by Various
Daisy lifted Bryce’s carrier off the cart, making room for the Pack-N-Play. After the cart was loaded up, Liz pushed it toward the register, thinking a strong dose of Maggie was just what they’d needed.
~ ~ ~
The next day, Trav showed up for his first daddy-son Sunday afternoon, taking two bottles of expressed milk and promising to have him back by dinner. Daisy went straight to bed. Liz sat on the sofa, too miserable to sleep. Without the distraction of the baby, she felt the loss of Ryan in her life keenly. But she couldn’t bring him back to this—constant diaper changes, feedings, endless nights, messy house, all the screaming and crying. Heck, she was a mess too. She hadn’t even stepped foot on her treadmill since Bryce arrived. And she’d eaten plenty of take-out Chinese and leftovers from Garner’s because they’d been too exhausted to cook. She’d be packing on the pounds soon.
The walls of the apartment closed in on her.
She shot off the sofa. She’d run outdoors. She normally preferred to get hot, sweaty, and gross in private, but these were desperate times. The treadmill was in the bedroom with her sleeping sister. She left a note for Daisy and quietly shut the apartment door. She’d take a quick run through town and stop at Garner’s after to pick up dinner. She drove to Garner’s to put in her order.
“Hi, Mom, Dad,” she said as she entered the back door through the kitchen.
Her father stepped out of the back office. “Hey, sweetheart.”
Her mother looked up from where she’d been tossing a salad. “Where’s my little angel baby?”
“He’s with his daddy for a few hours. Daisy’s sleeping. I’m going for a quick run, but can I get a double order of steak and baked potato when I get back? Daisy really needs the iron.”
“Anything for my girls,” her father said. “I’ll fix you up.”
“Thanks, Dad. Be back in about half an hour.”
She started at a slow jog as she headed down Main Street, taking in the new Halloween window displays. Pumpkins, scarecrows, and bales of hay decorated the sidewalk in front of the shops. She waved to a few people she recognized, her spirits lifting. This was a good idea. She sped up to a run and had gotten to the next block before she was drenched in sweat. There was no shade on Main Street, and the sun was strong this afternoon. She paused to regroup, turned, and headed off Main, down tree-lined Catoonah street with its beautiful Victorian homes.
“Hi, Ms. Garner,” Alexis and Kayla, twins from her third-grade class, said in unison. They rode up alongside her on their bikes.
“Hi, girls,” she panted.
They sped past her, their bikes much quicker than her slowing pace of running.
She checked the time on her cell. It’d only been ten minutes. She could always run thirty minutes on the treadmill. She kept going, turning down Elm. She smiled at a black lab who appeared to be smiling back as he jogged by with his owner.
Sweat poured down her face, chest, and back, but she was determined to get her full workout in. She might not have the chance to do it again until the next daddy-son Sunday. She decided she’d go one more block and then back up toward Garner’s.
Her pace slowed to a shuffling jog as she sucked in air.
“Hey,” a deep voice said from behind her.
Her heart pounded painfully hard. She’d know that voice anywhere.
She turned and stumbled a bit. Ryan reached out to steady her. He looked the same. Not miserable like Maggie had said. Maybe some more stubble, but the same. Gorgeous. Unlike her. Dammit. She knew she looked a mess. She felt like crying.
She felt pathetic.
She slowed to a walk, pushing the frizzy, sweaty hair that had escaped her ponytail off her face.
“How are you?” he asked. He wore a black T-shirt and black basketball shorts, probably out for a run like her. Only not winded.
“Tired,” she said.
“Trav was happy to get Bryce.”
“Good.”
She picked up to a jog again, wanting only to get back to Garner’s and away from him. He kept up with her.
She picked up the pace. He did too.
A cramp hit her side, and she stopped dead in the street, bending over and panting it out.
Ryan seemed to take that as normal because he kept talking. “I’m going in to talk to Chief Bailey tomorrow, see if he has any leads for me. You know, as a cop.”
She straightened. “Good. Good for you.”
“You want to—”
“I haven’t run in a while, so I’d better head back while I have the energy.”
He nodded, his expression neutral, and stepped back.
She pushed herself with pure adrenaline to jog back to Garner’s, ignoring the cramp in her side and the pain in her heart.
~ ~ ~
“Ryan, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,” Chief Bailey said, pumping his hand and clapping him on the back. Chief, now in his fifties, had aged well. He had a full head of salt-and-pepper hair, blue eyes always lit with a spark of humor, and he’d kept fit. No donut paunch on this guy.
“I know, I stayed away too long,” Ryan said. “I’ve seen you on patrol here and there.”
“But you haven’t come in. We missed you around here, didn’t we, Linda?”
“We sure did.” Linda, a woman in her sixties, had worked as secretary at the small Clover Park police station since Ryan was a kid. “Coffee?”
“No, thanks.” Ryan leaned down and kissed her cheek. “You look just like when I first laid eyes on you. Beautiful as ever.”
She gave him a playful swat. “Oh, you.” She patted her curly red hair.
“Come on back to my office.” Chief Bailey headed for his back office in the old Victorian that served as the town’s police station. There was an ancient-looking holding cell in the basement where sometimes the chief deposited someone that had too much to drink. Other than that, crime was very low.
Chief Bailey grabbed some old newspapers off a wood chair and dropped them on the floor. “Have a seat.”
Ryan sat and got right to business. “Like I said on the phone, I’m here to—”
“I know why you’re here. What I don’t know is why you left the force.” He opened a file folder. “I kept tabs on you. Top of your class at the academy, numerous commendations for integrity, officer of the month five times, distinguished service award.” He fixed Ryan with an assessing look. “You turned in your badge after you were shot in the line of duty. Why?”
Ryan was prepared for the question, and if anyone would understand why he’d had to leave, it was Chief Bailey. He told him the story of the kid with the gun and his two-year-old sister. The bullet he’d taken in the shoulder.
Chief leaned back in his chair, folding his hands over his stomach. “Back up. When you say you froze, were you staring down the kid with the gun or looking at the little girl?”
“The girl,” he said tightly. He hated the reminder of that day.
“That’s the best thing you could’ve done.”
Ryan’s mouth dropped open. “What?”
“The perp’s attention was on you. When he saw you staring at his sister, he likely shifted his attention to the girl, giving your partner the distraction he needed to disarm him.”
Ryan blinked. He’d never thought of it that way. Course, he couldn’t be sure if that’s how it went down. “Maybe,” he allowed.
Chief closed the folder and leaned forward. “Did they send you to a shrink after?”
“No, I turned in my badge the next day. I’ve been working as a private investigator ever since, but I’m done with that. You got any leads for me coming back as an officer locally?”
“They’re looking for a full-timer in Fieldridge. I know the chief. I could make a call.”
“Jack’s in Fieldridge.”
Chief gave him a level look. “I heard he cleaned up. Is that gonna be a problem?”
“No.” As long as Jack stays on the right side of the law.
“Your shoulder giving you any
trouble?”
“No, Chief.”
“Call me Glenn.” He steepled his fingers together. “Ryan, I’m looking to retire soon. There’s no one I’d trust more to look over the people of Clover Park than you. Put in a year in Fieldridge, and I’ll make you chief here when I retire.”
Ryan stared at him, speechless. He shut his mouth with a snap. “Chief, I never expected—”
“Glenn.”
“Glenn, this is…wow…a great opportunity…it would be an honor to follow in your footsteps.”
Glenn held up a finger. “On one condition.”
“Name it.”
“My mandated post-trauma therapy for you—join the police athletic league in Eastman. I’ve been on the board ever since Trav came through here. We help at-risk kids get on the right track. We’ve got soccer, basketball, and baseball leagues. You’d serve as coach, mentor, role model. I can’t think of anyone more qualified than you for sports and for turning kids around. Whadda ya say?”
He’d never thought of it before, working with kids. He’d helped his brothers, but that was different, they were family. Still, it was more than a fair deal. He knew sports. The kids he wasn’t so sure about, but he’d handle it. “Sign me up.”
Glenn smiled and nodded. “This’ll help you too. You work closely with these kids, you won’t freeze up if something comes up again. You’ll know how to reach them. You’ll understand.”
“Okay, Chief, er, Glenn.”
Glenn stood and extended his hand.
Ryan shook his hand warmly. “Thank you.”
“All right. I’ll make a call. Expect to hear from Chief Pax soon.”
Ryan nodded and turned to head out the door.
“Soccer practice is at nine a.m. on Saturday,” Glenn said. “You just got the middle school boys team.”
Middle school boys were still pretty young, Ryan figured, not into hard drugs or dangerous criminal activity. Shouldn’t be a problem.
He called over his shoulder, “I’ll be there.” He stopped. “Wait, Gran’s wedding is this Saturday. I’ll be there starting the next Saturday.”
Glenn gave him a thumbs-up. “That’ll work. I’ll fill in for you.”
He walked out of Glenn’s office, standing tall, feeling like he was back on track. This felt right. He should’ve come to Chief Bailey years ago. “Bye, Linda.”
She wiggled her fingers. “Don’t be a stranger around here.”
He turned and grinned. “I won’t.”
No surprise Liz didn’t want to be with a guy who snooped on affairs. But this—this was good, honest work. Now he was worthy of Liz. He just had to convince her.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
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. Alway
s 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.