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“Where’s Ella?” I croaked.
“In the living room with M,” Vivian said.
That was all I needed to move. As soon as I laid eyes on her, I breathed easier. Muriella rocked her gently in her arms by the windows, showing my baby girl the view. She gave me a soft smile and met me halfway across the room. With care, she passed Ella to me.
I cradled her to my chest and closed my eyes. She was safe. My daughter was safe.
Ella kicked her legs, and a sharp scream pierced the quiet. My lids flew open, and I was greeted with a toothy grin.
“Hi, baby. Mama missed you.”
She giggled in return and promptly conked out.
“Thank you,” I said quietly to the three ladies watching us.
“You must be hungry.” Muriella pointed toward the kitchen with her thumb.
“I am.” Sonya didn’t wait for anyone else before she took off.
“All she does is eat,” Vivian said.
“I heard that,” Sonya called over her shoulder.
“Don’t care,” Vivian shot back.
“Keep your voices down,” Muriella whisper-hissed, eyeing Ella.
For two seconds, I forgot my reality and soaked in some normalcy. Sonya already had a pita chip in hand, dunking it in some sort of dip when I made it to the kitchen.
“You double dipped.” Vivian pointed accusingly at Sonya.
“Whatever.” She shrugged and snapped up another chip. “Have some,” she said to me.
I watched warily as she circled the island toward me and shoved a chip in my mouth. Slowly, I chewed. The flavor of the spinach artichoke dip was delicious, but the food felt like cement in my mouth.
Vivian pulled out a barstool and indicated for me to sit. Carefully, I eased onto the wooden seat and managed not to wake my daughter. Muriella placed a bottle of water in front of me.
“Would you like some roast chicken? We already ate, but I have a plate warmed for you.”
I swallowed hard, her kindness overwhelming. I knew these ladies, but for all intents and purposes, I was still a stranger. They knew deeply personal things about me, yet their concern caught me off guard.
Mostly, I was grateful to be surrounded by, dare I say it, friends.
“I’m not really hungry.”
“Eat what you want.” Muriella put the warm plate in front of me. I appreciated that she didn’t try to take Ella from me. I wasn’t letting my daughter go for anything.
“Vivian, thanks for letting me use Daniel’s study.” I spun at the sound of Baker’s voice. She rushed over to me. “You’re up.”
She put on a brave face, but behind her eyes was unfiltered fear.
“Yeah. Guess I was out a while?”
“It’s after noon.”
“The food truck.” How had I forgotten my business?
Vivian placed a hand on my arm. “Hope it’s okay, but the boys took it to your spot today.”
