I stared at the numbers on my laptop screen, my heart sinking. No matter how many times I recalculated, the result was the same: daycare was too expensive.
“If only that place near the mall still had space,” I muttered under my breath.
“I still don’t understand why you want to waste money on daycare when I can watch this little angel for free,” Kelly, my mother-in-law, said, peering over my shoulder as she gently rocked baby Lily in her arms. “Those prices are outrageous!”
My jaw clenched. Kelly had always made it clear that no woman would ever be good enough for her son, Jordan. Over the years, I’d endured countless passive-aggressive remarks about my cooking, my housekeeping, and now—my parenting.
Still, I hesitated.
“I don’t know…” I said carefully.
Kelly waved a dismissive hand. “It’s simple, Lauren. Just say ‘yes.’”
I looked at my daughter’s peaceful face. She had no idea of the battle happening over her care. “I’ll think about it, Kelly.”
That night, I discussed it with Jordan.
“I know you and my mom don’t always see eye to eye,” he admitted. “But she raised me, didn’t she? It doesn’t have to be permanent. You said the daycare might have an opening soon, right?”
I sighed. “Okay, but she has to follow normal babysitting rules—no guests, no long phone calls, no wine in the afternoons. If I tell her, it’ll start a fight.”
“I’ll handle it,” Jordan promised. “Don’t worry, babe. Everything will be fine.”
And at first, it was.
For a week, Kelly sent me constant updates—pictures of Lily at the park, messages about her naps and feedings. She even had dinner ready when I got home. Maybe this arrangement could work after all.
“Thanks for everything this week,” I told her on Friday. “It’s been such a relief.”
Kelly beamed. “Being a grandmother is the greatest joy of my life. I should be thanking you.”
But my relief didn’t last long.
The following Thursday, I came home to find Kelly looking nervous, wiping her hands on her pants.
“How was your day?” she asked, her smile forced.
“Fine,” I said slowly, setting my bag down. “Where’s Lily?”
“Napping.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Is something wrong?”
She sighed dramatically and pulled something from her pocket. “There was a little accident. I was cleaning near the shelves, and this fell.”
She handed me the nanny cam. The screen was shattered beyond repair.
“I’m so sorry,” she said. “I know these things are expensive.”
I examined the broken device, suspicion creeping in. Kelly never touched our gadgets. The idea of her suddenly deciding to dust near the nanny cam seemed… odd.
“Don’t worry about it,” I said, keeping my voice even. “Accidents happen.”
“You’re not upset?”
“Of course not,” I lied.
That night, after Jordan was asleep, I connected the damaged camera to my laptop. The screen was useless, but the audio files were intact. My hand hovered over the most recent recording. Was I being paranoid?
I hit play.
At first, it was normal. Kelly singing lullabies, Lily cooing. Then—the sound of the front door opening.
“Hello?” Kelly called.
“It’s just me,” a man’s voice responded.
I froze. Who was that?
“You sure she won’t find out?” the man asked.
Kelly laughed. “Relax. She’s at work. We have hours.”
Footsteps. Cupboards opening. The clink of glasses.
“Wine?” Kelly offered.
“Don’t mind if I do.”
More laughter. Flirty giggles. My stomach twisted. Kelly wasn’t just babysitting—she was using my house as her personal dating spot!
I snapped my laptop shut, my hands shaking. I barely slept that night. By morning, I had a plan.
“Have a good day at work,” Kelly chirped as I kissed Lily goodbye.
“You too,” I said, forcing a smile.
I got in my car and drove away—but instead of heading to work, I circled back and parked a block away. Thirty minutes later, I crept up to the house and unlocked the door.
Laughter greeted me before I even stepped inside.
There they were—Kelly and an older man, sipping wine at my dining table. No baby monitor in sight.
“Where’s Lily?” I demanded.
Kelly paled. “Lauren! What are you doing here?”
The man shifted uncomfortably. “Uh, I should go—”
“No,” I snapped. “You should stay. Because I’d love to know why my mother-in-law is drinking with a stranger while she’s supposed to be watching my daughter.”
A tense silence filled the room. Then, the sound of Lily fussing from the nursery.
Kelly huffed. “Oh, don’t be so dramatic! Greg is a very nice man from my church group.”
“I don’t care if he’s the Pope,” I shot back. “You were ignoring my daughter for a date!”
“She’s in her crib, perfectly safe,” Kelly argued.
“She’s been crying,” I pointed out, already heading for the nursery.
Lily’s face was scrunched in discomfort. I checked her diaper—soaked.
“I wasn’t ignoring her!” Kelly insisted from the doorway.
I held up the dripping diaper. “Really, Kelly? This rash isn’t healing because you left her sitting in this!”
Kelly had nothing to say to that.
That night, I told Jordan everything. His face darkened with every word. He called Kelly, putting her on speaker.
“Mom, what were you thinking?” he demanded. “Lauren told me everything.”
“Oh, I see,” Kelly sneered. “She’s turning you against me.”
“I heard the recording myself,” Jordan said. “You broke our trust. You brought a stranger into our home while babysitting Lily.”
“I was lonely!” Kelly shouted. “Greg is just a friend!”
“You ignored Lily for wine and company. That’s not okay.”
“You’re overreacting!”
“No, Mom,” Jordan said firmly. “We can’t trust you anymore. We’ll find someone else.”
“You can’t mean that! She’s my granddaughter!”
“And she’s our daughter,” Jordan replied before ending the call.
Then he called a locksmith. “Just to be safe.”
As we lay in bed that night, I whispered, “Do you think we did the right thing?”
Jordan was silent for a long moment. Then, he squeezed my hand. “Yes. She crossed a line.”
We’d have to find new childcare, but one thing was clear—no free babysitting was worth risking our daughter’s safety or our peace of mind.
