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Her tone surprises me in a good way, as this chick is typically all business. I might even use the word icy to describe her. But with Libby she morphs into gushing, smiling granny-mode, and it’s not hard to understand why. Libby is all golden-curled, pink-cheeked sweetness.
Waiting on hold, I hand her a piece of the licorice I keep stashed in my bag, and her eyes light up as she struggles to undo the wrapper.
“Let me get that for you,” Diana all but coos.
Libby frowns a moment later as she rips off a piece of the licorice with her teeth and chews. “I love candy but my daddy doesn’t let me have any.”
“That means he’s a good dad.” I perch my butt on the edge of the desk, wondering why I’ve been on hold for so long. “Candy is a special treat, not for every day.”
Diana adds, “That’s right, candy will ruin those little teeth of yours if you eat it every—”
We all stop in our tracks as the door practically flies off the hinges and some maniac barges into the office followed by Doctor Thompson and another man.
“Where’s Olivia?” the big guy dressed in a leather jacket and jeans barks.
I manage an oh-so articulateuhas I point to Libby, while Diana goes all Momma Bear on him and stands in front of the child like a shield.
His face is red with rage. “Anyone think of maybe keeping her down by the front security desk?”
He’s looking back and forth between me and Diana like he’s waiting for an apology when heshouldbe thanking us.
“I, I did call security…I’m still on hold.”
“Well, while you’ve beenon hold,I’ve been tearing through this campus looking for my daughter.”
With that, Libby peeks her head out from behind Diana and says, “Hi, Daddy!” as if she doesn’t have a care in the world and wasn’t crying just a few minutes ago.
His expression changes in a heartbeat. The hard eyes and scowl are exchanged for a teary-eyed smile. Ok, he loves his baby. He’s not a total dick.
“Olivia.” He scoops her up and snuggles her close. “I told you to stay right next to me.” He pulls back a few inches to look her in the eye. “Please don’t ever do that again, ok?”
She rubs the stubble along his jaw with her little hand and pouts. “I won’t. Promise.”
He lets out a deep breath and looks to the man standing beside my boss. “Ed, walk us to the car so we can wrap this up. I don’t have time to trek all the way back to your office.”
Doctor Thompson, my department head, looks between Libby and his colleague, now known as Ed. “She made it all the way here from the engineering campus?”
Ed raises an eyebrow behind Grumpy Dad’s back, as if to tell my boss:Don’t kick the hornet’s nest.
But it’s too tempting, especially since this jerk still hasn’t thanked us or apologized for the way he came barging in here.
“Four-year-olds need eyes on themallthe time, right Libby?”
“Right, Sky.” She smiles brightly, waving her floppy licorice wand back and forth at her father like she’s scolding him. I want to jump up and high-five her for the way she delivered that line.
He lets out aharrumphas he sets Libby back down on the floor and takes her hand. “Time to go, baby.” Giving us no more than a fleeting look, he says to her, “Say thank you to the nice ladies who helped us.”
Libby breaks free from his hold and rushes over to me, wrapping her arms tight around my thighs. “Thank you, Sky.”
I crouch down to give her a proper hug back. “You’re welcome, Libby. You can come visit us anytime.”
“What about me?” Diana whines, holding her arms out wide. “I don’t get any sugar?”
I nudge Libby in Diana’s direction, and Libby squeals and laughs when Diana squeezes her tight. “A hug is sugar?”
“Yep,” we say in unison.
I look up to her father and see that his expression has changed again. He looks profoundly sad, or maybe I’ve got it all wrong. Maybe he’s worried, anticipating the wrath he’s going to face when Libby tells her mom what happened here today.
