Crazy About the Baumgartners Read Online Free PDF Page A

recycling bin on one of the chairs, walking slowly over to where they
were sitting. They looked serious, too serious, and I was suddenly nervous.
    “Am
I getting fired?”
    “No!”
Doc. laughed. “Of course not!”
    “Doc
told me about you and Ronnie.” Mrs. B reached out, taking my hand. Hers was
soft, tender, as she pulled me toward the third chair. “I’m so sorry.”
    “Thanks.”
I sank into the lawn chair across from the two of them.
    “We’ve
been talking,” Doc said, leaning forward, elbows on his knees, fingers tented.
“And we’d like to you to stay.”
    “Oh.”
I looked around at the mess all over the lawn, empty bottles and cans, junk
food wrappers, used sparklers and fireworks wrappers. “Well, thanks. I
appreciate it. I can stay the night and help you clean up in the morning.”
    “No,
Gretchen.” Mrs. B smiled, shaking her head, leaning forward again to take my
hand in hers. “We want you to stay. Here. Full-time.”
    “You
mean, as a live-in?” I looked between the two of them, back and forth, not
quite believing what I was hearing.
    “Yes,”
Doc insisted with a reassuring smile. “We want you to live here. We’ll give you
the guest room upstairs.”
    “Are
you sure?” I looked down at Mrs. B’s hand in mine.
    “We
were already going to ask.” Mrs. B covered my hand with her other one. “You
know we’ve been approved as a foster family and they’ll probably place a baby
with us soon.”
    A
baby. I saw a lot of sleepless nights in my future. But I didn’t really mind.
The Baumgartners paid very well already, and I was only with them part-time. A
full-time position would be even better. And I wouldn’t have to worry about
getting another roommate, and I wasn’t ready for that. Not yet.
    “What
do you say?” Doc prompted.
    “Yes.”
I smiled, squeezing Mrs. B’s hand in mine. “Absolutely. I’d love to.”
    “I’m
so glad.” Mrs. B sat back, looking relieved. “You’re already a part of a
family. Now you’ll just be living with us too. It’s perfect!”
    The
perfect solution.
    “You
can stay in the guest room tonight.” Doc stood, yawning and stretching. “We’ll
get your stuff this weekend.”
    “Thanks.”
I stood too, looking between them. “Really, you guys… thanks. You’ve saved me so
many times.”
    Well,
twice. But who was counting?
    “And
you’ve saved us,” Mrs. B reassured me, standing and putting an arm around her
husband’s waist. “You’re so good with Janie and Henry.”
    “They’re
good kids.” I knew that was true even more after tonight, having hung out with
a bunch of other kids who weren’t anywhere near as well behaved. “Well, I guess
I’ll go turn in. I’ll get up early so we can clean up this mess.”
    “Goodnight,
Gretchen.” Doc called as I headed toward the house.
    “Goodnight.”
I closed the French doors behind me, looking around the enormous family room
with its cathedral ceilings, giant TV, brick fireplace. This was home now? It
was hard to imagine.
    I
went upstairs, used the bathroom, undressed down to my t-shirt and underwear,
and got into the big guest room bed. I turned out the lamp and snuggled under
the covers, thinking about Ronnie, about the Baumgartners. About my life up
until now and my life going forward. Was this it? Was I going to be a nanny
forever? I wasn’t averse to the idea—and I was relatively good at it. And
I did love the Baumgartners.
    It
wasn’t such a bad gig, really. At least until I found someone I wanted to spend
the rest of my life with. Until I wanted to start my own family, if I ever did.
There was a part of me that longed for it, that one special someone. I had it,
briefly, with Ronnie. I’d glimpsed what it could be like, when I looked at the
Baumgartners. I just wasn’t so sure it was something I was ever going to find.
My luck, so far, hadn’t been so great in that department.
    I
heard the Baumgartners come upstairs and get ready for bed. I’d left my door
open a crack,