“Like cookies.” Mikey scrambled off Corbin’s lap, grabbed a cookie and attempted to stuff the giant thing into his mouth.
“Break off a piece.” Corbin reached for the cookie to illustrate.
Mikey kicked at him. “Mine.”
Corbin winced and lifted his hands, palms out. “Whatever you say, kiddo.” He broke off pieces of his own cookie and ate them, realizing he was starving.
And he needed to figure out what he was going to do. Preferably soon, before Monday came along with classes to teach and papers to grade and meetings to attend.
His mother had done a lot of dumb things in her life, but asking—needing—Corbin to take care of her child for a week had to beat all. Her excuse, stated in the letter, was that a family member was sick, but she’d been so vague about it that he wondered if that was even true.
“Here. I got him some juice and a cheese stick,” Samantha said, slipping into the chair beside him as if they were friends. She opened the cheese stick with a deft flick of her fingers and handed it to Mikey.
Mikey nibbled on the cheese stick and sipped the juice. His face came unscrunched and he relaxed enough to stare into space, clutching his tiger with one arm as he finished the snack.
“Thank you,” Corbin said to Samantha. “I’m...not really good with kids.” With people, he could have added, but didn’t. Something about Samantha made him not want to look quite so bad in her eyes.
“Oh, isn’t he cute.” A middle-aged woman carrying an armload of shopping bags stopped beside their table, staring at Mikey.
“Hi, Mrs. Diebel,” Corbin said. You were supposed to see the light of Christ in everyone, and Corbin tried, but so far, he hadn’t succeeded with Mrs. Diebel.
“And this must be your little boy,” the older woman crooned to Samantha. “Isn’t that funny, how much he looks like Corbin!” She reached out to tickle Mikey under the chin.
Mikey reeled back and batted her hand away.
“He’s not my child.” Samantha’s voice was cool.
Corbin was opening his mouth to explain that Mikey was his brother. Not that it was any of Mrs. Diebel’s business, but he didn’t like the greedy, gossipy way she was looking at Samantha.
“My mistake!” Mrs. Diebel tittered. “It’s just, I remembered that when you left town, you were expecting. Or anyway, that’s what the story was. Rumors!” She threw up her hands as if she had nothing to do with the spread of them.
“I miscarried a baby shortly after I left Bethlehem Springs.” All the light was gone from Samantha’s eyes. “Maybe that’s what you heard.”
Ouch. Corbin felt a completely inappropriate urge to pull Samantha into his arms.
“Oh, dear.” Mrs. Diebel drew back a little.
Color climbed Samantha’s neck. She was upset, as upset as she’d been in the high school halls when one of the football players, Brock Markowski, had called her an ugly name.
She’d answered back in kind, thoroughly putting Brock in his place and making a bunch of the other kids laugh.
But Corbin, standing close behind her, had watched the bright red blotches bloom on her neck and realized there was much more going on inside her than showed in her cocky, sarcastic exterior.
“’Mantha sad,” Mikey said now, and held out his tiger toward her. “It okay, ’Mantha.”
She took the tiger, hugged it and gave it back. “Thank you, Mikey. That was really nice.” She didn’t look again at Mrs. Diebel, and after an awkward thirty seconds, the older woman turned and hurried away.
Misery washed over Corbin. Misery for Samantha, who’d lost a child, which had to be one of the worst things a person could go through. And misery for himself, for his complete lack of social skills. Even a two-year-old was better at comforting another person than he was.
“So,” she said, twirling a stirring stick around in her cup of coffee, “you said you’re taking care of your little brother for a week?”
“I guess I’m going to try,” he said. “It’s all a bit of a surprise. I’m not sure what I’m going to do about him, and work, and...” He shrugged and blew out a breath, staring at Mikey, who was inexplicably using his tiger to break the rest of his cookie into bits. “I have exactly zero experience with kids.”
“Sounds like a challenge.”
He nodded, grateful she’d come by. At any other time, he’d have been tongue-tied around Samantha, but right now his own problems overshadowed his social discomfort. He was glad to have someone to talk to. “I guess I’ll need to find a temporary babysitter or something. I don’t know, do you think I can just drop him off somewhere, like at a day care?”
She lifted an eyebrow, her mouth twisting to one side. “Do you have his medical records?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “I haven’t looked into his suitcase yet.”
“I haven’t been back in town long,” she said, “but I heard there are waiting lists at most of the places. There’s a shortage. It’s my line of work, is why I know that.”
“It’s your line of work?”
She nodded. “I’m thinking about putting in some applications.”
He shot a glance upward. God did amazing things. He’d caused Mikey to be dropped into Corbin’s lap, which seemed like a huge mistake on His part. But then He’d thrown a qualified, experienced caregiver at him. Corbin was smart enough to connect the dots.
“Would you like a temporary job?” he blurted out.
Chapter Two
“It was almost too easy,” Samantha said into her phone. Then she put it on speaker so she could lean back against the headboard of the bed in her cousin’s guest room. “He was talking about needing a caregiver, and I said it was my line of work, and he asked if I could help out with Mikey.”
“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you doing this.” Corbin’s mother, Cheryl, sounded out of breath. “I was at the end of my rope.”
Samantha leaned over to straighten the books on the bedside table, the devotional on top seeming to glare at her. “Are you sure we can’t just tell him the truth? He seems a lot more mature than when I knew him before.”
“You can’t tell him!” Cheryl’s voice rose to a squeak. “Please, don’t tell him. He’ll just send Mikey back to me, or dump him into social services. I—we—couldn’t stand that.”
“How’s Paul doing?” Samantha thought of Corbin’s formerly handsome father and bit her lip. As his body had wasted away, he’d gained new faith that had transformed his soul into something beautiful.
“Today wasn’t a good day. I think the stress of worrying about Mikey, missing him, set him back.” After the slightest pause, she added, “And yes, I still think we’re doing the right thing. A sickroom is no place for a two-year-old to live, and Corbin is the only family we have left.”
“And you don’t think he’d like to see his father? Make amends?”
“He won’t. Maybe you haven’t seen this side of him, but Corbin is...rigid. He decided he wanted us both out of his life—with good reason, I’m the first to admit that—and now he won’t speak to either of us. If we had more time...” Her voice broke. “Please, please don’t tell him, just take care of my baby.”
The anguish in Cheryl’s voice tugged at Samantha’s heart. “Of course. I agreed to do that, and I will.” And after a few more minutes of trying to soothe Cheryl, Samantha ended the call.
She wrapped her arms around her knees and looked around the small bedroom. Her cousin Hannah wasn’t the frilly type. The plain blue bedspread and curtains were serviceable, but there was no other decoration. The room was spotless, though, and Hannah had immediately offered it up when Samantha had told her she wanted to move back to town. That generosity meant a lot to Samantha, especially considering she hadn’t stayed in touch with Hannah during the bad times.
The other benefit of staying at Hannah’s place was that ther
e wasn’t a bar or a liquor store in easy walking distance. That would help.
Her phone buzzed again, and she clicked into the call before registering that it wasn’t Cheryl calling back, it was Corbin. They’d exchanged numbers after she’d agreed to help with Mikey.
“He’s throwing up,” Corbin said without a greeting. “And it’s Friday night. What should I do?”
* * *
Half an hour later, she and Corbin were pulling into the driveway of an old house on the edge of town. In the back seat, Mikey whimpered.
“The doctor doesn’t mind having her evening disrupted?” Samantha asked.
“She’s a good person. And she just happened to be here having dinner with Gabby and Reese when I called them.”
“I hate to interrupt their evening. I mean, Mikey’s probably just got a stomachache from all the chocolate, but since we don’t know his medical history...” She trailed off. Corbin had searched Mikey’s suitcase and found none of his medical records. He’d told her he had no idea how to get in touch with his mother and get them.
Unbeknownst to him, Samantha did know how. She was planning to do it tomorrow.
“It’s probably my fault, for feeding him all that junk,” Corbin said as he struggled to unfasten the straps of Mikey’s car seat. “Why would anyone think I’m the right caregiver for Mikey?”
Because you’re her only option, and at least you’re not an alcoholic or drug addict. “Let me help you with that,” Samantha said, and reached past Corbin to undo the buckle.
She caught a whiff of Corbin’s aftershave, woodsy and masculine. Despite the cool evening air, her face heated.
As they walked into the little house, shyness overtook Samantha. She had never been terribly comfortable with the normal kids in school. She’d preferred to hang out with those like her, the ones who had home problems and reason to be angry at the world.
Of course, Corbin had had home problems and reason to be angry, at least as much as she had. But he’d taken honors courses and won science awards and gotten elected president of the Future Farmers of America, even though he didn’t live on a farm. He just liked animals.
He’d been productive and made something of himself, whereas Samantha...
She pushed the thought out of her head as Gabby Hanks, now Gabby Markowitz, ushered them into the house.
“Come in, come in. I’m so glad you called. Perfect timing.”
A pretty, slender woman with multiple long braids—she looked slightly familiar, but Samantha couldn’t place her—came out into the foyer and reached a hand toward Mikey. “This must be the little boy who’s not feeling well.”
“This is Mikey,” Corbin said. “Hey, Sheniqua, thanks so much for agreeing to take a look at him. He just got here today, and I don’t have a way to get in touch with his—with my, our—mother, and I made the mistake of giving him a bunch of chocolate, and...”
“Slow down, Corbin.” Sheniqua’s chuckle was rich and throaty. “I’m happy to help. And remember, kids are resilient. I’m sure he’ll be fine.” She laid a hand on his forehead. “A little warm, but I wouldn’t say he’s feverish.”
“Come on in,” Reese said, beckoning them out of the foyer. “Sheniqua, this is Samantha Alcorn, a friend of ours. You can use the front bedroom if you want, take a look at him.”
Being called a friend of Reese and Gabby took Samantha aback. It felt a little bit good, but it made her suspicious. “Do you want me to come while she checks him out?” she asked Corbin.
He nodded. “Of course.”
Good. That was a little less awkward than hanging out with a couple of people she didn’t know well, but who probably remembered what a juvenile delinquent she’d been.
Sheniqua listened to Mikey’s heart and looked into his ears, asked what he’d eaten recently.
“I’m an idiot,” Corbin said. “If it weren’t for Samantha giving him cheese and a juice box, he’d have had nothing decent all day.”
“You didn’t feed him dinner?” Samantha asked.
“I got him a kids’ meal out at Burger Bistro, but he didn’t like it.”
“Toddlers are picky,” Sheniqua said. “Mikey, what do you like to eat?”
“Like apples,” he said. “And candy.”
He was so cute. “And cheese,” Samantha prompted. “And...muffins, right?” She remembered Cheryl had fed him pieces of her muffin when they’d talked over their plan.
Which she shouldn’t be broadcasting to Corbin. Her face warmed. “I mean, every kid likes muffins, right?”
Mikey saved her by nodding. “Muffins. Mikey like muffins. Mama like muffins.” He looked from her to Corbin and back again, his forehead wrinkling. “Where Mama?”
Samantha’s throat tightened and she looked away from Mikey’s puzzled face. Why had she ever agreed to be a part of this scheme?
“Mama had to take a trip,” Corbin said. “She’ll be back again soon.”
“Okay,” Mikey said with equilibrium he shouldn’t have had as a two-year-old. How many caregivers had he had that his mom’s absence wasn’t a big deal to him?
Sheniqua was putting away her equipment. “No fever, no ear infection, no more vomiting. I suspect he’s just suffering from some poor food choices and some emotional upset from missing his mama.”
“Maybe Reese and Gabby could lend you some food until you can get to the grocery,” Samantha suggested. “I’m sure they’ve got cereal, and crackers and the like.”
“Will you grocery shop with me tomorrow?” Corbin asked Samantha. “I need to buy good kid food, and I don’t have a clue what that would be.”
“Um, okay.” The thought of doing that domestic of a task with Corbin felt concerning in all kinds of ways. “Better yet, how about we hit the farmers’ market?”
Corbin shrugged. “Sure. And I’ll pay you extra. I know you weren’t supposed to start until Monday but—”
“Sure.” Was Corbin really as much of a basket case around kids as he seemed? Had Cheryl made a terrible mistake?
“You’ll get it figured out.” Sheniqua patted Corbin’s arm. “Everybody does. You have a PhD, right?”
“In animals, not in babies,” Corbin said.
Sheniqua laughed again. “Come on out and hang with us a few minutes, and we’ll make sure Mikey doesn’t start feeling bad again. I have to go home soon, but it’ll do you good to connect with other families of babies. Nobody can go it alone.”
“That’s for sure!” The voice at the door belonged to a gray-haired woman. “Corbin Beck, have you gone and gotten yourself a baby?”
“He’s my brother. Mrs. Marks, this is Samantha Alcorn. Samantha, this is Gabby’s grandmother, Mrs. Marks. This is her house.”
“Our house, now,” the old woman said. “I love having the kids live here with me. Now, why do you look so familiar, Samantha?”
“We all went to school together,” Corbin explained. “Samantha graduated a few years after the rest of us.”
“Barely graduated, in my case,” Samantha said, holding out her hand. “Nice to meet you.”
Mrs. Marks looked her over, then nodded as if Samantha had passed inspection. “Come on out. All the commotion has woken Izzy up, I believe.”
They walked out to the living room where Reese, Gabby and Sheniqua sat talking. Izzy lay on a blanket on the floor, cuddling a baby doll. A teenage boy, introduced as Gabby’s brother, Jacob, was sitting in the far corner of the room; he waved and then went back to his video game.
Corbin placed Mikey on the floor beside Izzy. They proceeded to stare at each other while Mrs. Marks and Reese brought out iced tea and coffee for the adults.
“Nothing like diving right into fatherhood, eh?” Reese said to Corbin. “You said this is a temporary arrangement?”
“Ye-es,” Corbin said. “It’s supposed to be.”
“Sou
nds like there’s a ‘but’ in there,” Reese said.
“My mother isn’t exactly dependable.” There was unexpected bitterness in Corbin’s voice. “I wouldn’t count on her coming back for Mikey when she said she would.” He looked over at Samantha and smiled, and she felt the warmth all the way to her toes. “I’m very blessed Samantha has experience in child care and was available to help out.”
“You do child care?” Gabby looked thoughtful. “You know, if it does go on longer...like through the summer... We could talk about some kind of arrangement.”
That was puzzling. “What kind of arrangement?”
“Well, Mikey and Izzy are about the same age. And summer is a superbusy time for me and Reese.”
“They run a program for at-risk boys,” Corbin explained. “After school, and during vacations.”
“And we just got funding to do full day programs in the summer,” Reese said, lifting a fist in the air. “Thank you, Mr. Romano.”
“An influential member of the church board,” Corbin explained to Samantha.
“I think Nana had something to do with Mr. Romano’s generosity,” Gabby said, raising her eyebrows and looking at Mrs. Marks, whose cheeks had gone pink.
“It was your good programming that convinced him to get behind the project,” Mrs. Marks said primly.
A smile curved Gabby’s mouth. “Anyway,” she said to Samantha, “we’ll be looking for some help caring for Izzy. Nana takes care of her some, but I don’t want her to have to do it full-time. If you’re still around, and interested, maybe you’d like to take care of Izzy along with Mikey.”
Samantha stared at her. She just didn’t get it, how friendly these people were. “Why would you let me do that?”
“What do you mean?” Gabby tilted her head to one side, looking genuinely confused.
“I mean, I was a screwup in school, in trouble all the time. Corbin’s desperate, but you guys must have lots of friends, people who’d be willing to take care of Izzy, day care options.”
Gabby narrowed her eyes. “Didn’t you say you were experienced?”
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