Page 92 of Miss Fortune

“Hopefully, I get there and she yells at me to go away because she has things handled. Then we leave and stop for tacos.”

“Tacos do make everything better.”

I grinned. “Indeed they do.”

Tabitha lived only five miles from my house. Once I pulled into her driveway, I turned to Daisy. “I hope things are fine.”

“Me too. I’m sure this makes you uncomfortable, but thank you for doing this. I’ll feel better knowing she’s okay.”

“You’re thanking me? You have it backwards. I’m the one who should be thanking you. I’ll be back. Hopefully in a short time.”

“Good luck.”

Chapter Forty

Daisy

Waiting in the car while Caleb went up to the house was tough. I hoped the impromptu visit was unnecessary, and he’d be heading back out here shortly, but I couldn’t help a gut feeling telling me something was wrong.

Boy, this was not how I’d thought we’d spend tonight. Although if I was being honest, I hadn’t known what tonight might hold. The fact he’d asked to pick me up from the airport, on a work night no less, was a good sign he might be willing to give a relationship a try. But I knew it wasn’t simple. Caleb feared I’d react the same way as his parents and ex and give up on him. Until he learned to trust both me and himself, he wouldn’t get beyond his past.

My question was how much time to give him? Perhaps my choice would be clearer if I’d enjoyed my trip to Seattle, but it turned out I couldn’t see myself moving there. No offense to the city, but I’d missed home. So much for finding clarity on what to do with my life via moving to a new city. Two minutes passed, then three. Finally, he called my cell phone.

As soon as it connected, he said, “Daisy, I need you in here.”

“What’s wrong?”

“You’ll see. I’m calling Lucas next.”

Shit, that couldn’t be good. “Okay, I’m on my way in.”

The sounds of a baby crying hit me as soon as I arrived at the front door.

Caleb opened the door for me. “The baby was screaming when I walked up, and after no one answered, I turned the knob and came in. Tabitha was curled up on her bed, but once she saw me, she ran and locked herself in the bathroom. I don’t know what to do.”

First thing needed was to address the baby. I went straight to his bassinet to pick him up. His cleft lip was the type on both sides of his little mouth like deep lines straight up to his nose. “Poor baby, shh. Oh, my, you have a full diaper.” I looked around and found some diapers in the kitchen.

“The baby’s room is down the hall to the left. Maybe there’s a changing table in there. Lucas is on his way.”

“Okay, I’m going to get him changed and see if he’s hungry too.”

It took a few minutes to get a fresh diaper and onesie on him, then another five to find his formula and the special bottle, which I assumed was made for his cleft lip. Unfortunately, it was tricky to get him to drink without formula coming out his nose. The action caused him to cry all over again. But he was so hungry.

Frantically searching the kitchen, I was grateful to find the instructions for how to feed using the bottle. Since he couldn’t latch on, the bottle included a one-way valve to assist him. I needed to position him correctly.

“There you go.” Oh, thank God. He finally got some down his mouth instead of out his nose.

Caleb came into the living room. “How is he?”

“He’s hungry, but at least a full diaper means he must have had something in his stomach recently.”

He sat next to me on the couch. “She won’t talk to me through the bathroom door. I’m hoping Lucas will have more luck.”

“How long before he gets here?”

He glanced at his phone. “Any minute. By chance, he was nearby.”

The knock on the door was a welcome sound. While Caleb filled Lucas in on the situation, I finished feeding the baby. After burping him gently, I rocked him until he fell asleep. Poor thing was probably exhausted from crying. “It’s okay, we’ll make sure your momma gets some help, little one.”