It was a little embarrassing for Sofia to admit that she hadn't, in fact, had much experience with children. Being an only child hadn’t done her any favors on that front, not to mention the lack of cousins. Thankfully, Ginger didn't seem to mind.

  The older woman chuckled at her sheepish admission. "Don't fret, dearie. We all had to start somewhere. So long as you're willing to learn, that's all we need. Especially since I take recommendations seriously, especially from your mother."

  Sofia gave a nervous smile at that. She already knew that the director was close friends with her mom, of course. That was one of the main reasons she was applying here specifically, and likely one of the main factors in her getting an interview. Thankfully, the job was entry level enough that she didn't feel too bad about the blatant nepotism.

  Ginger continued on with a slew of questions—why she wanted to work here, how she'd handle a rowdy child, if she had a criminal history, and so on. Sofia did her best to answer everything truthfully, but also in a way that would inspire confidence in her abilities. Given the mostly approving nods that the director sent her way, it seemed like she was succeeding.

  No telling for sure until the very end. Still, I feel pretty confident here. I guess all of that interview prep did pay off.

  After what felt like a relatively standard interview, Ginger shuffled a few papers on her desk. "Good, good. Now, there's one more matter I should address. At Ms. Grimm’s, we accept all kinds—well, nearly all kinds." The old woman chortled as if it were a private joke. "So long as you're willing and able to work with kids, we're willing to accommodate. As such, we tend to have a very… colorful group under our roof." The woman gave her a meaningful look. "But despite all of our differences, at the end of the day, we are a team. A ragtag team, but a team nonetheless. I expect everyone to work together and help each other out, regardless of any personal differences or histories or anything of the sort."

  Sofia nodded eagerly. "Of course. That makes sense."

  Throughout her college experience, she'd encountered all different types of people, many of whom she'd had to room with or—worse—tackle group projects alongside. With that kind of experience under her belt, nothing could make her bat an eye here.

  Ginger relaxed back into her chair, sighing. "Wonderful. Well, I believe that's about all I have… are there any questions you'd like to ask me?"

  Sofia thought for a moment. She'd heard that asking at least one question at an interview was never a bad idea, and so she'd come up with a few options on her drive over. "Do you have any tips, or things I can do on my own to prepare for working here?"

  "Oh! Certainly." Ginger's face brightened. "We have mandatory training materials to help you prepare, of course, but there are a whole suite of extra ones that you can look over if you'd like. They'll help with more specific age groups and situations, or whatever strikes your interest. Aside from that… I'd recommend stocking up on some vitamin C and elderberry supplements. You'll need all the help you can get to stay healthy, especially those first few weeks. Though maybe your mother has better remedies in mind."

  Sofia nodded gratefully. "Awesome. Then… when can I expect to hear back?"

  The older woman smiled warmly. "Well, right now, I suppose. I'd like to formally extend you an offer today."

  "Really?" She perked up immediately.

  "Of course," Ginger chuckled. "To be perfectly honest, we could use the help at the moment. We have a few folks who are away for a little while, so having an extra pair of hands to fill in would take a load off everyone else's shoulders. Since you seem like a decent enough girl, I'd be happy to bring you on board."

  Sofia's grin broadened, her tension quickly giving way to excitement. Finally, after all her searching, she would have a job. It was a different direction than she'd expected to go, but not necessarily a bad one. Theoretically, she could even put her psychology knowledge to use in a setting like this. Besides, at this point, she was willing to take anything. "Thank you!"

  Ginger smiled and held up a staying hand. "Of course, there’s a few other things we need to take care of first. As I mentioned, you'll have a decent amount of trainings to complete. There's also some background checks, CPR certification, new hire paperwork… most of those shouldn’t take more than a few days to knock out, though. We can even get started today, if you'd like."

  "Sure, I don't mind." Sofia agreed readily. Now that her job search was officially over, she didn't have any plans for the rest of the day. Besides, the sooner she finished this up, the sooner she could start working—and getting paid.

  "Excellent! Well, then, first thing's first. Could you place your hand on this for me?"

  The woman extended what appeared to be a small rectangular tablet towards her. Its screen glowed with a featureless blue light. Shrugging, Sofia did as she was asked.

  As her palm made contact, she was surprised at how warm the surface felt. The screen shimmered for a second, then glowed green.

  "Good, good." Ginger smiled and stowed it away. "That's for our internal background check. It will also let you register for the door once everything else comes back alright. Now then…" She seemed to conjure up a stack of papers from midair. "Let's get started."

  ***

  Ginger led her into the daycare's break room to get started on her paperwork. It was a surprisingly nice place, brightly colored like the rest of the building and boasting an assortment of dated, but well-maintained appliances for employees looking to grab a quick bite. A pair of round tables occupied the center of the room, each sporting a collection of blue plastic chairs about their perimeters.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  A stack of papers thudded onto the table before Sofia. Ginger sighed, dusting her hands off. "Well! That should about do it. Do you have any questions, dearie?"

  Sofia thought for a moment before shaking her head. "I don't think so. Not yet, at least."

  "Excellent." The old woman smiled. "Well, if anything comes to mind, don't hesitate to ask. I'll certainly be around. Feel free to help yourself if you'd like a snack or something to drink—though the fridge is full of employee lunches, so please leave those be. Oh, and don't worry about finishing all of this today. I'd expect it to take a few days at least. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some paperwork of my own to attend to…"

  The older woman offered Sofia one last cheery wave before bustling off. The door swung shut with a soft click, leaving her in silence.

  Now that she was alone, Sofia took the opportunity to more thoroughly examine the break room. It was relatively small and surprisingly cozy. A long counter bearing a microwave, a coffee maker, a sink, and a few other appliances spanned one side. She even spotted a little display with instant coffee pods, tea, and disposable cups ready for use. The fridge that Ginger had mentioned sat in the very corner of the room, one of those older-style white ones. And next to it…

  Is that… a doghouse?

  Sofia blinked and rubbed her eyes. Sure enough, there was a small wooden house sitting on the floor, painted in shades of white and seafoam green. It was a cute little thing, about the size for a golden retriever with a little gate that closed over the entrance.

  Peering inside, Sofia's frown deepened. Why is there a toaster in there?

  After contemplating the strange sight for a long moment, she shrugged. Whatever the reason was, it wasn't like she'd be finding out right now. Maybe she'd ask Ginger about it later.

  Sofia stretched, taking in the stack before her. Well… I guess I'd better get started.

  With that, she began sorting through the new hire paperwork. It was a collection of handbooks, worksheets, and forms, many of which were still warm from the printer. A textbook-sized sheaf of loosely-bound paper detailed all sorts of information about child development and childcare facility standards. What to expect at different ages, the minimum number of caregivers required for different sized groups of children, safety requirements… Riveting stuff.

  It is important, though. I need to know this. Even the developmental stuff I need to pay close attention to, considering how little experience I have.

  She worked her way through the material as quickly as she could without outright skimming it. Just as she reached the section on cleaning standards, the door to the break room opened with a soft click, drawing her attention. She expected to see Ginger entering, perhaps with another stack of papers that she'd forgotten to procure the first time. But instead, she was greeted by a new figure.

  A tall, willowy woman glided into the room, a pale hand closing the door behind her. Long ash-brown hair tumbled down her back in a frizzy waterfall that looked as though it hadn't been combed for a week. Combined with the woman's patchwork skirt and the roughspun green cardigan that clearly looked handmade, Sofia couldn't help but think that the woman looked like a complete hippie.

  "Oh… Hello." The newcomer greeted her with a dreamy smile. Her voice was soft and almost drowsy, as though she were still waking up. "I don't believe we've met before. Are you new?"

  Sofia returned the smile and nodded. "Hi! I'm Sofia. I just got hired today, actually."

  The woman's grey-green eyes shone with excitement. "Oh, that's wonderful! I'm Ashley. It's a pleasure to meet you, Sofia."

  Ashley strode over to the counter in a few long, graceful steps. She produced a large water bottle and began to fill it at the sink as she continued to speak. "It's always wonderful to see a new face around here. Did Ginger mention what group you'd be working with?"

  Sofia waggled a hand. "Sort of? She said I'd be a floater, just helping out where I'm needed."

  "Ah, of course," Ashley nodded sagely. "That sounds nice. There's always someone who can use an extra hand around here."

  "Really?" Sofia frowned. "Is the place that understaffed?"

  "Oh, no, not at all," Ashley reassured her. "We have quite a wonderful group, actually. But not everyone can be here all the time. Travel, personal circumstances, you know. In fact, the other teacher in my room is gone for the rest of summer on a family trip… Oh! Do you suppose that means we'll be working together?"

  Ashley beamed at the prospect, and Sofia couldn't help but smile. The woman just seemed so cheery.

  "Maybe," Sofia offered. "You'd know better than I would. But if that is the case, then I'll look forward to it."

  "Oh, I certainly will as well."

  Ashley finished filling her water bottle and crossed to the fridge, retrieving a small white container before heading for the door. Sofia gave her a questioning look. "You're not going to eat lunch in here? If you need me to move… "

  "Oh, don't worry about that," Ashley replied. "You're perfectly fine. I just prefer to eat my lunch outside. It's too beautiful of a day to let it go to waste… don't you agree?"

  The woman's expression turned even dreamier than it already had been.

  Yup. Definitely giving me hippie vibes.

  It wasn't a bad thing, of course. Sofia's own college roommate arguably fit into that same category. Just a little unexpected—though it wasn't like she had a good idea of what to expect, anyway. Ginger had warned that they were a colorful group.

  Ashley reached for the door handle. "It was wonderful to meet you, Sofia. I look forward to seeing you around!"

  "Thanks, you too— oh!" Sofia exclaimed, prompting the woman to pause. "Really quick… do you know why there's a toaster in there?"

  She shifted in her seat to indicate the strange doghouse. Ashley leaned over to look, her eyebrows rising. "Oh! It must have been misbehaving again… Don't worry about that, we'll let it out after naptime's over."

  Sofia opened her mouth, then closed it again.

  That's… remarkably unhelpful. I think I have even more questions now.

  "...Right." She said as Ashley smiled contentedly. "Well, have a good lunch then."

  They waved goodbye to each other. As the door clicked behind the hippie woman, Sofia let her hand fall back to the table.

  She seems nice enough. A little airheaded maybe, but nice.

  A sigh of relief escaped her. Some part of her was worried that she might not get along with the other people working here. Maybe they'd assume she was some stuck-up know-it-all or judge her for her lack of experience. But given Ashley's attitude… she had a hard time imagining the woman would do any such thing.

  I hope I do get to work with her. I feel like she'd be an awesome teacher.

  She looked back down at her worksheets and cracked her knuckles. Right. Time to get back to work. Let's see how much of this I can get done before I get hungry…