The Opposite of Wild

by Kylie Gilmore

  Her apartment was quiet for once. Daisy had taken Bryce out for a car ride to get him to nap. Liz had the day off for the Jewish high holidays, so she decided to make a schedule for Bryce’s care. Now that Daisy had decided to include Trav, they had more help. Liz knew she couldn’t function at work as things were. That first week back had been brutal.

  She called her mother to find out her fall schedule, then inserted her name in the blocks of time she was available. Next she called Trav on his cell. He emailed his work schedule a few minutes later, and she filled in his blocks. By the time Daisy returned with a sleeping Bryce in his carrier, the schedule was all set.

  “Hey, it worked,” Liz whispered when they came in.

  “Sure did,” Daisy said. “I think I’m going to lie down a bit while he naps.” She headed for the bedroom with the carrier.

  “Wait, I want to show you something.” She spoke at a normal volume, and the baby didn’t stir. Maggie would be proud.

  Daisy held up a finger. “Hold that thought.”

  She went into the bedroom and returned a few minutes later without Bryce. Grabbing a glass of water from the kitchen, she joined Liz on the sofa. “What’s up?”

  “I worked out a childcare schedule for Bryce.” She turned the laptop to show Daisy.

  Daisy’s eyes widened as she took in all the color-coded detail Liz had put in, accounting for every hour of the day for round-the-clock baby care.

  “Liz, you didn’t have to do all that.”

  “I just thought it’d be easier if we all had the schedule. If it’s okay with you, I’ll email it to everyone and print a copy to post here.”

  “No, really. You didn’t have to do this. I hired a mother’s helper.”

  Liz stared at her sister in shock. Daisy never planned ahead, always living on impulse, on the fly. Skidding in and out of messes, knowing Liz would help pick up the pieces. But she’d done this. All on her own.

  One corner of Daisy’s mouth turned up in a wry smile. “I know I was a wreck when I first got here, but I’m doing better now. I’ve got family, Trav’s on board, and the best part is I’m getting regular showers.”

  Liz smiled. Showers were important. “Who did you hire? Did you get references?”

  “It’s Dr. Cohen’s mother, Miriam. She’s a grandmother and loves to hold babies. Miriam says she’s happy to rock him to sleep and not to worry.” She grinned. “Dr. Cohen says she’s like the baby whisperer and she’s helped all of their family. But they haven’t had any babies in a while.”

  “You never said anything.”

  “It just happened today. I ran into Dr. Cohen at Garner’s when I went to pick up lunch and get in some grandma time. She asked how I was doing with Bryce, and I told her I was looking for a mother’s helper.”

  “Since when?”

  “Since you broke up with Ryan. You’re exhausted, and I know you’re not happy. I don’t want Bryce to be a burden—”

  “He’s not.”

  Daisy squeezed her arm. “He’s not an easy baby. You’ll still be able to help, but you won’t have to help all the time.”

  “When does she start?”

  “Next week.”

  “Wow.” She shook her head. “I’m still so impressed that you planned ahead.”

  “If Bryce has taught me anything, it’s to be prepared.”

  Liz hugged her. “I’m so proud of you.”

  “Thanks, sis.” Daisy stood. “I’d better get that nap in. And don’t worry about the money. Trav is helping out.”

  “Good,” Liz said. The circumstances hadn’t been ideal, but she couldn’t have asked for a better dad for her nephew.

  ~ ~ ~

  Ryan had run the same route, at the same late afternoon time as when he’d last seen Liz out running, three days in a row. Still no Liz. He didn’t know what else to do. She wouldn’t take his calls. He’d stopped after the third one. He didn’t want to harass her. He just wanted to tell her stuff. Like he was no longer that guy who spied on cheaters. He’d start his new job as a full-time officer in Fieldridge in two weeks. Or that he knew what they had was special, that you didn’t get that with just anyone.

  Hell, he sucked with words anyway.

  He turned and jogged toward Shane’s Scoops. Jorge’s stupid idea for a grand romantic gesture hadn’t worked. She’d barely blinked when he’d told her he was looking for a new job. Shane was Mr. Sensitive. He’d had two long relationships, so he had to know something.

  He headed into his brother’s shop and got in line for a vanilla milkshake.

  A few minutes later, Shane took his order and handed it over personally. When Ryan tried to pay, Shane pushed his money back. “On the house.”

  “You’re going to go out of business that way.” He shoved the money in his brother’s hand. Shane shoved it back.

  Ryan exhaled sharply and tucked the bills into the tip jar. “When are you on break?”

  “Gimme five.”

  Ryan waited at a table. Business had slowed down now that summer was over, but Shane still had regulars coming in for their afternoon jolt of caffeine, sugar, or both.

  Shane finished up, and they went out the back door to the private entrance of the upstairs apartment. His brother’s apartment was done up with vintage posters of wine and various foods. Always made Ryan hungry when he was up here.

  They sat side by side at the kitchen island on stools that looked like the old-timey stools you’d find at a soda fountain, done in bright red and blue vinyl.

  “What’s up?” Shane asked.

  Ryan sipped his shake, unsure how to say what was on his mind.

  Shane helped himself to a lemonade from his fridge and sat in companionable silence.

  Ryan slurped too fast, got a brain freeze, and pressed his head.

  Shane took pity on him. “Is it Liz?”

  “Yeah.”

  “What’s the problem?”

  “You always know what to say to women.”

  “I do?”

  “Yeah, you’re good at all that relationship stuff. You must be; you had two long ones.”

  “That’s true,” he said slowly. “Of course, I’m not with either of them now.”

  Ryan waved that away. “It still counts.”

  “Okay.”

  He stared straight ahead. “So what should I say to Liz? She’s gonna be at Gran’s wedding on Saturday. I need a plan. She doesn’t want to be with me ever since Bryce moved into her place. I can’t exactly kick out the baby. But why do we have to be apart? I think we could see each other sometimes, right?” He met Shane’s eyes.

  “Sure,” Shane said.

  Ryan drank some shake and studied the large wooden spoon mounted above the kitchen sink. “Can you write her a poem for me?”

  His brother was silent. He turned to see why. Shane’s mouth hung open in surprise.

  Ryan jammed a hand in his hair, thoroughly embarrassed, but still needed an answer.

  Shane recovered quickly. “You want me to—”

  “Nothing too fancy or she’ll know it’s not me.” He stared down at the kitchen island, thinking hard. “Just something about…her eyes, you know? They’re this really blue color, almost like turquoise, but then when she gets riled up, they just light up. It’s like fire. And…and her hair is really soft. Something about that too.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  Ryan jerked his head up. Shane was smiling.

  “Forget it.” Ryan realized he sounded like an idiot.

  “No, I think it’s nice. My big brother finally fell in love.”

  It hit him like a punch to the gut. He loved Liz.

  He felt winded and took a few deep breaths. That realization was quickly followed with the stupidest thing he’d done to date—loving a woman who didn’t love him. She chose a baby over him. No room in her heart for both because she didn’t love him.

  “Leave it to me to fall for someone who doesn’t love me back,” Ryan said bitterly.

  Shane patted hi
s back. “I wouldn’t say that. Just give her some time. The baby will grow up a bit, things will get easier, then maybe she’ll be more open to a relationship.”

  He stared at his brother. “How long will that take?”

  Shane shrugged.

  Why did I think Shane would have the answers?

  He stood. “You’re no help at all.”

  Looked like it was back to Jorge’s idea. Action was the way to go if he wanted to win Liz’s heart. The alternative made him want to puke.

  Love sucked.

  ~ ~ ~

  “You’re a life saver,” Liz said as she helped Rachel unload the Chinese food she’d brought with her to Liz’s apartment. “We were so busy today I didn’t get a chance to think about dinner.”

  Bryce was in his swing, positioned just outside of the kitchen, where he could watch them unload the bags. Daisy was on the phone in Liz’s bedroom.

  “So, it’s been a week since the breakup,” Rachel said. “How ya doing?”

  “Shitty,” Liz admitted. “And I have to see him again at the wedding.”

  “I’ve got your back,” Rachel said.

  “And I’ll take all the slow dances,” Daisy chimed in, back from her phone call.

  Liz laughed.

  They made it halfway through dinner before Bryce started crying. Liz and Daisy groaned. This always happened.

  “It’s like he doesn’t want us to finish a meal,” Liz said. “It’s the baby diet.”

  Daisy stood. “I’ve got this. You guys finish up. Milk is coming, baby!”

  She scooped Bryce out of his swing and carried him to the living room. A few minutes later, he quieted. A half wall separated the kitchen from the living room, so Liz couldn’t see him nurse, but she could still hear a slurp now and then.

  “You think Maggie will have a stripper at the bachelorette party tomorrow?” Rachel asked.

  “I know she’s not, because I already ordered a psychic,” Liz said.

  “Oy!” Rachel rolled her eyes. “You know they just say what they think you want to hear—you’ll be rich, have a handsome husband, live a long life.”

  “It’s just for fun,” Liz said.

  Rachel picked up some lo mein with the chopsticks. “I guess it’s all right if you don’t believe it.”

  “I believe it,” Daisy called from the living room. “Once a psychic told me I’d be a mother at a young age, and here I am.”

  Rachel and Liz exchanged a look. Thirty-three wasn’t exactly a young age.

  “Cool,” Rachel finally said.

  They grinned at each other.

  “Weddings are good for meeting people,” Liz said. “Maybe you’ll meet Jorge’s hot nephew or second cousin.”

  “He probably wouldn’t be Jewish,” Rachel said.

  “Since when do you care about that?” Liz asked, taken aback.

  “Maybe it’s time for me to stop screwing around and find someone to spend the future with. I think it’d be nice to be with someone who shared my faith. We could raise our kids Jewish.”

  Liz stared at Rachel in shock.

  “What?” Rachel asked.

  “Nothing, it’s just I’ve never heard you talk this way.”

  “Maybe seeing you guys with Bryce has made me rethink things a bit. You’re busy over here with your family, and I’m going home to an empty apartment. I signed up for JDate.”

  Liz’s jaw dropped. “But I thought you said online dating was full of weirdos and creeps.”

  Rachel shrugged. “I had a talk with my rabbi, and she said several people in our congregation used it with great success.”

  “Wow.”

  “Good for you!” Daisy piped up.

  “I’m working on my profile, but I haven’t set it up yet. It’s hard to find a good description of me. Like, hobbies. I don’t have any hobbies. Books are my life.”

  “Put reading,” Liz said.

  “It sounds like I sit home all the time.” She pushed her plate away.

  “You don’t want to lie.”

  “I don’t want to be boring.”

  Liz sipped some water. “Maybe you could say you love the beach.”

  Rachel rested her head on her hand, considering. “I like to read on the beach.”

  “There you go!” Liz said. “Still true that you love the beach.”

  Daisy appeared with a satisfied-looking Bryce in her arms. “Could one of you burp him while I use the bathroom?”

  Rachel held out her arms, enfolding the baby close. She breathed in his baby hair; then she patted him on the back. “He’s so precious.”

  Bryce let out a belch.

  “Good boy,” Rachel said, still patting his back. “Anything else in there?”

  PFFFT. Rachel held him an arm’s length away. “That’s powerful. Your turn.” She handed Bryce back to Liz to change.

  Liz took the baby and headed to the living room. “No rush on the baby thing, huh, Rach?”

  Her friend laughed. “I still gotta get started on the manhunt. I might end up going through a lot of kosher pickles.”

  She turned. “Rachel! You know what that sounds like?”

  Rachel smiled dreamily. “Yup.”

  Oh, boy!

  Chapter Thirty

  “Let’s get this party started!” Daisy hollered as Maggie answered the door.

  Maggie swung the door wide open. “That’s the spirit!”

  “Woot-woot!” Liz added, pumping her fist in the air. Daisy burst out laughing.

  They’d dropped off Bryce with his dad so they could have their first baby-free night out at Maggie’s bachelorette party.

  “You girls are just in time,” Maggie said. “Come on. Help me get these dippables ready.”

  Daisy and Liz exchanged a look. Dippables?

  They walked into Maggie’s house and followed her to the dining room table, where a chocolate fountain was set up in the center. Waves of chocolate poured from the top down the sides. Liz’s mouth watered. Skewers and plastic plates were stacked on the table.

  “Here, you put out the marshmallows; you do the graham crackers,” Maggie said, handing them the goodies. “I’m going to get the strawberries and raspberries.”

  Daisy ripped open the marshmallow bag and dipped one in the fountain. “Mmm,” she said over a mouthful of chocolate-covered goo.

  Liz did the same with another marshmallow. The warm chocolate was so-oo-oo good. She opened the graham cracker box and dipped one of those too. More graham crackers and lots of chocolate later, Liz was feeling pretty happy.

  Maggie returned with the washed berries. “You might want to use a napkin, dear.”

  Daisy smirked. “Or a roll of paper towels.”

  Liz ran to the bathroom to survey the damage. Chocolate was smeared all over her mouth and chin. She looked like a toddler who’d gotten into the chocolate cake. She washed off in front of the mirror. She’d have to be more careful at the party. It was just that the chocolate made her feel better. Things had been rough all around with the breakup and the demands of mothering Bryce.

  Liz’s mother arrived with some hot dishes catered by Garner’s—rigatoni, chicken wings, and bacon-wrapped scallops. Soon, everyone was there: Rachel and her mother, some of Maggie’s church friends, and Jorge’s daughters, thirty-year-old identical twins Grace and Faith. Grace was a pediatrician, and Faith was an at-home mother to a two-year-old son. Sweet Pam had also shown up, having forgiven Maggie’s insults at the knitting club because Maggie had also introduced her to Jorge’s dance class, which she loved. The rest of the knitting club hadn’t been invited.

  Liz hit play on some peppy Latin music on an iPod with speakers she’d set up. The playlist was by Maggie’s special request. Faith and Grace showed the women some merengue dance moves—dance seemed to run in the family. The volume of the party rose as everyone danced, talked, and enjoyed the food.

  Liz had just filled a plate with chocolate-covered raspberries when the doorbell rang. She heard Maggie answer, “Yo
u must be Madame Clarity.”

  Liz stuffed some raspberries in her mouth and returned to the living room to see the psychic she’d hired. She was just as funky as she’d hoped. Long waves of gray hair, large silver hoop earrings, and a flowing purple caftan.

  “Hi, I’m Liz,” she said.

  “Could you show me to the loo, luv?” Madame Clarity asked in a terrible British accent. Liz knew her area code was from Queens.

  “Sure, right this way.” Liz led the way to the powder room and then went in search of Rachel. She found her talking to Faith about the Thinking Mom’s Book Club. “Could we have a minute?”

  “Sure,” Faith said, heading over to Maggie.

  “The psychic is pretending she’s British,” Liz told Rachel.

  Rachel shrugged. “So? She’s also pretending she’s psychic. No big deal.”

  Madame Clarity returned to the center of the living room, raised her arms dramatically, and keened, “The dead woo-ould like to speak!”

  Maggie clapped her hands. “Ooh, a séance.”

  They gathered around the coffee table. Liz and Rachel brought in some more chairs from the dining room. Madame Clarity produced a crystal ball. Rachel elbowed Liz and grinned.

  Madame Clarity closed her eyes and rubbed her hands over the crystal ball. “Speak to us, oh depaw-ted loved ones from o-ur past! Give us a sign!”

  A few moments passed in silence, and the tension ran high as everyone waited, looking at each other and Madame Clarity.

  Suddenly, Madame Clarity shook dramatically. “Patrick is here.”

  “Oh, my Patrick,” Maggie said, getting choked up. “Hello, love.”

  Liz felt a chill go through her. Had Maggie told Madame Clarity about her first husband, or was she really psychic?

  “He says hello,” Madame Clarity said.

  Maggie smiled. “Patrick, it’s been a long time. Do I have your blessing to marry again?”

  A beat passed while Madame Clarity rubbed her hands over the crystal, eyes closed, rocking from side to side. The ladies looked at each other nervously.

  “You have his buh-lessing!” Madame Clarity declared.

  A sigh of relief went around the room.

  “Do Rita next,” Maggie said. “Tell her I’m getting married.”

  Another flourish with the crystal. Madame Clarity opened her eyes and looked around the room. “Rita is quite pleased.”