“But I should be able to talk to an attorney to see if this is all legal. You’re being so pushy about this it sounds fishy to me.” Simon angled toward Jordan, his eyes pleading for help. “The lawyer in town who handled the sale of the tour business was Kinsey Donnelly. I need to talk to her about all this.”
He turned back to the unyielding lawyer. “Let me at least get Kinsey on the phone, talk this out with her before I sign anything.”
But Ms. Tyler ignored the plea. She slipped an oversized diaper bag onto the coffee table and cleverly shoved the toddler into Simon’s arms. She pulled paperwork out of a leather purse-like portfolio. “Sign here, here, and here,” the woman instructed. “And initial there.”
“I don’t feel I should accept…delivery…of another human like this. It isn’t right,” Simon protested.
“Look, Mr. Bremmer, I understand you’re taken by surprise. I get it. Anyone would be. But I promised my kids I’d be back home tonight. I have a flight out of Santa Cruz at five-fifteen this afternoon and I plan to be on that plane. Alone. Without Delaney. She’s a good baby, but she isn’t mine. She belongs with her father, her family. That’s you. Do not make me go get the local authorities on this. The police chief already knows I’m here. I stopped to apprise law enforcement of the situation. Who do you think gave me the directions to find you? Don’t make me call him in here for back-up. Because as an officer of the court, I most certainly am authorized to get whatever help I need if you persist in this manner. The police will show up and simply read the court order I have, read it to you slowly, and instruct you to sign the paperwork I’ve provided.”
With his hands shaking, Simon reluctantly scrawled his name as indicated.
“Thank you. Now, if I hustle out of here I can just make it through security and make my flight. I have the rest of your daughter’s stuff in the car.”
“I still don’t understand what kind of court order dumps a baby on an unsuspecting person like this, a stranger, and calls that fair to the kid. That doesn’t make any sense to me. I could be the worst person in the world and you just handed over an innocent baby to a…psychopath.”
“Not according to the thorough background check done on you. You’re a war hero, a former Army Ranger with a stellar career as a soldier. You’re exactly what the court sees as acceptable, even a good fit as a guardian.”
“I’m not that person anymore. I’m telling you…I’m not. Besides, I don’t understand why anyone couldn’t have given me a heads-up about this, a phone call, a telegram, an email, something.”
But the hardline attorney had already reached the front door. “I wish you luck, Mr. Bremmer. I do. But my job here is finished. I’ll be in touch with you later to settle the estate. It probably won’t be much after Ms. Langston’s final expenses are paid, maybe around twenty-five grand or so. If you ask me, you should set it all aside for the girl’s college fund.”
“I don’t want Amelia’s money,” Simon shouted as the woman stepped outside onto the front porch. But he watched as the attorney dashed toward the driveway as if the house were on fire. Once she reached her rental car, she opened the trunk, reached in and pulled out a suitcase, which she set down on the gravel driveway.
“I can’t believe this is really happening,” Simon said as he whirled to look at Jordan and then dropped into the nearest chair. “What am I gonna do with a kid?”
He was so upset, so bewildered, Jordan didn’t have the heart to crack a smile. “You’ll learn as you go like every new father does that I’ve ever known. Nick included.” Jordan sat down across from the two of them. “Do you think you’re not the father? Is that it?”
“I’m not disputing anything yet. I could be. But this is warped.”
“She’s a cute little thing. Looks like you, too. And quiet. Delaney is a pretty name for a pretty girl,” Jordan cooed as she tugged on the little girl’s foot.
On instinct, he jostled his knee up and down. “No one’s saying she isn’t cute. Her mother was a real knockout. But I’m still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that Amelia never told me. Why would she name me as a legal guardian and not tell me I had a daughter?”
“Because no one actually thinks they’ll ever die in a car accident. It’s one thing to make it legal. It’s still another to think it’ll ever become a reality.”
“And yet, here we sit. I can’t believe she’s gone. Although I never saw her after that summer we spent on the Cape. We had ninety days together. Less than ninety. I remember it was about this time two years ago that I first heard from Nick. He called me up out of the blue about moving here. By the end of September, I’d packed up everything I owned, which wasn’t much, and made the trip out here to check it out. Nick made it sound like Utopia. I couldn’t wait to get here. Up to now, it’s been great. Do you realize I don’t even own a car? I ride everywhere on my motorcycle. I can’t strap a baby to a Harley.”
“We’ll work something out. You can use mine until you get one of your own.”
“I don’t have any baby food.”
“She eats finger food, anything she can hold goes in her mouth anyway.”
“You do realize this is the reason Bree gave up her tour business. She had a baby and didn’t want to do this anymore. How will I make it work with a kid if she couldn’t?”
“For one thing, Bree made a decision to stay home after she became a mother,” Jordan pointed out. “You don’t have to give up your business. There are these things called babysitters that working parents use all the time. And for several years now the Community Church has offered something called child care.”
Simon heaved out a loud sigh. “Why are you being so reasonable about this when it’s nuts?”
“It’s bound to be frightening. And you’ve had all of ten minutes to get used to it.”
“I think I’m numb. I’m not sure what to do next. So many things to decide.” He sat there staring at the bundle in his arms. Never one to shirk responsibilities, not even for a brief respite, Simon stood up. He could’ve easily asked Jordan to watch her, or keep her overnight, or help him get her to the car. But Simon did none of those things. “What do I do without one of those car seat things to put her in? I have to get home to Merlin. Obviously riding the motorcycle is out.”
“Like I said, you can take my car. And I have a car seat that’s still in date that we used for Scott when he was about that age. It’s in the garage. We’ll put it in my Explorer for now.”
“Thanks. You’ve picked up the kids from school already?”
It was like him to consider whether she needed the car. “I have. They’re upstairs playing with Lilly’s kids.”
He blew out a breath. “Okay then, I guess I’ll see you Wednesday when the next tour comes up. Those are three guys who want to see the shipwreck, right?”
“No. And the reservation is for Thursday. You’re taking out a horticultural group who wants to document the flora on the little island.”
“Right.”
“Simon?”
“What?”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m not sure I’ll ever be okay again.”
Two
First, he paid attention to how Jordan switched out car seats, swapping out Scott’s booster for a toddler seat that sat rear-facing. “How am I supposed to see what she’s doing back there when she’s facing the other way?” Simon grumbled, clearly flustered. “Use my imagination?”
Jordan chuckled. “Install a mirror. If she’s unhappy, believe me, she’ll let you know. In California, state law changed a couple of years ago. Newborn to age two faces rear. It offers more protection if you’re involved in an accident.”
Simon paled. “Oh jeez, I should make sure I don’t speed then.”
After adjusting the headrest, Jordan turned to Simon and stared at the baby resting her head on his shoulder. “Try that, because it looks like you have an exhausted little girl there.”
“So I noticed. She’s been yawning up a storm.” Awk
wardly, he settled her between the harness and strapped her in. Then he loaded up the back of Jordan’s Ford Explorer with the stuff the lawyer had dumped on the driveway.
“Look, Simon, if you have any questions at all, call me. I’m more than happy to go over anything you need to know.”
“You don’t happen to have a manual I could read, do you? What about diapers? What kind does she use?”
Jordan went over all that, but when Delaney started to fuss for the first time since getting there, she stopped. “Go home and use whatever’s in the diaper bag. I’ll send Nick over later to check on you with a few items that might come in handy.”
“Okay. You know where to find your car if you need it.”
“I won’t. Nick’ll be home soon.”
Simon’s house was a five-minute drive away because he lived next door in the Taggert Farms
caretaker’s cottage—a box of a house painted bright red with white shutters.
It was once occupied by Gavin and Maggie Kendall and their two kids, who’d moved into the main farmhouse after Simon arrived. Since then, he’d renovated the inside by gutting the interior walls and changing the layout.
Now the place had an open great room and an island kitchen, a design that worked far better for him than the claustrophobic, caged feeling. He’d built bookshelves on one end of the living room. He’d added a second bathroom that separated two small guest rooms on one side while expanding the en-suite that belonged to the master bedroom and on the other.
As soon as he pulled up in the SUV, Merlin bounded off the porch to greet him. The Newfoundland mix had bronze fur and a short snout that made him look like an adorable bear cub in the face. Merlin had the best disposition of any pooch Simon had ever owned and swore the dog was the smartest canine he’d ever been around.
“Hey, boy, have I got a surprise for you. Look what we have. Don’t go scaring her now, okay?”
Simon got out and opened the car door, and immediately realized Delaney had fallen asleep on the short ride home. He unfastened her seat belt and lifted her out doing his best not to wake her up. When he reached the front door, he realized he had a problem. He couldn’t open it with his hands full.
“Merlin, get the door.”
The dog responded by standing on his hind legs and using his front paws to repeatedly hit the lever until it finally cracked open an inch. Merlin stuck his nose in the space and nudged the gap wider.
“Good dog. Good boy. I’ll get you a treat after I put her down.” He glanced around the living room, looking for where that would be and decided on the sofa, that way if she woke up he’d be able to see it immediately.
Gently he placed her into the cushions before dropping down beside her on the couch. Leaning his head back, he closed his eyes and let the tension fall away before promptly falling asleep.
A light tap on the door had him bolting upright. Next to him on the sofa, Delaney was still zonked out, fast asleep. It was dark outside. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been out, but the nap hadn’t changed the fact that he was a father. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he stumbled to the door.
Nick stood on the porch carrying half of a crib. “Jordan thought you might need this. Cord’s getting the other half out of his truck.”
Simon tilted his head to study the piece of furniture that seemed so out of place in his house. “It’s like a cage. You gonna help me put it together?”
“That’s why I’m here. Jordan insisted on giving you Scott’s high chair, too. And I put a call in to Kinsey. She’ll be here later after she gets her kids down for the night to read over the paperwork you signed.”
“Thanks. Be kind of quiet, okay. The girl’s still…” The girl was now sitting upright. Her face puckered up as she started bawling her lungs out.
Totally out of his depth, Simon did the only thing he could. He went over and picked her up. “Oh, hey. You are totally soaked.” He looked around for the diaper bag. “I forgot to bring it in. We’ll go get it, okay? It’ll be okay. Shhh, now. Shhh. It’s okay.”
All the way out to the car, he bounced and tried to soothe her by talking in his normal voice. But the more he talked the louder she cried.
Once back inside, he set her down on the floor, where she stood in one spot in the middle of the room and wailed.
Nick helped by digging through the bag until he found a Pampers and handed it off.
“Okay. Tell me how this works.”
Cord found the instructions on his phone and handed it to Simon. “There’s a video. You’re good with how-tos, right? Piece of cake.”
Simon watched the YouTube post and then began the process even though Delaney was still unhappy.
While Nick looked on, he offered his own expertise, leaning over Simon’s shoulder. “Rip off the sticky tabs first.”
Simon obliged and yanked off the wet diaper. He turned to grab the clean one, but Delaney used the opportunity to roll over on her stomach and scurry away faster than a cockroach.
Nick skillfully stopped her progress and brought her back to the starting line. “This is what they do. They try to escape. You gotta be quicker and a whole lot smoother. Kind of like when you handle a rifle, load it, and take it apart with precision without even thinking about the drill. Changing a diaper has to become second nature. Like this.” With one hand, he held Delaney in place, slipped the clean diaper under her backside like a pro and with the other, wrapped the front part across her belly. “Now you secure the tabs. First one, then the other. Quick and fast. There. See. All done.”
Simon breathed a sigh of relief like he’d just finished a marathon. “That wasn’t so bad for my first time, right? At least it wasn’t poop.”
“Not yet,” Cord muttered as he slapped Simon on the back. “That’ll come later. I’m gonna carry in the rest of the stuff.”
Simon nodded and scooped the baby up. Stunned that she’d stopped fussing, he jostled her in his arms. “There. She’s fine now. Did you notice when I picked her up she stopped crying?”
Nick rolled his eyes. “Just because she’s small, doesn’t mean she’s dumb. Getting you to pick her up is what makes her happy.”
“She’s probably hungry by now.”
“Jordan thought of that. She sent over cold scrambled eggs and some applesauce. They eat food cold, not steaming hot, so don’t try to make her eat hot foods,” Nick offered. He held up a Tupperware container of finger foods and a sippy cup. “Use the bottles in the diaper bag at bedtime and naptime. The sippy cup is for during the day. There’s enough food there to get you through a couple of days. Do you have any Cheerios? Cause they eat cereal by the handfuls when they won’t eat anything else. Cheerios are always your go-to back-up at mealtime or snack time.”
Cord reappeared in the doorway with the high chair. He rubbed his hands together. “I’ll set this up while Nick brings in the rest. After you get her to eat, I’ll go start putting the crib together. Which room?”
Simon pointed down the hallway. “Both are kinda small, but the first one is slightly larger.”
“First one is the nursery. Got it,” Cord said as he headed that way.
While Nick went outside to retrieve the other items Jordan had sent over, Simon strolled into the kitchen.
“Nursery? Good lord, doodle-bug. You have a nursery and I have a baby’s room in my house. Keep your expectations very low and we should be fine. Don’t expect too much right away.”
After settling her into the high chair, Simon somehow managed to charm her into eating some of the egg and applesauce. For good measure, he poured a cupful of Cheerios in a plastic bowl, which she promptly dumped out on the tray and, one by one, stuck in her mouth.
Merlin hung around to lap up anything Delaney dropped on the floor. And toward the end of the meal, that was a lot.
“Kinsey just texted to say she’s on her way,” Nick announced. “What else can we do before we leave?”
“Leave?” Simon repeated in a panic. “Don’t take off just yet. Take
a look in the room…nursery…and see what else I might need. Make me a list.”
“You’ll need a diaper pail. I didn’t bring one of those. You can use a wastebasket for now,” Nick said as he went in search of one.
Before long Kinsey arrived, looking around and taking note of the situation. “Wow, what a way to find out you’re a father. Am I right? No phone call ahead of time?”
“Nope. I’m not even sure how they tracked me down at work. You know, out at the Bed and Breakfast.”
“Don’t bite my head off,” Cord began. “But is there any part of you that thinks she might not be yours?”
“Why would I bite your head off? It’s a logical question. I mean, I spent a summer with Amelia Langston. The timing adds up. I’m not stupid, I did the math. Fifteen-and-a-half months would be about right.”
“You could always get a DNA test,” Kinsey suggested. “It’s what I’d recommend to any of my clients in your situation. It wouldn’t be a slap against you or the baby or the mother for that matter. It’s a practical, easy and quick thing that verifies your responsibility, legally. If I ask, I bet Quentin could get you an answer by the end of the week, Monday at the latest.”
“All right. Sure. Set up an appointment.”
Kinsey eyed the folder and the documents spread out on the coffee table. “Have you gone through any of this stuff?”
“No,” Simon said quietly. “It scares me a little.”
Kinsey began to paw through the papers until she held up an envelope. “There’s a letter here addressed to you. It’s attached to the copy of the will. Give me the baby while you read over it. Could be important.”
Simon stared at his name on the outside. It was written in script and probably in Amelia’s handwriting.
Dear Simon,
If you’re reading this the unthinkable has happened. I’m no longer around to take care of our daughter. You’re probably pretty upset at this point, wondering why I didn’t tell you about her from the beginning. The reason is simple. I didn’t want to share her with anyone, not even you. We weren’t together long enough to do any more than create this beautiful child, a child I discovered that I desperately wanted more than anything else, more than traveling the world as a photographer.
Keeping Cape Summer (A Pelican Pointe novel Book 11) Page 3