"Sorry, sir, but we're not looking to hire anybody at the moment. You can always leave us your details, and we can get in touch with you if a vacancy pops up."

Michael nods in response to the umpteenth rejection of the day from businesses in the local area. He knows finding a job isn't easy, but having visited various establishments for hours already, his hope is beginning to dwindle substantially. He grabs the notepad he has been carrying in his satchel, along with a black ballpoint pen, before opening the little book to jot down his contact information. He prays that his writing is legible as he rips the sheet from the notepad, and hands it to the woman at the counter.

Michael offers a disheartened smile. "Thank you for your time. Have a lovely afternoon."

With nothing else to say to her, he slogs out of the building, onto the next. He happens upon a quaint little cafe, but before he enters, he takes a glance inside through the large front window.

He sees a table occupied by two older women, delicately drinking tea and eating cake. They are clearly at a stage in life where they have no worries or responsibilities; most likely with adult children and their mortgages paid off, and the pension paying for the remaining bills and the odd luxury.

At another table he sees a young couple and their child — a sweet girl, no older than four or five years old like Casey — enjoying lunch together as a content little family. Michael can't help but fixate on the sight, jealousy subtly causing an aching in his heart at what he could have had, if things had gone better with Valerie.

He watches as the girl flits between nibbling at her tiny cheese sandwich, and sipping from the straw in her child-sized strawberry milkshake. She manages to spill a little down her dainty blouse, so her mother picks up a napkin, dabbing at the stain with a chuckle.

A doting mother. Why hadn't Casey been blessed with the same?

Michael blames himself, in part, for the way things went with the woman he believed to be the perfect mother to his child. They had both agreed that they wanted children very early on in their relationship, but he evaluates, in hindsight, that maybe he could have been less pushy about starting a family so soon after marriage. He hadn't forced her, of course, and she had been willing to take the next step to achieve the goal they'd hoped for.

Maybe she hadn't realised what she was getting herself into; maybe she had expected parenthood to be easier than it was.

The sleepless nights and the relentless crying must have proven too much for a new, young mother.

Michael realises that he is trying to make excuses for her unacceptable behaviour, so he mentally scolds himself.

Regardless of how much she had been struggling as a parent, she could have gone about it so much better than she had done by fleeing unannounced and leaving Casey unattended. She could have communicated her feelings and emphasised how much she was struggling to her husband. They could have worked it out together; made a plan together.

Just anything but this.

He finally pulls himself out of the spiral of thoughts he has landed himself in, deciding to push the door to the cafe open to enquire about any career opportunities they may have.

"Good afternoon, sir. What can I get you today?" the woman at the counter asks politely, preparing her notepad and pen to write his order.

Despite his nerves, Michael attempts to appear somewhat professional. "Uh, actually, I was wondering if there were any jobs goin' here at all?"

The woman smiles, weaving herself out from the small space behind the counter to walk Michael over to the notice board on the wall. She points to a flyer that has been pinned to the cork surface, before turning her attention to him.

"We do have a summer vacancy at the moment. It starts with a probation period of eight weeks so that we can see what we're dealing with. You'd be taking orders, carrying food and drinks to tables, and washing pots to start with. If you're good enough, you could be looking at a permanent job and potential for promotion in the future. I'm Allie, by the way. Allie Spencer."

"Michael Jackson," Michael answers. "But, uh ... when you say summer vacancy, does that mean—?"

"During the summer holidays. It's one of our busiest periods, because families come with their kids while they're off school," Allie explains. "And the hours aren't too unreasonable either."

"Right," Michael says. "My only problem is I have a five-year-old son at home and, well, his mother is out of the picture ... so it could be hard getting someone to babysit while I'm working if he isn't at school yet."

"I understand," Allie assures him. "Do you have any friends or family that could potentially look after your son if you were to work here?"

"My family and friends live in California," Michael replies. "I only moved to England yesterday, but I figured I'd need a head start in searching for something to do to support my son."

"Who's looking after him right now?" Allie asks.

"My friend — the only one I have here." Michael sighs, uncertain as to whether he's wasting his time. "He has a day off today, so he offered to look after him while I job searched."

"Is there any chance your friend would offer to look after your son if you worked on his days off?" Allie questions. "Maybe that could be a solution."

"Are you actually that keen on hiring a dumb American guy like me?" Michael laughs softly, to make light of his self-deprecation. "You don't even know if I'd be any good."

"Let me be honest with you, Michael." Allie pulls out a chair from one of the tables, sitting herself down. She silently gestures with her hand for Michael to follow suit, to which he does. "We have an almost all-women workforce here already, and we've always been a little ... apprehensive, let's say, about letting a man in. It may sound sexist, sure — but you always hear about shady stuff happening in the workplace."

"And how do you know I wouldn't be like that?" Michael asks. "I-I mean I'm not, but how would you even know?"

"I know it's not the best indicator, but from my first impression of you, you seem like a genuine guy," Allie says. "Soft spoken, polite, and you have a nice sense of humour. You seem down-to-earth. That's what we need. And my biggest philosophy when it comes to running a business is to be kind and friendly. As soon as you walked through the door, I sensed that from you."

"You're too kind," Michael answers. "Thank you."

"So, what do you say?" Allie cocks an eyebrow in anticipation of Michael's answer. "Should I assume the vacancy is taken?"

"Uh ... gee," Michael chuckles, bashfulness setting in. "Let me talk to my buddy, see what he says. I don't want to just assume that he will look after my son at the drop of a hat."

"Of course. I'll give you the business contact details, and you can give me a call. We'll arrange a formal 'interview'—" She uses air quotations to suggest the insincerity of her description, "—for a future date."

"That sounds perfect." Michael tries to fend off the enthusiasm from his large smile as he watches Allie write down the cafe's telephone number. "I'll be in touch as soon as I get things figured out."

"Fantastic. I look forward to hearing from you," Allie responds. "Have a great afternoon, won't you?"

"I sure will." Michael gives a friendly wave as he heads out of the building.

As he arrives at the local park, just out of sight from the cafe, he pumps his fist and jumps up once in excitement.

"Yes!" he hisses to himself, ecstatic to have a potential job offer after a long day of asking around. He knows he hasn't done too badly for himself in the scheme of things though; a lot of people wouldn't have the luck he has had today, on only day one of looking for a job.

He continues on his way, cutting through the large grassy landscape full of dog walkers and joyful children playing, as he considers how to broach the subject of babysitting to Sean. It's a very tall ask, for Sean to give up his freedom to take care of a child that isn't his own. He holds out hope, however, that the benefits will outweigh the consequences in Sean's mind, and that he will ultimately agree to take care of Casey.

As he nears the street he lives on, a pang of anxiousness flickers in his chest. Moving to an entirely new country as a single father, and leaving everything he has ever known behind, and trying to secure a job to support himself is slowly sinking in, and the overwhelm is dawning on him rapidly. Since he arrived in England yesterday, he has been preoccupied with Casey, or with running errands — but now, he is totally alone, allowing him the chance to overthink.

Has he really made the right decision here?

He wants nothing more than to sit alone at the edge of the curb on the quiet street, and contemplate the answer to such a question as the sun sets above him, but he knows he must get back home for Casey. He forces air out his nostrils in defeat, opting to get the negotiations about childcare over and done with as soon as possible.

As he arrives at the front door, he takes one final moment to breathe in the fresh evening air. There's something calming about the gentle breeze in summertime; the heat differs from England to California, but similarities arise in the fact that the coolness offers the same comfort once dusk approaches.

Giving in, Michael passes through the front door, awaiting the greeting from his son. It comes quickly enough; the heavy-footed boy comes racing from the living room to see his father.

"Daddy!" he exclaims, running up to Michael for a hug. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, Case," Michael answers, squeezing him tight in his arms. "Have you been good for Uncle Sean?"

"He's been a dream." Sean peeps his head around the living room doorway, smiling at his friend. "We've been colouring and watching the television, haven't we, little dude?"

Casey nods. "Yeah."

"That's excellent," Michael praises. "I'm glad you've been a good boy. But listen, buddy — I gotta talk to Uncle Sean by ourselves real quick. Is that alright?"

"Okay, Daddy."

Sean gives Michael an unknowing glance. "Has something happened?"

"Come with me to the kitchen." Michael leads himself out of the hallway, encouraging Sean to follow behind him. He makes sure Casey is in the living room before talking. "So, I went to a place today, and they said they'd like me to work there."

"Well that's great news, man." Sean punches Michael's arm playfully as a sign of respect. "When do you start?"

"I have a little bit of an issue," Michael explains. "It starts, like, now. During the summer. But the thing is, Casey isn't in school yet, so I'm stuck. The woman, Allie, suggested a solution, but I don't know if you'll agree to it."

Sean furrows his brows subtly. "What's that?"

"Well, I told her you were takin' care of Casey while I was job searching. She suggested that you could, perhaps, babysit him if I work there on your days off." Michael's face contorts, as he tries to gauge whether Sean's reaction will be positive or not. "I—I said I'd ask, but if you don't wanna do that, then I can always try and find someth—"

"I'll do it, Mike."

Michael halts his rambling once he realises what Sean has said. "What?"

"I said I'll do it, you idiot." Sean laughs, his way of eradicating any anxiety Michael may have. "If it helps you, I'll do it. You're my best friend."

Michael chokes out a chuckle. "You're serious?"

"Yeah, man. After all, the sooner you start workin', the quicker you'll be outta my hair," Sean teases. "It's one step at a time. I offered for you to stay here so that you could start a new life. All I ask is that you pay for your own food. Everything else is my responsibility."

"You're amazing, man." Michael lunges forward, giving his friend a hug to express his gratitude. His voice muffles against Sean's shoulder as he continues to speak. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate your help."

"It's no biggie, MJ." Sean withdraws from the embrace, looking to his lifelong pal. "So what do you need to do now?"

"I gotta call the place and tell them I'll take the job, if they'll have me," Michael answers. "Allie said she just needs to arrange an interview with me. The way she was talking, the job is basically mine, but I think it's just standard procedure to interview me first."

"And who knows? Maybe you'll meet a pretty lady there and hit it off with her," Sean adds. "Then your new life would be off to a real good start."

"I'm not ready for that kinda stuff yet, Sean," Michael admits. "I know what Val did was wrong, but it doesn't mean I don't miss her. I miss who she was before things went wrong. I wouldn't want to inflict my past traumas onto any other girl. It wouldn't be fair."

"Just see where things go," Sean advises. "If you find someone, you find someone. If you don't, you don't. Do whatever your heart tells you."

Michael nods, agreeing with the sentiment. "And right now, my heart is telling me to make that call and start step one of my new life."

• • •

Chapter four! Sorry for the delay in updating — life has been very up and down lately. Hope you're still enjoying the story and thanks for sticking around. xx