She turned around and tried her best to hide the annoyance from her face, something she had never been very good at. “What’s up?”

“The deadline for summer registration is coming up, so I just wanted to see if Nolan will be joining us this summer.”

Erin cringed. She really didn’t want to talk about this right now, especially since she had no idea what to say. Sorry, I’m a single mom who refuses to ask my ex for child support since I can’t stand the thought of depending on her for anything, so I’m not sure how I’m supposed to afford the extra cost. No, definitely not  that. Erin had to think fast. “I actually had a question about that. My company allows me to work from home on Fridays, so I thought it would be nice to have that extra day with Nolan.” Nice or my only option? “How much would it cost to do four days instead of five?”

The director gave her a smile that Erin knew all too well. It was that pitying smile she had been getting from people ever since Bianca left. She knew exactly what Erin wasn’t saying. “Unfortunately, we don’t offer four days. We can either do two, three, or five.” The director’s face lit up. “But if you want to go down to three days, the price will stay the same as what you’re currently paying.”

Erin gritted her teeth. She didn’t need people making assumptions about her financial situation, even if those assumptions were true. It’s not like she didn’t have a well-paying job. The problem was that daycares were impossible to afford on just a single salary. “You know what? I think I’m going to hire a babysitter for the summer. He’ll like that. It will give him a chance to get out and enjoy himself more.” Erin knew that was an unfair jab. This really was a great daycare. She was just sick of feeling like she wasn’t doing enough for her son. “I would like to register him for the fall though.” Erin smiled widely so the director didn’t think she was a complete bitch.

The director smiled back at her. “We will certainly look forward to having him back. He’s a great kid.” She looked at her computer, but quickly looked back at Erin. “Oh, don’t forget that this session ends in three weeks. That’s when our summer program officially begins.”

“Three weeks. Of course.” Shit.

***

Shit, Erin thought to herself for what had to be the millionth time that day. She stared at the local babysitting Facebook group she had pulled up on her computer while she ate lunch at her desk. Normally, she would go for a walk during her lunch break, but this was more important. She needed to find an affordable babysitter who could start in three weeks. No pressure.