“I can help.” Nichole walked Hazel through the motions of patty-cake to Hazel’s obvious delight. “Please let me help. My house is boys, soccer and football. I want to see happy in the form of pink, sparkles, and sunshine.”
Molly replaced the cap on the container of bubbles. She was truly grateful, but she’d been in Brooke’s apartment less than a week. It didn’t feel right to make too many changes to a temporary place. “It’s just a small space.”
“But it’s Hazel’s special space.” Brooke touched Molly’s arm, her voice sincere. “It has to be perfect.”
“I don’t want this to be a big deal.” Molly ran her hands over her yoga pants. Changes that could quickly be reversed would be fine. Her parents had never allowed her to fully settle in anywhere as a kid. They kept their apartments sterile to ensure the return of their rental deposits. “We’ve been living out of suitcases for quite a few months.”
“Hazel hasn’t had her own nursery?” Brooke asked.
“My boyfriend and I broke up when I got pregnant. I left him the same night I told him about the pregnancy. The same night he told me not to expect him to participate in my idea for a little family.” She’d returned the following day only to pack the few clothes she’d left at Derrick’s condo. Then she tossed her keys on his sleek non-kid friendly kitchen counter.
“Wow. That was brave,” Nichole said.
“My pregnancy wasn’t easy. Neither was the delivery.” Derrick and she had planned to buy a house together—modern, efficient, expensive. That had never happened. Instead she’d stuck to her rented, furnished town house. She added, “Decorating a room for Hazel kept getting put on hold.”
“I had Wesley by myself. I moved across the country when I was four months pregnant.” Nichole frowned, then shifted until she was eye to eye with Hazel. She sang a couple more lines of pat-a-cake in an exaggerated voice, earning Hazel’s rapt attention. “But the reward is our kids,” she said as she continued to clap the baby’s hands. “They make it worth all the struggles.”
“They certainly do.” Molly’s smile grew along with her daughter’s. But it wasn’t only Hazel’s happiness that filled her with joy. She’d also felt an instant affinity to Brooke and Nichole.
“And you have us.” Brooke looped her arm around Molly’s shoulders and squeezed her. “And soon, the perfect happy nursery in the making.”
“Then it’s settled,” Nichole said. “It’s girls’ night after we get the kids off to their Spring Dance tonight.”
“I’ll text Sophie and tell her the plan.” Brooke pulled her cell phone from her back pocket and glanced at Molly. “Wesley, Ben and Ella are best friends and go everywhere together. They’ve been talking about the dance all week.”
“Hazel and I have a gift Ella might like for the dance.” Molly grinned and stood up. “Let me get it.”
“No, wait. You can give it to her tonight.” Brooke tapped her phone screen. “We’ll do pictures here before the dance and let the guys drive the kids over to the school.”
“Excellent plan.” Nichole returned to her patty-cake lessons with Hazel. “I need to go shopping and I personally love any night the guys get carpool duty.”
Another hour together in the backyard and the women dispersed. Hazel to snooze, Nichole to shop and Brooke to check on the puppies and Nala. Molly settled onto the couch in her apartment and worked through her notes on Drew’s case.
Evening arrived, bringing pizza for the kids and parents, followed by a round of loud preteen groans and grumblings over backyard pictures. Ella sparkled as much as the rhinestone star headband Molly had bought for her. Wesley and Ben, the girl’s two best friends, flanked her on either side, always at the ready to assist, but never overbearing. Their friendship reminded Molly of the kind Drew and she had once shared: easygoing, honest and rewarding. Finally the trio of preteens piled into Brad’s SUV and headed off to their school dance. Nichole ran to her car to gather her nook decorating supplies. Brooke headed up to the main house for their girls’ night snacks.
Molly stood in the doorway of her apartment and watched Drew head toward her. He carried two large boxes marked Office. “These are my personal files from my old office.”
Molly held the door open and pointed at her kitchen floor. “Set them there for now.”
After their lunch encounter with Gina at the Italian restaurant, Molly had asked Drew if she could look through his files from his time as an assistant district attorney. It was a long shot, but Molly believed in being thorough. And there was a chance Drew had missed something important in his files. One small detail could change the entire course of a trial. But after lunch, Drew’s brother had requested Drew’s assistance on an important case and Hazel had required a long afternoon nap. Drew’s consulting work for Brad had extended into the morning and now was the first Molly had seen of Drew or the boxes.
Anticipation swirled around her. “We’re looking through these files tonight.”
“I’ve been recruited.” Drew mimicked shooting an invisible basketball into an imaginary basket. “Dan and I need to beat Nichole’s husband, Chase, and Brad on the basketball court first.”
“We have our own plans tonight.” Brooke squeezed around Drew to set several trays of snacks on the counter. She pulled a sunshine-colored fluffy throw rug from another bag swinging on her arm. “This is Ella’s contribution to the nook. I’m going to see how it fits.”
Molly grinned. The brightness matched Ella’s smile.
“Are you going to talk about me and drink wine,” Drew teased.
“This may come as a surprise, but it’s not always about you Drew.” Sophie strolled inside, cradling a wine bottle in one arm and an apple cider bottle in the other. “And they all get wine. Moms-to-be get sparkling cider.”
Drew dropped his arm around Sophie’s shoulders. “You can pretend it’s champagne.”
“And you can pretend I didn’t just kick you,” Sophie countered.
“Why are we kicking Drew?” Nichole stepped inside, her bun slipping off the side of her head, her hands full of shopping bags. “And do you need more help?”
“We always need your help, Nichole.” Brooke laughed from the family room and grabbed several bags from Nichole. “What did you get?”
Molly twisted her hands together. The nook was becoming a bigger project than she’d expected. She’d assumed it would be a quick evening. A rug and a few twinkle lights maybe. It needed to be an early night. She and Drew had to look through his files and concentrate on the case. Decorating felt like procrastinating and that wasn’t her work style ever. “I thought fixing up the nook for Hazel was going to be simple.”
“This is nothing.” Nichole piled the shopping bags near the coffee table. “I don’t get to shop for a baby girl ever. I couldn’t seem to stop myself. Besides, they grow up so fast, you have to spoil them before time runs out.”
“Speaking of girls growing up.” Sophie set her bottles on the kitchen counter and glanced at Drew. “Did you see Ella before the kids left?”
Drew’s gaze and smile softened. “Yeah. She looks like spring.”
Molly forgot her urgency to unpack Drew’s office files. Suddenly, she wanted to procrastinate. In that moment, she wanted only to reveal Drew’s layers. Finally learn all she could about the man he’d become. What had happened to her boundaries?
Nichole set her hands on her hips. “Did you tell Ella that she looked like spring?”
Drew backed toward the door and massaged his neck. “Maybe.”
“Which spring did you tell her she looked like?” Brooke touched her throat as if alarmed. “The one that causes red blurry eyes, runny noses and sneezing from all the pollen? Or the spring that brings rain that flattens hair and washes out curls? Both are great looks, by the way and highly sought-after.”
Drew’s eyes widened as if he’d stepped in a pollen cloud.
Molly bit into her bottom lip to keep from laughing at Brooke’s dry tone. Surely, Drew recognized the women were only teasing him.
The ladies stared at him.
“Ella’s lacy dress was pale pink and the same color as her favorite cotton-candy-flavored ice cream,” Drew said. “She’s wearing her favorite pink lace-up canvas shoes. And she’s got a glittery pink ribbon wound through her curly hair like the bottle of stardust she gave me to ensure my wishes come true.” His gaze shifted to Molly and locked on her. “That’s what spring is. That’s what Ella is, fairy dust and joy.”
Sophie dabbed at her eyes.
Nichole did the same.
Molly sighed from her heart to her toes. Drew was charming and considerate. Worse, he made Molly sigh again.
Molly wanted someone to remember her favorite things. To think of spring and automatically think of her. Or perhaps it was much more simple. She wanted someone to think of her with genuine affection.
Not Drew, of course. Drew was a client. A peer. A friend she’d started to respect more and more. Nothing wrong in admitting that. As for her sigh, it was nothing more than a glitch.
“Okay, seriously, Drew. We were just trying to mess with you. Have a little fun.” Brooke stepped forward and tapped her fist against his shoulder. “And you just had to go ruin it with all your poetic words.”
Drew’s shoulders relaxed. “You guys are not nice.”
“You know what would be nice,” Nichole suggested. “If you step onto the basketball court out there and teach our significant others the importance of remembering the little things about us.”
“I agree.” Brooke opened the bottle of red wine. “Can you please talk to Dan?”
“Oh, and remind your brother that I love lavender-and-rose-scented bath bombs and chamomile tea.” Sophie popped the cork of her sparkling cider and toasted Drew with the open bottle. “Those two things will make my entire day. Heck, my entire week.”
Drew kept his back to the door and avoided direct eye contact with any of the women. “Anything else?”
“Since you asked...” Nichole’s laughter burst free.
Drew gaped and used his back to prop open the door. He escaped outside before Nichole could continue.
Brooke set several wine glasses on the kitchen counter. “How is that man single?
All three women turned to stare at Molly.
“Don’t look at me.” Molly picked up the wine bottle to start filling the empty glasses. “I haven’t seen him in years. I barely know the guy anymore.”
But what she’d seen of him the last few days had her wondering the same thing about Drew. Why was he single? Perhaps if she discovered Drew’s flaws, she would also discover a way to disconnect her growing interest in him too.
Nichole leaned against the kitchen counter. “But you’re seeing him now.”
“He’s a client.” Molly sipped her wine and checked on Hazel in her swing. “And an attorney.”
“Same as you.” Sophie carefully sat on the sofa and propped her feet on the coffee table.
“And the same as my ex.” Molly drank a large sip of wine.
“Workplace romance gone wrong.” Nichole slipped her arm around Molly’s waist and clinked her glass against hers, “I’ve been there. Definitely not a good place.”
Molly glanced at Nichole and saw only a strong woman who by all accounts had thrived as an entrepreneur and mom. And she saw a friend she could relate to. “I vowed not to have a work romance ever again.”
“Here’s to not repeating past mistakes.” Nichole lifted her glass in a toast.
Brooke joined them. “But we must still have the courage to take risks.”
The risk for Molly was getting to know these women better. Becoming friends with Drew’s friends. Once the case was over and Drew returned to his career, would she lose her new friends too?
Nichole settled on the floor in the family room and picked up one of her shopping bags. “You have to see what I found for Hazel’s nook.”
Molly watched Nichole reveal her finds, from a tie-dyed stuffed elephant, to a moon-and-star light, to a pair of fuzzy blankets. Several pillows and more toys emerged from other shopping bags. Molly picked up a framed picture of a cuddly teddy bear and a quote about the smallest things taking up the most room in a heart. “I thought we said nothing on the walls.”
No big changes. Nothing that couldn’t be easily dismantled. Easily removed to return the apartment to its former state.
“I’m the landlord and as such I get to overrule you.” Brooke revealed a series of wall decals ranging from a princess castle to fairy friends.
Everything was adorable and wonderful. More than Molly would’ve picked out. It all felt somehow more permanent. Hesitation tempered Molly’s words. “But the unit might be harder to rent later.”
“This is your home right now.” Brooke hugged a soft heart-shaped pillow Nichole had purchased.
“And it needs to feel like a home, even if it’s only temporary.” Sophie touched her stomach and eyed Molly. “Everyone needs a home to come back to at the end of the day.”
The four-poster queen-sized bed in her room was exactly what Molly would’ve chosen for her own home. And Hazel deserved more than a suitcase and a playpen. “What do you guys have in mind?”
The women jumped right in. Sophie cut tags off Nichole’s purchases and opened packages. Nichole and Brooke debated the exact location for every decal.
Maybe it was the wine. Or the easy banter of the women. But Molly confessed, “I’m worried about finding a nanny. Our day-care experience has been far from what I hoped for. Hazel cries at every pick-up. The director says Hazel just needs more time to adjust.” Molly hadn’t adjusted and disliked her daughter’s continued tears.
“Brad and Drew had a nanny.” Sophie assembled the moon-and-star light and chuckled. “Look how well they turned out.”
“It’s not the turning out. It’s more the bonding between me and Hazel. It’s my career versus being a mom.” Molly pinched her lips together. She’d never been one to overshare or complain. She always handled her own worries. Her own fears. Why was she airing things now?
“Why is it so hard to do it all?” Nichole moved to the end of the dresser Brooke had found in the attic. The guys had carried it in before they left for the drive to the dance. Nichole motioned for Molly to pick up the other end. Together they lifted the antique furniture piece into Hazel’s tiny corner.
“It fits great.” Brooke watched from the family room. “Better than I thought. As for your question, Nichole. I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m doing it all perfectly.”
Nichole laughed and tossed a soft plush star at Brooke. “You lie so well.”
“As it happens, I have a rogue idea. One that isn’t popular among the be-everything-to-everyone moms.” Brooke sipped her wine and wisdom filled her gaze. “What really matters is the quality of time spent with our children over the quantity.”
“I think I like that.” Nichole lifted Hazel from her swing. “Someone needs a diaper change.”
Sophie spread a diaper-changing mat across the couch and reached for Hazel. “I’ve been worried about the pet store, the twins and Ella. They all need me.”
“Just be present with Ella, even if it’s only ten minutes at a time,” Brooke said. “If Ella has all your attention in those few minutes, that’s more important. An hour spent with her in the same room with you working on your accounting for The Pampered Pooch isn’t the same.”
“Why does it sound so simple when you say it?” Molly asked. Brooke gave Molly hope. She wanted to believe quality over quantity. Wanted to believe Hazel wouldn’t suffer if she fully pursued her career.
“We are all works-in-progress.” Brooke handed Molly her glass of wine.
“Just remember you will miss things.” Sophie p
eeked inside Hazel’s diaper and twisted her face into an overblown grimace. Hazel giggled and babbled.
Brooke handed Sophie the baby wipes container.
“Then what do you do?” Molly picked up one corner of the playpen and Nichole the other. In step with each other, the women scooted Hazel’s temporary crib, and final piece for her special space, into the small alcove.
“You work hard to be there for the next thing,” Sophie said.
“If it’s a soccer goal because you showed up late to the soccer game, you celebrate with ice cream before dinner.” Nichole picked up her wine glass from the coffee table and clinked it against Brooke’s.
Brooke added, “Or you just have an ice-cream sundae dinner.”
The women laughed and offered their collective agreement.
“Same goes for class speeches, Christmas performances and art shows.” Nichole drummed her fingers against her wine glass. “Try to be there for each one of those, but if you can’t, then make arrangements to have it videoed so you watch it together later.”
“Don’t miss kindergarten graduation for any reason.” Sophie finished the diaper change and zipped Hazel’s teddy-bear-print onesie up under her chin.
“Or Halloween,” Nichole said. “The costumes are a really big deal.”
“The most important thing is to learn to forgive yourself.” Sophie propped Hazel next to her on the couch and set her favorite floppy-eared pink bunny in her lap. “You aren’t going to always get it right. After all, perfect moms are a total myth.”
“I feel like I’ve been getting it all wrong since Hazel’s birth.” Molly folded a blanket to cover the numerous stains on the llama-print cotton fabric. The ones she’d failed to get out even after several washings. Worse, it was Hazel’s favorite blanket and went everywhere they did. She draped the blanket over her arm and considered looking online to order a replacement. “All the books I read...”
“Stop. Right. There.” Nichole held up her hand like a strict school-crossing guard, her voice firm. “Those books are wrong.”
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