luis turned and said, “You certainly sound like you’ve been working hard all your life. Is there anything you can’t do?”
Luis respected hard work. He’d always worked hard himself, and he was still working hard, proving to himself he could do anything he set his mind to.
“I’m not great with construction or anything mechanical,” Darius said. He shrugged and lifted his large hands. “The best I can do is screw in a light bulb. Even then I’m not too sure what I’m doing.”
Luis laughed. “Well, there’s nothing mechanical about this job, and we already have a full-time handyman. Basically the job involves housekeeping and taking care of Hunter when Jase and I are working.” Then Luis went into a detailed explanation of the actual job requirements. He made a point of telling Darius that whomever they hired would be expected to go back and forth with them between New York and Bucks County, and possibly spend some time in Alaska on holidays.
Before he had a chance to finish speaking, Cory walked up to the patio and looked Darius up and down. He rubbed his jaw and asked Luis, “Do you need any help right now? I was going to knock off for lunch. But I can stick around if you need me.” Then he frowned at Darius and looked him up and down again.
Luis smiled. Cory had always been protective. “Cory, this is Darius. He’s applying for the job as housekeeper.” Luis left off the nanny part. It didn’t seem right calling a young man like Darius a nanny. “Darius, this is Cory, our handyman, designer, and the one who does almost everything around here.” He added the last part to boost Cory’s male ego. He didn’t want Cory to feel threatened by Darius.
Cory sent Luis a blank stare. He didn’t make a move to shake Darius’s hand, not even when Darius extended his.
“Can I talk to you about the pool over there?” He gestured to the back door.
They left Darius standing alone and walked to the back door. When they were out of listening distance, Cory said, “This guy doesn’t look like the housekeeper type to me.”
“He didn’t look like the housekeeper type to me either,” Luis said. “But I’ve been talking to him and asking questions and he really does seem competent and reliable.”
“Did you notice the way Camp didn’t go running over to him?”
Luis had missed that completely. He looked at a lounge chair on the patio not far from where Darius was standing and saw Camp. The little dog was sitting up on the end of the chair, glancing at Darius’s back. He wasn’t making a move one way or the other. “Maybe Camp is tired. He’s getting older now.” Camp had been a rescue dog Luis had found in a back alley, so he had no way of knowing exactly how old he was. Their vet said he could do tests to find out, but Luis figured they were better off not knowing. If it turned out Camp was actually ten years old, or even older, it would have killed Luis to think he wouldn’t have him as long as he’d hoped he’d have him.
“And look at what he’s wearing,” Cory said. “Who goes to a job interview dressed like that?”
Luis wouldn’t have gone to an interview in basketball shorts and sneakers. But he knew most people were dressing more casually these days. They dressed in shorts and sneakers on planes. They went to the movies the same way. Who was he to judge the way anyone else dressed? Besides, Luis knew the shorts and sneakers Cory was wearing weren’t cheap.
They’d probably cost him as much as a pair of khaki slacks and brown shoes would have cost. “He looks neat and clean,” Luis said, “and that’s all I care about. He’s not applying for a job as a fashion model. To be honest, I like his casual look. He’s not pretentious at all.”
“I’d wait until Jase gets home to make a decision about this guy,” Cory said. “At least think about it first. Don’t jump into this with blinders.”
“Are you implying I’m impulsive, Cory?” Luis asked.
“I happen to have very good instincts. Look at Thomas. I knew he’d be the perfect tenant for Angus Bernie’s house. I’ve never met a more pleasant man in my life. And he’s even promised to pull out his crystal ball and tell me my future.”
Cory rolled his eyes when Luis mentioned the crystal ball. “Look,” Cory said, “it’s none of my business and I don’t want to speak out of turn, but I know you. You’re too trusting sometimes. You think everyone is honest and they aren’t. Just think about it before you hire him. Please wait for Jase.”
“Now you sound like Jase,” Luis said. He didn’t need two husbands.
“I’m looking out for you, is all.”
“And sometimes you don’t trust enough,” Luis said.
“But I promise. I won’t make any decisions unless I’m absolutely sure he’s the right person for the job.”
However, after Cory left, Luis made a fresh pot of coffee and wound up spending the next hour with Darius at the kitchen table. They went into more detail about Darius’s experience with taking care of a household, about his experience with kids, and about what his actual responsibilities would be. Luis even showed him the small back bedroom and bathroom off the kitchen where he’d be living if he took the job. During the interview and the tour, Luis couldn’t find anything wrong with him other than he didn’t look like a housekeeper.
Darius answered every question with a look in the eye and a friendly, even tone. He didn’t hesitate once and he didn’t have to gaze up at the ceiling to think about anything too long. When it finally came out he’d coached a Little League baseball team back in Utah, Luis sat back and pressed his palm to his chest and listened. Hunter’s serious interest in baseball was starting to surface, and this was one area where Luis couldn’t help him. The only thing Luis knew about baseball was that baseball players were fast in bed, good with their hands, and looked hot in their uniforms. He’d dated a professional baseball player before he’d met Jase, but he knew nothing about the game of baseball and couldn’t have cared less. Though Jase was great at all sports, and he made all the time he could to be with Hunter and talk about sports, it certainly couldn’t hurt to have a guy around who used to coach baseball, especially Little League.