Dating, Dining, and Desperation (A Dear Daphne Novel)

by Carlson, Melody

  “You mean all the time? Before school and after school and everything?”

  “That’s right.” Daphne nodded. “You will live with me until your Uncle Daniel comes home at Christmastime, okay?”

  “Okay.” She nodded.

  “Let’s get some of your things . . . and let’s go . . . home.”

  Daphne still felt slightly in shock as they gathered what Mabel would need for overnight and school tomorrow. She should call someone about Vera. But she could do that from home. Most of all, she just wanted to get Mabel out of here. Two deaths within months of each other . . . it seemed more than any child should have to bear.

  At home, she sent Mabel up to the spare room to get settled and then called Sabrina. She quickly relayed the sad news. “Can you call someone for me—I’m not even sure who you call. The police? Not an ambulance? Anyway, I don’t want to have that conversation in front of Mabel. You know?”

  “Oh my, yes. Of course. I’ll get right to it. Poor Mabel.”

  “And I left the house key under the frog. If you wouldn’t mind letting them in for me.”

  “Not at all.”

  Daphne thanked her, then hung up, and went to see if Mabel wanted some lunch. Mabel nodded without enthusiasm, so they both went to the kitchen and fixed grilled-cheese sandwiches together. However, after they sat at the table, neither of them seemed to have much of an appetite.

  “Aren’t you hungry?” Daphne asked.

  “I guess not.”

  “Want some hot cocoa?”

  “Okay.”

  “I’ll make us both some,” Daphne told her as she took out the milk. “I think we might need it just now.”

  After Mabel was tucked in bed and soundly sleeping, Daphne called Sabrina to find out how it went. “They asked about Vera’s next of kin,” Sabrina explained. “I mentioned Mabel and the uncle in the army.”

  “The Marines. Daniel is a Marine.”

  “Yeah. Well, I didn’t know his name.” Sabrina told Daphne the number of the contact person at the mortuary. “I told her you’d call tomorrow. Okay?”

  “Yes. Thanks. After Mabel goes to school, I’ll go down to Vera’s house and see if I can find Daniel’s address and phone information. I’ll handle it from here on out.”

  “How is Mabel taking it?”

  “Oh, she was very sad, of course. We talked about it a lot. She seems to be accepting that her grandma is gone . . . not coming back. When she prayed before bed, she asked God to take care of her grandma and mom. She told God she missed them. But she didn’t cry anymore.”

  “She’s a tough little girl.”

  “Yeah, I think so.”

  “What do you think Vera’s son will do when he hears?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Do you think the Marines will let him come home?”

  “His mom just died . . . his sister died . . . his niece needs him.” Daphne sighed. “I can’t imagine they’d say no.”

  “Probably not,” Sabrina said. “Are you worried he’s going to take her away?”

  Daphne sighed. “I’m trying not to think about that right now.”

  The next day after dropping Mabel at school, Daphne went back to Vera’s and began sleuthing around for information about Daniel. It didn’t take long before she found what she was looking for. And although she knew someone else would probably contact him, she wanted him to hear the sad news from someone who personally knew his mother. She wasn’t even sure where Daniel was stationed or what time of day or night it might be there, but she called him anyway.

  “Sergeant Myers,” a deep voice answered.

  Daphne quickly introduced herself as Vera’s neighbor and friend, explaining how she’d been helping with Mabel. “And I’m very sorry to be the one to give you this sad news, Sergeant Myers, but your mother . . . Vera . . . she passed away this weekend.” The truth was, Daphne didn’t even know exactly when Vera had died. Was it on Saturday or Sunday? Maybe it didn’t matter.

  “My mom . . . is dead?”

  “Yes, I’m so sorry.” Daphne told him how Vera had seemed to rally the previous week. “She was up and doing things. She seemed happier. I honestly believed she was getting better.”

  “But then she died . . . ?”

  “Yes.”

  “I planned to come home for Christmas. Just for a week. I was working on getting discharged early. I know Mom needed my help—” His voice cracked.

  “I’m just so sorry. I know it must be a shock.”

  “How is Mabel doing?”

  “All things considered, I think she’s doing okay. She’s a tough little girl.”

  “After what my sister did, I guess so.” His voice was tinged with anger now. “All that didn’t help my mom much. That’s for sure.”

  “Well, I know your mom loved Mabel. I’m sure she enjoyed having her with her . . . these last few months.”

  “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

  “Anyway . . .” She tried to gather her thoughts. “I assume someone will call you in regard to the, uh, the other details about what’s to be done and all that.”

  “Who’s taking care of Mabel right now?”

  “I am. Mabel and I have spent some time together lately. I was trying to help out your mom—lighten her load a little. I live just a few houses down from her. And I work from my home so Mabel is no trouble at all. In fact, we get along rather well. She’s a dear little girl.”

  “I feel like I barely know Mabel. The last time I saw her, she was in diapers.”

  “She doesn’t remember you either.”

  “But Mom expected me to take care of her . . . to raise her. And I can do that. I plan on doing that. She’s all I have left.”

  “Well, don’t you worry about Mabel for the time being. I’ll take good care of her until you can get home.” Daphne gave him her phone number and address and e-mail and everything she could think of to reassure him that Mabel was in good hands. “I know I must seem like a stranger to you, but believe me, I really care about Mabel.”

  “I appreciate that.”

  “And now that I have your address and your e-mail, maybe I can have Mabel write to you. We can send you photos. To help you get acquainted with her.”

  “That would be great. Thanks.”

  “And again, I’m so sorry for your loss, Sergeant Myers.”

  “Thank you, ma’am. And please, since you feel almost like family . . . why don’t you call me Daniel.”

  “Okay . . . Daniel.”

  He gave her a little more information about where he was stationed and the time difference. He sounded like a nice young man—but it was obvious he was hurting. And when Daphne hung up, she had fresh tears flowing down her cheeks. It was as if she could feel his pain coming right through her phone. To be so far from home, to feel as if he had no control over these situations . . . how hard it must be on him.

  For some reason she had the impulse to call her dad, to tell him what had happened and to ask for his advice. But, of course, he was on his honeymoon. One didn’t call one’s parent when he was honeymooning. Still, she was longing for some fatherly advice, some wise counsel. And she probably needed to speak to someone about the legalities of this situation. After all, she had just taken custody of a child—but she hadn’t done it legally. What if something happened to Mabel? What if she got hurt at school? Who would they call? Or what if she needed medical treatment? Who would authorize it? Or pay for it?

  As she walked back home, she called Jake. But since he was in court, she could only leave him a message. “Tell him it’s very urgent,” she told his assistant.

  “Is it an emergency?”

  “Sort of,” Daphne told her. “It could be.”

  “I’ll let him know as soon as he gets back.”

  Daphne thanked her as she went onto he
r porch.

  “Hey, Daph!” Sabrina came jogging over. “How’s it going?”

  Daphne gave her the latest update about Daniel. “He sounds like a nice guy. I feel so sorry for him though. Being so far from home . . . and having all this happen.”

  “That’s got to be hard.”

  She told Sabrina about calling Jake. “I think I need some legal advice. I don’t want to get in trouble with any social workers or the court or anything. I have no idea how these things are handled.”

  “You’re wise to call Jake.” Sabrina gave her a sly look. “And while we’re on the subject, I saw him looking at you on Saturday. At the wedding. When you were dancing with Mabel, Jake was just staring at you—almost as if he was under a spell.”

  “Oh, don’t be silly.”

  “I’m serious. I get the feeling that man is a more interested in you than he has let on.”

  “No way.” Daphne firmly shook her head. “I’ve already been over that bridge. And it’s been burned and knocked down. Believe me.”

  “I wouldn’t be too sure. I’m pretty certain I saw stars in Jake’s eyes when he watched you and Mabel dancing. It was real sweet.” She chuckled. “Come to think of it, Jake wasn’t the only one with his eyes on you. Ricardo seemed to be watching you pretty closely too. And Karen’s nephew Calvin as well. In fact, if it came right down to it, I’d have to say you were the belle of the bridesmaids’ ball, Miss Daphne.”

  Daphne gave her neighbor a tolerant smile. “When it comes to imagining romance, Sabrina, you win first prize.”

  “I’m not imagining this, Daphne. I happen to be a very observant sort of girl.”

  “All those men falling for me at the reception—swooning for a woman dressed in a wrinkly sausage casing. Very likely indeed.”

  Sabrina laughed. “Oh, you know men. They’re usually totally clueless when it comes to fashion. Besides, that sausage casing, as you call it, showed off your curves real nice, Daphne. But I guess you didn’t notice that.”

  Daphne waved at her. “Thanks for trying to cheer me up, Sabrina. But I’ve got a million things to do today. I need to call Mabel’s school. Then I want to get Mabel’s stuff all moved over here before she comes home and—”

  “Let me know if I can help.”

  “Thanks. I’ll gladly take you up on that. I figure I should do what I can in Vera’s house. At least get the food and stuff out of the kitchen before it goes bad. Maybe clean up some.”

  “Let me know when you’re heading back there and I’ll come with you.”

  Daphne promised to be in touch, then just as she went into the house, her phone started ringing. “Daphne, are you okay?” Jake asked anxiously.

  “Yes, I’m fine.”

  “Oh, I thought you had an emergency.”

  “It’s sort of an emergency.” Daphne explained about Vera.

  “Sorry to hear that.”

  “Yes . . . so anyway I have Mabel staying with me. But, of course, I don’t have legal custody.” She sighed. “I wish I’d asked Vera about it . . . like you suggested. I just wanted to get past Dad’s wedding first. But now it’s too late.”

  “That does complicate things. But how about if I start asking around for you? I’ll see if we can get you temporary guardianship of Mabel. At least until the uncle comes home. I’ll do some investigating to see if Vera had a lawyer or a will of any kind.”

  “Thank you, Jake. This means so much to me.”

  He chuckled. “It just figures that you’d get yourself a child before you found yourself a husband.”

  She let out a groan. “Thanks for reminding me about that too.”

  “Yeah. Sorry.”

  Neither of them said anything now. “You know what I thought,” Jake said quietly, “when I first saw the message to call you, saying it was an emergency?”

  “What?”

  “Well, I—uh—I thought maybe you’d found your Mr. Right and that you were getting married and wanted to let me know so I could settle your inheritance. But then I realized that wouldn’t necessitate an emergency—at least not on your part. That’s when I got really worried. I thought maybe you’d been in a car wreck or something. I’m sorry about Mabel’s grandmother, but I’m glad you’re okay. And, to be honest, I’m glad you’re not getting married . . . just yet.”

  She couldn’t help but feel somewhat amused. Maybe Jake cared more about her than she realized. Perhaps Sabrina hadn’t been entirely wrong about him at the reception after all.

  Still, as she hung up she knew she didn’t have time to think about such things. For the time being she needed to remain focused on Mabel and doing all she could to smooth out the rocky road life seemed to have handed out to this sweet little girl.

  Chapter 26

  Thanks to Jake’s legal savvy and help, Daphne was awarded temporary custody of Mabel a few days later. Jake also helped to handle Vera’s affairs by reading through a handwritten will. Because Vera owned so little, there was no estate to speak of, and she’d already made the arrangements to be cremated, requesting that her son handle the “memorial service upon his arrival.” And since Daniel had been in communication with Pastor Andrew, Daphne felt assured that these plans were in good hands. Daniel was expected to arrive before Thanksgiving.

  In the meantime, Daphne and Sabrina worked to clear out Vera’s house. They moved all of Mabel’s things into the spare bedroom that had been renamed “Mabel’s Room.” And then because Vera’s house had been a rental, the two of them, aided by some friends from their church, boxed up all of Vera’s possessions and stacked them in a large storage unit for Daniel to go through at his leisure.

  By the following week, the house was completely emptied. Jake worked together with Daniel to tie up a few loose legal ends, but he assured Daphne that there really was very little to attend to. Just the same, she was grateful.

  “I don’t know how to thank you for all you’ve done these past couple of weeks,” Daphne told Jake as they met for coffee the week before Thanksgiving. This time the meeting wasn’t accidental. Daphne had invited him—and she’d bought his coffee.

  “I’ve been happy to help. So much of my legal work seems to lack the humanity factor. It’s a pleasure helping Mabel. And I’ve enjoyed getting to know Daniel. He seems like a nice guy.”

  “Yes.” Daphne nodded. “He and Mabel have been exchanging regular e-mails. And we printed out some of his photos and hung them in her room. She even took a picture of him to school for show and tell. He’s a good-looking Marine—and Mabel is very proud that he’s her uncle.” Daphne sighed. “Hopefully these connections will make the transition easier for her when he gets here.”

  “You mean when he takes her?” Jake seemed to be searching her face.

  “Yes. It would be difficult for her to go off with a perfect stranger. I want her to feel comfortable. She’s been through so much. She doesn’t need to be hurt anymore.”

  “What about you?”

  She shrugged. “I’ll be fine.”

  “It’s obvious you’ve formed a real attachment to Mabel.”

  “Mabel needed someone to be attached to her.” Daphne forced a smile. “And Daniel seems like a kind and caring uncle. I feel confident he will be a fine guardian for Mabel.”

  “It was good to hear that he’s being discharged.”

  “I think your letters helped.” Daphne gave him a genuine smile. “Daniel will be flying home on Wednesday.”

  “Just in time for Thanksgiving.”

  “Yes.” She nodded. “Mabel wants to have a real Thanksgiving feast for him. She’s already invited some of the neighbors. I hope I can remember how to cook a turkey.”

  “Need any help?”

  “Cooking a turkey?” She tipped her head to one side. “Really?”

  “I’ve cooked a few turkeys in my day.” He grinned.

 
; “Seriously?”

  “Just ask Jenna. Last year I even soaked our turkey overnight in a brine solution.” He smacked his lips. “Very tender.”

  “So are you saying you don’t have plans for Thanksgiving?”

  He sadly shook his head. “Just Jenna and me . . . all alone.”

  “What about Gwen?”

  “What about her?”

  “Well, I just remember how you guys vacationed together in August . . . I thought perhaps you would spend Thanksgiving with her too.” Okay, Daphne was fully aware that she was fishing here. But didn’t she deserve to know the truth?

  Jake’s brow creased. “You actually thought that Gwen was on vacation with me?”

  “Well, wasn’t she? Mattie told me she’d gone to the lake and—”

  “Gwen invited herself to stay at my sister’s cabin at the lake. She said it was to spend time with Jenna. But that was all it was. I hardly saw Gwen during the whole time I was there.” He frowned. “Did you honestly think that Gwen and I . . . well, you know?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “Daphne?”

  “Well, you and I . . . we’d been doing some things together,” she said lamely. “And then you were suddenly off on vacation. You never even told me you were going. I learned it from Mattie and—”

  “Wait a minute.” He held up a hand. “Let’s rewind a bit further. Do you not remember the day when you very clearly told me to stop intruding into your life?”

  She frowned. “Well . . . maybe I said that. But it was only because you had told me that you didn’t want to pre-read the column anymore. You said I didn’t need you.”

  “That’s right. You didn’t need me looking over your shoulder for the column. I knew I was going to be gone a couple of weeks. I wanted to assure you that you could stand on your own two feet.”

  “But I thought you were pushing me away. So I pushed you away even harder.”

  “So I noticed.” He looked slightly confused. “I just thought maybe we both had needed some space. But when I got back from vacation, I was looking forward to reconnecting with you.” He scowled. “But by then you already had your Aussie boyfriend by your side. I felt like you were sending me a message loud and clear. And in fact, you even told me to butt out of your life. Remember?”