by Elsie Davis
What Grace hadn’t expected, though, was Faith’s heartfelt goodbye to the baby, consisting of a hug and kiss to the top of her head, with a promise to see her today. Her sister might not want to admit it, but she clearly enjoyed spending time with Holly. But then who wouldn’t? Aside from Karen, that is. Grace shook her head. It was unthinkable Karen hadn’t bothered to even call and check on her daughter.
Speaking of calling people, Grace still hadn’t phoned Olivia to tell her what was going on. And right about now, she could use her friend’s emotional support and unerring wisdom. She hit the speed dial for Olivia and waited for her friend to answer.
“Hey, Grace. I haven’t heard from you in days.”
“I know how busy you are, and things have been pretty hectic on my end as well. Do you have time to catch up, or should we try another night?”
“Now is perfect. Danny’s out in the backyard with the twins, and I’m fixing dinner. I’ll put you on speakerphone. I want to hear all about your new job.”
“So, what’s new with you?” Grace asked, hoping to ease into the reason for her call.
“Don’t even try that with me. You know my excitement is centered around four-year-old boys and the day-to-day excitement about who said what, to who, or who has whose stuff. You know the routine.” Olivia laughed.
“I do.” Grace did know, having experienced it firsthand when visiting her friend.
“Start talking. I want updates.” Olivia would have to settle for a modified version of the updates because there wasn’t enough time for a long conversation.
“How about I give you the speed dial version of my life? It may be all the time I have,” Grace said, glancing at the baby happily playing on her blanket. For the moment.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’ll understand in a minute. So, about the job. As far as a first day on the job goes, mine was a disaster. There were a few hiccups along the way.”
“Hiccups?” Olivia asked.
“Well, more like vomiting,” Grace said, wincing as she recalled Ryan covered in baby puke. She filled Olivia in about Holly, her job, and Ryan, trying to gloss over the extra details and sticking to the core facts, knowing at any minute, either one of them could be called to duty elsewhere.
“I can’t believe you didn’t call me sooner,” her friend exclaimed. “I should have said no to Karen, but I couldn’t. You get it, don’t you? I’m mean you know my situation and all.”
“Sometimes, you go too far with your kindness. Spreading yourself too thin. But Grace, I do understand. Honestly. The good news is you still have your job, and Faith is helping you now. I’m looking for the silver lining in this mess you’ve landed in with your generosity. Is there anything I can do to help?” It was sweet of Olivia to offer, but Grace knew better than to take advantage of her friend.
“No. With Faith back on track, I swear I’m good. And Ryan and I have an understanding.” Mostly, anyway.
“Sounds to me like you’re interested in the guy?”
Olivia was right, but Grace wasn’t ready to get into that aspect of things. “Hardly. Ryan’s my boss. The only thing I like is that he didn’t fire me. And of course, he’s good with Holly.”
“What?” Olivia exclaimed.
“He sort of helped out at the office with her. It’s no big deal, really.” Grace shrugged, trying to prove it to herself as much as convince Olivia.
“No big deal? You’re crazy.” A flurry of activity could be heard in the background. “Tell her, Danny. If a guy steps in and helps you take care of your baby and he’s not the father, it’s a big deal. Like, he’s interested. Right?”
“Who are you talking to?” Danny asked, completely blindsided and clearly confused by Olivia’s question.
“Grace, of course,” her friend answered, as if the answer should have been obvious.
“But she doesn’t have a baby.” The poor guy had no clue what he’d walked into.
“She does now. It’s a long story. But it’s a big deal, right?” Olivia persisted.
“Based on what you’ve said, it is, but it’s not like I know all the facts.” Spoken like a true male. Cover the bases on both sides to make sure you didn’t come up the loser.
“You know enough.” Olivia laughed. “See, Grace. It is a big deal.”
“I can’t believe you just dragged Danny into this. Ryan and I have a working relationship. Besides, I’ve already started off with a lie, so it’s kind of hard to expect anything good to come of it.”
“What lie? You didn’t say anything about a lying to the man,” Olivia said, picking up on Grace’s comment.
“He thinks Holly is mine.” She waited for Olivia to read her the riot act.
“You’re insane. Why would you tell him that?”
“To keep my job. If he found out I was only babysitting, he would have fired me for bringing her. Ryan also assumes I’m husband hunting, so I think it’s safe to say he isn’t interested, especially when you consider his anti-kid, anti-relationship status.”
“And how would you know about that?”
“We talked, and it came up.” Grace had shared more than enough information for one day. If she told her about Charlie’s invitation and Ryan’s reaction, it would be tantamount to sealing her friend’s already-formed opinion.
The sound of children yelling in the background grew louder. “Listen, duty calls, and I’ve got to run. You need to keep me posted and let me know if there’s anything I can do to help. My advice is to set the record straight with Ryan. No good comes from lies, and you know it. And we need to finish this chat soon.”
“Go. It’s all good. I promise. I just thought you should know what was going on, so you didn’t feel left out.” Grace laughed.
“I do anyway.” It sounded like glass breaking in the background. “Got to go while I have any dishes left.” Olivia was gone before she could respond. As hectic as it sounded at her friend’s house, she still envied her the family life she enjoyed. Grace knew it wasn’t all hectic.
Chapter Eight
The alarm went off, and Grace rolled over, stretching to turn off the offensive sound before it woke the baby. Holly was still peacefully asleep in her portable crib, allowing Grace to get ready for work without any trouble. Lucky ran after her into the kitchen, happy to get some attention as Grace reached down and petted the dog. A few good scratches later, and she happily ran off, back to the bedroom to play protector.
Grace raced around the house, trying to get everything ready before Holly woke up. It wasn’t long before Holly could be heard moving about and talking to Lucky. More like babbling.
She went into the bedroom, eager to share a few special moments with Holly before having to leave for work. “Good morning, sunshine,” she said, picking the baby up and moving her to the bed to make it easy to dress her, and of course, smother her with kisses. Grace took a few minutes to put Holly’s stuff in one location, trying to make things easier on her sister.
In the kitchen, she set the baby in her high chair, before mixing up a bowl of cereal. Grace sat next to Holly and spoon-fed her, impressed by how fast the baby ate every drop. She was equally impressed there wasn’t a single drop of food on her work clothes. Grace was becoming an old pro at this baby business, or so it seemed.
Lucky, on the other hand, wasn’t happy about it. He’d learned quickly to stick around for unexpected treats that fell to the floor and was disappointed when there weren’t any this time around.
Grace fixed Holly a bottle and handed it to her. Glancing at her watch, she was surprised Faith hadn’t arrived yet. She shoved the papers she’d been working on last night into her briefcase, closed the latches, and set it by the door so she’d be ready to go.
Come on, Faith. Where are you? Grace glanced out the front window and peered down the street. A wave of dread filled her, causing her stomach to clench. There was no way her sister would do this to her again. No way.
Her phone rang, Faith’s ringto
ne booming like a death knoll in the midst of the room, a foreboding shadow of what was to come. There was only one reason her sister would be calling at this moment. Grace snatched up the phone. “Where are you? You should have been here ten minutes ago.”
“I’m having car trouble, and I can’t make it. I’m sorry.” Car trouble was one of the oldest excuses in the book. In Faith’s language, it meant I stayed out late partying. Sorry wouldn’t fix the mess.
“Really? I can’t believe you’d do this to me again. You’re so irresponsible. When are you going to grow up and take responsibility for your actions?” Grace tried to collect her thoughts, shaking her head as she glanced back at the baby.
“It’s not my fault, and I can’t very well walk there, now can I?” Her sister’s sarcasm did little to calm Grace down.
“Not your fault? Nothing is ever your fault, is it? Never mind. I’m late enough as it is. Sleep in, play with your friends, do whatever. I’m done.” Grace hung up the phone, more furious with her sister than she’d been in a long time. Enough was enough. Faith was their mother’s problem, and the two of them could hash this one out.
Olivia had offered her help, but there was no way she’d call her friend. She had enough on her plate without Grace adding to the mix. Left with no choice, she was forced to take the baby to work. Again.
The rash decision to take care of Holly was ruining her life, but somehow, she’d find a way to deal with the consequences. Because there was one thing Grace was certain of, she’d say yes all over again in a New York second. The chance to love and care for a baby had been an answer to her prayers, and it was with prayer she’d see this through.
Grace took a deep breath and exhaled, gathering her thoughts. After loading the diaper bag with every possible contingency, she changed Holly’s diaper and then dressed her in a sweater to ward off the morning chill. She grabbed the diaper bag, her handbag, the car seat, and the baby, and headed out the door.
It was like packing for a month’s vacation every time you took a baby anywhere. Setting Holly down in the back seat, Grace hooked up the straps that held the baby seat in place. She needed six hands to manage the buckles and keep Holly from playing with every button she found.
“Here you go, sweetheart. Time to get in your car seat.” The answering babble of sounds made Grace stop and smile.
Driving a little over the speed limit, Grace tried to make up time, not wanting to be late. She was also hoping to sneak into her office and keep Holly off Ryan’s radar. Otherwise, yesterday’s truce would end.
Grace glanced around the parking lot for Ryan’s car as she pulled in. She let out a huge sigh of relief when it was nowhere to be seen. Gathering up everything she needed, Grace made her way to her office and closed the door behind her. She spread out the blanket in the corner with some toys, much the same way she’d done the first day. “Be a good girl, honey. Please.” Grace gave her a kiss on the head and moved to sit down at her desk, firing up the computer.
She’d worked out several ideas for the price signage last night, and she was eager to put the order in. The printer had agreed to handle the fast turnaround, but only if she turned in the mockups by five p.m. today. She could pick them up on Friday and deliver them on Saturday. And as to the extra expense, that was Ryan’s problem. Hers was just to make sure it happened.
Stopping only to change the baby’s diaper, give her some snacks, and fix two bottles, Grace was pleased with the amount of work she accomplished throughout the morning. She’d even slipped in a few minutes to play with the baby, something she couldn’t resist.
Holly had been asleep for the past ninety minutes, making it even easier to concentrate. And there was still no sign of Ryan. Everything was going perfect.
Five minutes later, perfect ended; Holly waking up and screaming at the top of her lungs. Grace rushed to her side and picked her up. She touched the baby’s forehead with the back of her hand, relieved Holly wasn’t burning up with a fever. Crocodile tears rolled down the baby’s face, breaking Grace’s heart as she tried to comfort her, unsure what was wrong or how to fix it.
“Shhh. There, now. It’ll be all right.” Grace changed Holly’s diaper, hoping the obvious solution would be the right one. Except the cries continued. She tried toys to entertain and bouncing the baby on her hip while she paced the room, but nothing helped.
The door burst open, and Grace looked up to discover Ryan standing there, a deep frown etched on his face.
Busted.
“I can explain.”
“No explanation needed. The baby is back, and apparently not happy. It doesn’t matter why she’s here, just that she is.” There was some truth to what he said, and Ryan would no more buy into Faith’s lame excuse than she had. But Grace felt the need to explain anyway.
“It’s Faith. I told you about her yesterday. She’s so irresponsible. I should have known better than to think I could trust her. I’m sorry.”
“What’s wrong with Holly?” He nodded toward the baby, ignoring everything she’d said about Faith.
“I don’t know. She woke up from her nap and started screaming. Maybe she had a bad dream.” Grace remembered the paci in the diaper bag and searched for it frantically, hoping it would do the trick. She stuck it in Holly’s mouth and waited. Within seconds, the crying subsided enough for Grace to realize she was on the right track.
“I may regret this, but is there anything I can do to help?” Ryan’s offer shocked her to the core. So much so, her initial inclination was to refuse, but then she thought better of it.
She could use his help and he was offering. “Really? You’d do that?” Her gaze landed on him, as she tried to decide what to do. He was dressed in a clean shirt, tie, and suit. Grace couldn’t handle too many dry-cleaning bills.
“If it will help stop the crying, I’m game.” He shrugged.
“Could you hold her?” It was the same thing she’d asked him last time, right before Holly vomited all over him, but she couldn’t resist the urge to push Ryan’s buttons.
“Really? Last time I did that, it was a disaster. Both times, actually.”
“She’s dry, I just changed her. She hasn’t had any milk in a couple of hours. I think you’re safe. I need to fix her bottle. It would be easier for you to hold her and me to fix it, than for me to give you instructions while she’s crying.” Grace held the baby out to him, assuming he would comply.
“Fine,” he said, taking the baby. Holly’s cries subsided almost instantly as she checked Ryan out, curious about the new person holding her.
Grace hadn’t even made it to the door with the formula yet, and she stopped to look back, checking to make sure everything was okay. “What did you do?”
Ryan grinned. “I’m a baby whisperer of sorts. Didn’t anyone tell you?”
Grace rolled her eyes. “Baby whisperers don’t get vomited and peed on, wise guy.”
“True.” He nodded. “Honestly, I didn’t do a thing. She seems fascinated with my tie.”
Grace wasn’t about to take any chances and dally, pressing the good fortune of silence. “Maybe she likes bright colors. Don’t move, I’ll be right back with a bottle, just in case she starts crying again.” She hurried down the hall, anxious to get back. So much for keeping the baby a secret. Ryan hadn’t been happy about the situation, but at least he hadn’t fired her on the spot. But by now, Grace was starting to notice a pattern. Ryan Walker was one of the good guys, whether he liked it or not.
And the image of him holding the baby was one that would be imprinted on her heart forever. The man took to Holly like a natural, and vice versa. And there was something else Grace couldn’t help but notice. Holly looked like Ryan with her dark hair and olive skin complexion, so much so, they could easily pass for father and daughter
* * *
Ryan was loath to admit it, but the minute Holly stopped crying and looked up at him with her big, blue, tear-filled eyes when he took her in his arms, his heart melted like ice on a sunny day
. Who could resist adorable?
It had only taken seconds for him to identify the sound of a baby crying when he came in from the plant. And just as quickly, he’d zeroed in on the source. He’d meant what he said to Grace, it didn’t matter why Holly was here, only that she was. Babies didn’t belong at work, and at some point, Grace would need to work out her childcare issues.
For now, nothing else had changed. He needed Grace for her office skills and her marketing expertise, which meant he’d have to do what he could to make sure she had time to get her job done. And that included helping with Holly.
How hard could it be? She was just a baby and not even walking yet. And as a bonus, she liked him. Apparently, he had a way with babies, which was surprising considering his lack of experience in the area.
He grinned at Holly. “You like my tie, don’t you? It’s not the first one you’ve obliterated, so have at it. They can be replaced, your mommy can’t.” Holly tried to stick her finger in his mouth. He twisted his face away, unwilling to go that far, thinking of all the germs.
Grace returned within minutes and handed the bottle to Holly.
“Do I need to hold it or something? Or is she old enough to do this on her own?” Ryan asked.
“See for yourself.” Grace laughed.
He glanced down and watched as Holly made quick work of the bottle, her two hands wrapped tightly around the plastic to hold it in place.
“I can take it from here. If you put Holly on the blanket, she’ll finish her bottle and then play. Thanks for helping me out. I’m sure she’ll be just fine now.” Grace moved an extra blanket to make a wedge to prop Holly up a little to make drinking easier.
“Not a problem. The minute I heard her crying, I decided it was better to help you rather than to get all cranked up about it. It is just temporary, right?” It was the truth, but he also wasn’t looking to set a precedent. He needed to be clear on office expectations, even if they’d been overruled since the day he’d met Grace.