“Just…let me…” She leaned across the table between us and reached out, smoothing a hand across the top of my head, fingers working as a comb through my hair.
My hand lowered, but my gaze stayed fixed on her face. Her lips pressed together as she concentrated on taming my mane, which I knew wouldn’t be possible until after I’d showered and washed out the crusty day-old gel that had managed the task of keeping my thick hair under control until now.
Gracious but it felt good to be touched by a woman. Not the outlandishly inappropriate contact I’d received at the hospital on occasion (yes, that sexual harassment thing went both ways), but the gentle caress from a soft touch.
My heart kicked against my ribs, awakening my good sense. I needed Molly Osbourne forChloe. To take care ofher, not me. I pulled back slightly, and Miss Osbourne’s fingers stilled on my head. Her gaze lowered and locked onto mine. Her eyes widened as if she’d just realized what she’d done. Pink-infused bursts of color sprouted across her porcelain cheeks, and she pulled her arm back with a jerk, settling onto the booth seat with a soft thud.
“I am so sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”
I cleared my throat, needing a moment. “It’s completely all right.”
She covered her cheeks with her palms. “I don’t think I’ve embarrassed myself in front of the same person in one day as much as I have with you.”
“Really? Then you’re below the curve, because I used to bring Chloe with me to some of my classes. Projectile diarrhea running down one’s arm tends to draw a bit of unwanted attention.”
Her nose scrunched. “But they were future medical professionals so they shouldn’t have batted an eye at that.”
“Helped more than one decide they didn’t want to go into pediatrics.”
She giggled, her shoulders starting to relax again.
“Of course, that was before Chloe could talk. Oh, how I miss those days.”
The sparkle returned to her eyes. “You do not.”
I forced one of my eyebrows to crawl to my hairline. “Do you know how much trouble a talking toddler can get a person into? Shouting out private anatomy in public places for starters. And since I know your stance on truth telling, let me tell you toddlers and preschoolers are honest to a fault. One time we were sitting next to a gentleman on a park bench—Chloe must have been about three at the time—and she peered up at the man and said, ‘You have white hair, so you’re old. You’re gonna die soon.’”
Miss Osbourne hid her laughter behind her fingers. “What did the man say?”
“He looked at her and shrugged and said, ‘Well, we all gotta die sometime.”’
She lowered her hand and smiled wide. “Chloe is a great kid.”
“She is.” My own smile slipped. “But I’m failing when it comes to her.”
Miss Osbourne tilted her head. “Why do you say that?”
My shoulders slumped. “Because I’m being pulled in too many directions. It’s just Chloe and me, and the hospital demands a lot of my time. I’m afraid I’m not there for her like she needs me to be.”
She nodded her head. “I can see how that could be a concern.”
“I only have a couple more years at the hospital, then I’ll have completed my residency. I plan to start a family practice—regular office hours where I can be home with Chloe. Make sure she gets to school on time and help her with her homework in the evenings. But right now…”
“Right now she’s only in preschool for two hours a day.”
“Exactly.”
“Doesn’t the hospital have a child development center? A place you can drop her off on site during your shifts and then pick her up.”
I stopped my hands from making another trek through my hair. “That’s not an option.” Maybe it was irrational, but I didn’t want my daughter anywhere near that petri dish of a building. I knew only too well how devastating the wrong bacteria could be.
“Oh.” Miss Osbourne’s nose wrinkled as she tried to come up with another solution.
Time to lay my cards on the table. “What if…what if you watched her, Miss Osbourne?”
“Me?”
“I happen to know you’re currently unemployed, and I currently need someone my daughter adores and whom I trust to leave her with. You fit the bill perfectly.”
