On Saturday morning, she wanted nothing more than to curl into a little ball and sleep behind the counter of the bakery. “We need to hire some help,” Grace announced to her cousins.
Patience turned from the counter, her third cup of coffee in her hands, and nodded. “I don’t think I realized just how hard this schedule would be until I got married. I can’t keep up. It was fine before, but I have a husband and daughter that need my time now.”
Felicity looked back and forth between her cousins. “You need to be here early, Patience, but you don’t need to stay late. Why don’t you start leaving at four?”
“Could we do that? I mean, that’s still an eleven-hour day, but it’s not a thirteen-hour day. Maybe I could feel at least halfway human if we did that.”
Grace shook her head. “No, I think with a husband and daughter, you need to get off even earlier than that. You leave to take Corinne at eleven-thirty, so why don’t you plan on leaving at two? You’ll only have an hour and a half after your lunch break.”
Patience blinked a couple of times, nodding. She loved that idea. She was so tired every night that she’d didn’t even have time to make love with her husband. If she could take a nap in the afternoons, she could get so much more done at home, and still have time for Ryan. “That would make me a very happy woman.”
Grace looked at Felicity. “You could start coming in later, like around eight or so, and then you could stay until close. Would that work? I’m going to put an ad in a paper for someone to come in and work the counter. Hopefully it will be someone with baking experience, but at this point, all I care about is if they can run a cash register.”
Felicity nodded. “I’m all for it. I hate how tired Patience always looks.”
“I’m okay,” Patience protested. “It’s just that I’m trying to get the house where it should be, cook every meal, be the wife and the bakery co-owner, I guess. I love working with you two, and I’m not going to stop, but I do need fewer hours.”
Grace frowned at Patience. “Do you think you can manage if we do five to two? Is that going to leave you enough time for your family?”
Patience nodded. “I think that’ll be just fine.” She frowned. “I’ll have to figure out the car situation faster, though.”
“Just take Honor’s until you get one. There’s no need for Corinne to have to get up to drive you to work.”
“Why didn’t we think of that sooner?” Patience asked.
“No idea,” Felicity said, walking over and hugging her sister. “Promise you’ll sleep?”
“I will, but remember, I have a birthday party on Monday, so I’m still going to be looking tired next week.”
“No, you’re not. I’m going to be there helping you with whatever you need all day on Monday,” Felicity told her.
“And I’ve got the birthday cupcakes all ready.” Grace shook her head. “I’ll be there an hour early for last minute stuff.
“We’ve got this!” Felicity smiled. “We’re Quinlans. We can do anything after putting up with our parents.”
The three of them laughed together. Grace poked Patience. “Go home. You need a nap.”
Patience laughed and walked to the back of the store to pick up her purse. “I’m so out of here.”
She smiled at a couple who walked into the store, moving further to the back so one of the others could take care of the customers.
Patience helped to clean up the counter area before she left, unwilling to leave the mess for the others.
Grace went to the counter and helped the couple there, their voices finally cluing Patience in that they were Jesse and Valerie Savoy, the actors from Lazy Love. “You want more of the cheesecake?” Grace asked, looking over her shoulder at Patience.
“Oh, I haven’t completely perfected it yet, but it’s close. I have a full-sized cheesecake that I baked today. It’s just a tiny bit different.”
Valerie’s eyes lit up. “It was delicious before. I can’t imagine what you did to make it better. But I’m sure willing to try it and give my opinion. You know the opinion of a pregnant woman about food is worth the opinion of twenty non-pregnant people!”
“Just a slight change to the amount of marshmallow cream I used, and I used a different brand, one that’s famous in New England. I’d read about it, but never tasted it. Hopefully it’s as delicious as everyone says.”
“I’m sure it will be.” Valerie smiled as a cheesecake was placed in her hands. “I know what I’m having for dinner.”
Jesse sighed. “You might want to try something with just a bit of nutritional value for the baby.”
Valerie frowned. “The baby likes chocolate. Besides there’s cheese, and that’s protein and dairy! Sounds like it’s nutritionally sound to me!”
Patience bit back a laugh. “Do you know if you’re having a boy or a girl yet?”
“No, I’m only twelve weeks along. I’ll find out in two months. I don’t know if I can wait that long.”
Patience grinned. “I think I’d feel the same way.” She took the money Jesse handed her. “Thanks for your business.”
Valerie smiled. “Wild horses couldn’t keep us away at this point. Now that we’ve tasted what you can do with pastries here, we’re going to be regulars. When we’re in town at least.” Patience knew that they filmed their show in Texas, but they’d bought a small ranch there just outside of Culpepper.
“Are you completely moved in to the ranch you bought?”
“Yeah, we have been for about a week. We have a month before filming starts for the new season, so we’re going to just hide out here for a while.” Valerie got a questioning look on her face. “My sister, Rikki, needs to start over, and she’s going to move in with us when the baby is born to act as nanny. You wouldn’t have a job for her until then, would you? She wants out of Iowa as soon as she can manage it.”
Patience looked over her shoulder at Grace, who had a big grin on her face. “Can she run a cash register?” Grace asked.
“Yeah, she’s been working in a grocery store for over a year. She just needs a change of scenery.”
“We’ll give her a try!” Grace said excitedly. “How soon can she start?”
Valerie and Jesse looked at each other. “How soon do you need her?”
“Tuesday?” Patience asked, knowing it was impossible.
Valerie grinned. “It’s fate. Her notice on her old job is up on Sunday. I’ll talk to her and see if she’ll fly out here on Monday to start work on Tuesday. Thanks for giving her a chance!”
“Oh, you have no idea what a blessing that will be for us!” Grace said. “It’s absolutely perfect.”
“Grace, I have your number. I’ll call on Monday, and we’ll make arrangements.”
“Perfect. Thank you so much.”
As the couple left, the three bakers looked at each other. “That was way too easy,” Patience said. “I can’t believe we found someone without trying.”
“It’s perfect!” Grace responded. “We don’t have to worry about an ad.”
“What if she won’t work for the amount we’re willing to pay?” Felicity asked.
“Oh, she will. Everything else lined up too easily. That wouldn’t be a stumbling block at this point. Besides, if she’s going to be living with Jesse and Valerie, how much does she need to make?”
Patience finished cleaning the display case and grabbed her purse. “Thanks for letting me leave early today,” she told the others. “I’m ready for a good long nap.”
She got into Honor’s car and drove it home, surprised to see Ryan sitting on the steps out front with Corinne at his side. She knew that Corinne usually played on Saturdays while Ryan worked. He was there if she needed him, but she was mostly on her own.
Ryan stood up and walked to the car, opening the door for her. “I was supposed to come get you in a few hours. What are you doing here?”
Patience smiled. “We’ve decided to cut my hours at the bakery. The others could tell that the hours I was
working were too much with a family.”
“Are you all right?” Ryan asked.
She nodded. “Felicity and Grace were worried about how tired I always look, so they suggested I leave early. And we just hired someone to come in to help starting Tuesday. I’ll still have to go in early, but I’ll be getting off at two. I won’t be fighting my way through exhaustion all the time.”
“Oh, that’s great!”
“I know. I’m going to take a nap, but after that, I’m going to act like a real person again.”
He reached over and squeezed her hand. “You know we’ve had no complaints, right?”
Patience shook her head. “You both should have.” She rested her head against his shoulder. “You’re also not going to have to get up so early to drive me to work anymore. I’m going to use Honor’s car.”
Ryan smiled. He was more relieved than he cared to admit. It was getting harder every day to get Corinne to get out of her warm bed and into the truck to drive Patience to work. “That sounds good.”
“Does that sound good to you, too, Corinne?”
Corinne smiled. “I think that sounds wonderful. I hate mornings.”
“I’m with you, kiddo!” Patience smiled over at Corinne. “Want to take a nap with me?”
Corinne wrinkled her nose. “I hate naps more than I hate mornings!”
Patience laughed. “You won’t always hate naps. Someday you’ll think of them as a reward for a job well done.”
“I don’t know about that.”
Patience grinned at Ryan, thankful she was finally at home. “I’m going straight up to sleep. I’ll set an alarm, so dinner won’t be late.”
He sighed. “I’m not worried about dinner. You’re too tired. Go take care of yourself.” He waited while she went into the house, and looked at Corinne. “You stay as quiet as you can while she sleeps, okay? Did you get your room cleaned and your bed made like I asked?”
Corinne nodded. “I did everything you told me to do to make Mama’s day easier.”
He smiled. “You’re a good kid. You know that?”
She shrugged. “And you’re a good daddy.” She walked over and hugged him. “Do you need me to feed the horses?”
He shook his head. “Not at all. You go play. You’ve done enough work today.”
*****
It was just after five when Patience woke up to the persistent buzzing sound coming from her phone. She didn’t want to get up, but she needed to put the finishing touches on dinner. She’d put a roast in the crock pot before work that morning, but she wanted to make mashed potatoes and a vegetable to go with it.
She showered and headed down the stairs, noticing subtle changes as she walked through the house. Someone had dusted off the entertainment center, removing all the books and replacing them. The laundry wasn’t done, but it was neatly piled out of the way in the laundry room. Why it looked as if some elves had come in, doing some work to make things easier on her.
When she got to the kitchen, she found Corinne sitting at the bar, coloring a picture. “What are you coloring?” she asked.
“It’s for you!” Corinne told her. “I made you a butterfly ballerina, so you can take it to work. Then you won’t miss me while you’re gone all day.”
“Oh, that’s so sweet!”
“Don’t look yet! I’m not quite done!”
“All right. I will pay attention to my own work and not yours.” Patience smiled to herself, pleased that Corinne would think of doing something so sweet for her. She quickly pulled out a big pot and filled it with hot water before peeling potatoes. She’d found out quickly that with the hours Ryan worked, and the physical labor he did, he ate a ton of food.
Once the potatoes were boiling, she whipped up a quick cake. It was nothing like what Grace could have done, but she knew her family would not complain. They seemed to be pleased with whatever she did.
Ryan came in an hour later with a smile on his face. “I’m glad we’re done with this long week!” He walked straight into the kitchen and kissed Patience, whisking her off her feet and spinning her in a circle.
Patience laughed. “You’re silly!”
“Do me, Daddy! Do me!” Corinne scrambled down from the stool and ran around to stand with her arms up for her dad to spin her as well. After she was back on her feet, she stumbled around banging into things while they laughed.
Patience smiled up at Ryan. “Go get your shower. Dinner will be on the table when you’re done.”
He pressed one more quick kiss to her lips. “Down in a minute.”
“Did you do the dusting?” Patience asked Corinne, now that she had the girl’s attention away from her drawing.
Corinne nodded. “Daddy showed me how, and he told me it would help you out a lot if I finished it.”
Patience smiled. “It did help me out a lot.”
“I’m glad, ‘cuz you’re my mama now, and I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“I’m healthy. Don’t worry about me.”
“I’ll try not to.”
After supper, Ryan and Corinne did the dishes as they’d been doing. Patience started a load of laundry, refusing to sit around while the others worked.
While Corinne was getting her bath, Patience curled up beside Ryan on the couch. “Thanks for the housework help today. I wasn’t expecting it, and it made me very happy.”
“I don’t think all housework should be your job. I told you that before.”
“I know, but it seems to be what we both expect anyway. You know?”
He nodded. “It seems to be the natural order of things, however much I don’t want it to be. I’ll do my best to keep it from all being piled on you.”
“I appreciate that. Now that I’m working fewer hours I’ll be able to handle it better.”
“Well, I want you to be able to stay awake long enough to make love on occasion as well,” he whispered, pressing his lips to hers.
They hadn’t found the time to make love since their wedding night, and while she’d hated that, she just hadn’t been able to keep her eyes open after the long days she was putting in. “I got a nap today. I bet I can stay awake.”
He grinned, stroking her cheek. “That’ll be nice for a change.”
Corinne came clumping down the stairs, and as Patience looked at her, she thought again about how she needed to do some shopping and get the girl some pajamas that fit. Maybe she could go to the city on Monday. The nearest Wal-Mart was a forty-five-minute drive, but it would have to be made. The girl needed clothes. And soon. She was sure Grace would be happy to drive her to ballet camp.
They played two games that night before they went together into Corinne’s room to tuck her in. Patience had tears in her eyes when she saw how clean the girl’s room was. “Did you clean in here too?”
Corinne nodded. “It’s my job to keep my room clean. Not yours.”
“You did a great job! Thank you for working so hard to help me out.”
Once they were alone in their room, Patience took a nightgown from her drawer, and walked into the bathroom to get changed. When she came out, Ryan was waiting for her under the covers.
“Why did you even bother with that?” he asked.
“With what?”
“That thing you’re wearing.”
“It’s called a nightgown, Ryan. I always sleep in one.”
He frowned. “Have you slept in one this week?”
She nodded. “I guess you were more tired than either of us realized if you didn’t notice that.”
“I was getting up at a ridiculous hour of the morning as well, you know.”
“Yeah, you were.”
“Take it off.”
“You want me to take off my nightgown?” she asked, her eyes wide.
“Yup. I don’t like it.”
“Why not? It’s comfortable.”
“I like the ones you can see through. The others need to be thrown in the trash.”
“I’ll note your expectat
ions about my clothing.” She slipped into bed, still wearing the nightgown.
“Take it off.”
She frowned but pulled the nightgown off, while staying under the covers on the bed. She threw it to the floor. “There, are you happy now?”
He shook his head.
“Why not?”
“Cuz you’re not pressed up against me, of course. Don’t you know how this marriage thing is supposed to work?”
She sighed. “You’re sure demanding tonight.”
“It’s my job.” He pulled her to him, kissing her passionately. “Now, where were we?”
*****
While Patience and Felicity were in town on Monday, they chose some decorations and goodie bags for the children. “I need to get a couple of pairs of pajamas for Corinne while we’re here.”
“You mean she doesn’t wear her leotard and tutu to bed?” Felicity asked with wide eyes.
“Oh, she would if we’d let her!”
That night, after the party was over, Corinne threw her arms around Patience. “That was the best birthday party ever! Now I can be seven.”
“So if you hadn’t had the best birthday party ever, you wouldn’t be seven?” Patience asked, trying to understand.
“Oh, I’d still be seven, but I wouldn’t be a happy seven. You see?”
Patience didn’t see, but she nodded anyway. “What was your favorite part of the party?” She was already thinking of things she could do next year, so she wanted to know what Corinne had liked.
“Probably pin the tutu on the butterfly ballerina.”
Patience grinned. Linda Culpepper had really come through with that, painting the whole set up. “You need to thank Mrs. Culpepper for that at daycare in the morning,” Patience told her.
“Did she make it?”
Patience nodded. “She not only made it. It was her idea to make it, and she did everything. She was a big help.”
“So was Auntie Felicity,” Corinne said with a smile.
“Yes, so was Auntie Felicity.”
“I love the new ballerina doll she got me. It was perfect.” Corinne looked over at the doll who was watching them from a place of honor on a bookshelf. When Patience had suggested the doll go up to Corinne’s room, she’d refused, wanting the whole family to enjoy her new treasure.
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