The Book of Brooke

Chapter 1

I'm not really sure why the first job I took after my brother murdered his wife was babysitting for the lawyer who tried to keep him from going to prison for the rest of his life, but here I am. I've only ever seen him working on my brother's case, but he must not be a very good lawyer because my brother's corpse is going to rot there in the fifty something years he has left.

He's coming down the stairs now, he's already heard Michael crying. Why in the world would someone name a three year old Michael? I have no clue. He calls his son "Mikey" and I guess that's a bit better but since it's only my second day on the job i think i'll stick with Michael until we're better acquainted.

"What's going on?" He asks.

Do I call him Mr. Cohen? Jacob? Jake? He's got to be at least twenty years older than I am, his hair is greying in the salt and pepper way and so is his stubble. What about sir? Is that appropriate? He doesn't dress old enough to be called that. He's in his mid forties but dresses around ten years younger. Maybe he's going through some sort of mid life crisis? So in that case I should probably make him sound young with his first name, right?

"It's nothing, Mr. Cohen. I'm just getting his breakfast ready." I decided to go with the most professional of the names.

"Just Jacob is fine, Brooke." He says.

Okay, well at least i've got that answered. He slips on his suit jacket and straightens his tie before kissing Mikey on the forehead and grabbing his briefcase. Before I know it, he's already out the door.

I didn't have much time on the first day to look around, considering the fact that I was trying to get a three year old to like me and adjusting to the fact that I'm a college graduate who's not using her degree at all and instead playing nanny for minimum wage. From the looks of his house, he can afford to pay me a bit more, but I guess he wants to find out if I'm a good fit before commiting to a high paycheck. It's an expensive house, modern and spacious. Open concept, hardwood floors and almost pure white walls.

It doesn't matter to me. I'll be out of here soon with a real job.

Mikey doesn't like me all that much, that's probably why he's been crying so much since I got here. But my job isn't to make friends with my boss's child, it's to make sure that he's alive and well by the time that Jacob comes back and that's something that I can manage.

Halfway through his bread and strawberry jam and Mikey's hair is already all messed up somehow even though I just brushed it twenty minutes ago. I sigh and pick up the comb from the accent table in the corner of the kitchen where I left it before.

"Stay still, Michael." I say, holding Mikey's head still as I try to comb down the messy strands. He's got his father's black hair and light brown eyes but he's got his mother's nose and chin.

"I want the bread." He says almost monotone.

He's pretty well behaved, more so than other toddlers. He's quiet, but he'll talk to his parents in full sentences and he'll ask for things when he wants them which i appreciate. I used to babysit when I was fifteen for extra cash and even now, around seven years later I'm back where I started.

It was actually my brother, Garrett who got me that first babysitting gig, looking after his friend's little sister while he and Garrett went out clubbing with the fake ids he bought from some guy at his university. He's five years older than I am, although I haven't been invited to the last three of his birthday parties.

We never got along all that well; you might just chalk it up to sibling rivalry but I'm not too sure that it can be described like that. It's not really something I like thinking about especially since the last time that I talked about him to another person was while in court testifying against him as a character witness.

Mikey finally calms down and I finish combing down his hair again. Eventually he'll get used to having me around instead of his mom. Mrs. Cohen used to work nights, she would work in the nighttime, come home, sleep a bit and then take care of Mikey in the mornings and afternoons. Then, she would sleep again in the evening while Jacob was home and would repeat the process. It was a partnership and one that, according to Jacob, worked for a heck of a lot of years. I'm not sure why she's working days now, although I do know that she leaves for work before I get to the house and comes home right when I'm leaving. So, although our interactions have been brief she seems nice enough and was the one who made the call after my first interview.

When Mikey finishes lunch I clean up after him while he sits in front of the television absorbing episodes of "Bubble Guppies" into his little head and I get a call from Jacob. I pick it up on the third ring. Not too soon, not too late.

"Hey! So I know that you're watching Mikey but I actually accidentally forgot a really important case file in the house and I'm too swamped with work to leave. It should be in the closet in my bedroom, can you bring it to the office for me?" Jacob asks over the phone.

"Yeah, I can do that."

"Great! You can take my car, I took the motorcycle this morning anyways. Mikey's booster seat is already in the back and the keys are near the door."

"And your law office is...?"

"Oh, right! I'll text you the address. You can finish up what you're doing and then bring it to me, I need it before noon."

"Got it, boss."

Jacob hangs up before I do, and the dial tone on my phone rings out. I still have no clue how to change that setting so it doesn't do that. While Mikey is watching his show, I go upstairs and look around.

This is the first time I've been on the upper floor of the house aside from when Mrs. Cohen gave me the tour. I go into the room that she told me was hers and Jacob's, opening the slightly creaky door.

The walls are all painted in a deep blue color, there's a king sized bed and a sofa in the side of the room as well as an armchair. It's not too full but decently decorated. There's a few things that don't fit color wise but most of the room is harmonious. A full wall sliding mirror door reveals the closet, which I open and to my surprise, it's bigger than I thought. What looked like a regular closet is actually a walk in, lined with Jacob's clothes on the left and Mrs. Cohen's on the right.

Folder, folder, folder...

And then I see it. Not the folder, but something else. On the floor underneath the hanging pants is a big black rubber dildo. I gasp when I see it, quickly shielding my eyes. I look around, avoiding the area where I saw the toy and find the case file. I grab it and get out of there as quickly as possible. What Jacob and his wife do in the bedroom is none of my business.

I grab his keys, Mikey and the folder and when I get into Jacob's car, I try my hardest to stop thinking about what I just saw. After all, I wouldn't know anything about it. I'm still a virgin.