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That was it.
Growling in frustration, she tried to call back, but she was sent to voicemail.
She texted, instead.
Bryce: Sorry I missed your call. Was on with my lawyer about the trial. Is everything okay?
She really wanted to typeAre we okay?but her insecurity prevented her from asking.
An hour later, Ryker finally replied with a yellow thumbs-up emoji. Nothing else.
Fortunately, she was so busy with prepping for PattyCakes, packing the girls’ suitcase for their time with the Paynes, washing up her white chef’s coats for her time at Cascade, that she didn’t have time to obsess over his terse reply. The hours flew by, and suddenly it was nine o’clock and she was rushing the girls into pajamas and bed. Giving them strict instructions to stay put, she ran downstairs to ladle the extra soups she’d made into freezer-safe containers, all neatly labeled for Patty to use while she was gone. She hurried, knowing she’d left her suitcase for Niagara Falls half packed and she still had emails to write to her catering clients. She was loading the freezer when she heard running footsteps and shrieking giggles from upstairs.
“Addie and Cici, I hear you. Get to bed!” she hollered to the ceiling, listening as the giggling grew hushed. “I mean it!”
Scampering footsteps headed in the direction of the girls’ bedroom, and she heard the sound of their door slamming. The laughter and giggles continued, but she figured if they were in their bedroom, they were fine.
Shutting the freezer, Bryce headed to the café’s makeshift office for the list she’d scribbled on a piece of notebook paper. Harvey and Adele had asked her to write down the girls’ schedules outside of school, and Bryce was doing her best to give the grandparents every tip she’d learned. Much as she might hope the week was tough for the Paynes, in her heart she wanted her nieces to enjoy their spring break. They deserved this good time. Bryce nibbled on the pen, considering her scrawled list she’d written like a recipe.
Ingredients for the best possible week:
1 set of fairy wings on Addison at all times. Tell her they need to rest at night, and put them to bed next to her.
Cici’s Lava soap is in her bag. Nobody else is allowed to use it but her. Say this often for the best results.
Read the little girlsPeter Panbefore bed, using different voices for Peter, Wendy, Hook, etc. The more dramatic you make it, the better they sleep.
1 pull-up on Addison before bed.
Make June put her phone on the charger in the kitchen, or she’ll doom scroll all night.
Be sure June brings her small backpack with her at all times.
She’d debated being a little clearer with the last point—if her calculations were right, June should be getting her second-ever period while Bryce was away. She’d already reminded her oldest niece about the timing, telling her to bring her small backpack with her period supplies everywhere, just in case. But she decided not to be explicit in the last bullet, to avoid angering or embarrassing June if she saw the note.
She tapped the pen against the paper, trying to think of any other tips. She’d packed the girls’ school workbooks and homework assignments due at the end of break, including June’s three-page paper for language arts. She debated on detailing exactly what needed to be done, by girl, but then figured it was overkill. The Paynes had raised a child—they’d see the schoolbooks and ask the obvious questions. She added one last point:
Be sure to run them around during the day for at least an hour, or they get squirrelly. Call me whenever you need me, and tell the girls I’ll check in with them every day.
Bryce folded the paper and stuffed it into her pocket to add it to the girls’ bag later. Then she tackled the rest of the pile on the desk. As part of teaching her how to run the café, Patty had delegated paying the invoices to Bryce, and she also had to order food for the following week. She wondered for the millionth time if working in Niagara Falls during her paid vacation from PattyCakes was worth the extra money, a worry she’d voiced to Imani when she’d picked up the girls after recital practice.
“Maybe I should give up the Cascade gig and stay in town while the Paynes watch the girls so I can get caught up?” Bryce had said as she crammed her nieces and their dance gear into her BMW. Her small car was jam-packed with Addie’s booster seat and the girls, but a larger vehicle was definitely not in the budget. “I mean, it’s almost a vanity thing to go and be their saucier. It’s not like I’m résumé building at this point.”
“No, you need this time for you.” Imani’s tone had rung with certainty. “I used to go hard at life, or, as Gigi says, ‘Full-Tilt-Boogie,’ so often it became a health hazard. I suffered from panic attacks, and my anxiety was through the roof. I’m thankful I took that time away from my job to help Gigi recover from knee surgery, because it forced me to take some time for myself. You loved being a saucier, so this is like self-care for you.”
Now, as Bryce paid the bills, she told herself Imani was right. She began to look forward to the time alone. It would be amazing to just cook all day. She could even use the time as a detox from her feelings toward Ryker—she’d obviously been the one who’d fallen first, but maybe after she returned she could put some context to that. Maybe she’d fallen for him because he was the ideal problem solver. The ultimate fixer. The man who excelled at doing that superhero thing, flying in to solve a crisis and whisk her and the girls out of danger.
She definitely needed a reset, because Ryker hadn’t reached out again. She recognized that dating a girl in the midst of a dumpster fire was one thing, loving one was quite another. He just wasn’t there yet. Although that thought gutted her, maybe what she needed was time to process this? Surely if her feelings were real, she’d be willing to wait until—
Suddenly, there was a massive thump overhead.
Then Addison gave an unearthly shriek.
She’d heard the girls scream enough times to discern the difference between when it was in play or for real.
This yell was real—Addison was hurt.
Bryce was already sprinting to the stairs as a twin shriek split the air. Cecily. She sounded scared. But it was June’s wail that injected the final burst of adrenaline into Bryce’s steps.
