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Madison closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. “Nothing like being flat broke to make one see things clearly,” she said out loud, more than a little frustrated.
A tug on the pant leg of her jeans startled her, and she was surprised to see Joelle. She kneeled next to the little girl, who was smiling at her. “Hi, Joelle. I didn’t expect to see you here.” Madison looked all around, but there was no sign of Caleb.
“Hi, Miss Madison. I looked through the window and saw you talking on the phone,” Joelle said, her voice soft and sweet.
“Where’s your dad?”
“Working on stuff in the store,” the little girl said, pointing at Bigsby’s.
Madison peered at the store and then back at Joelle. There was no way Caleb would have let his daughter come out here on her own. “Why don’t you and I go see your dad? I’m sure he’s wondering where you went.” She would only be a couple of minutes, so hopefully, the tow truck didn’t show up and leave. Of course, the way her day had started, nothing would surprise her at this point.
“Okey dokey,” Joelle said, taking Madison’s hand and happily skipping her way back to the store.
They hadn’t gone but two steps when Caleb came running toward them. He drew up short when he spotted Madison, but his gaze dropped to his daughter. Pulling her up into his arms, he hugged her tight. “Thank goodness you’re all right. You gave me quite a scare, young lady.”
“Sorry, Daddy. I saw Miss Madison, and she’s broken down. I think she was crying.”
Madison had no idea what the crying thing was about, but the broken part was spot on.
Caleb’s gaze shifted to Madison. “Umm, how are you broken? Did you fall or something? Is that why you were crying?” he asked. His concern was touching, even if a little off base.
“Or something. My car broke down. As to the crying, let’s just say this would be a good time for tears, but I’m too upset for such nonsense at the moment. I have had this car forever and it’s never given me any trouble. The mechanic mentioned it could be as simple as a bad battery. The other possibility could be a faulty alternator or fuel pump.”
Caleb smiled. “I’m sorry you’re having issues with your car. Is there anything I can do?”
“Thanks, but I’ve got a tow truck coming.” What she would do after it came and towed her car, she wasn’t sure, but she’d figure out the next step when she got to it. All she could handle right now was one thing at a time.
“She needs money, Daddy. I heard her say she’s broke and busted,” Joelle said.
Madison covered her mouth with one hand, surprise and dismay all wrapped into one as she realized Joelle had overheard her remark. And now, to her mortification…Caleb knew. Even if Joelle messed up the repeat, any adult would know exactly what it meant.
Caleb quirked an eyebrow up at her. “If it’s money you need, I’ve got a job opening that’s still yours for the taking.” And just like that, they were back to yesterday’s conversation.
It was on the tip of her tongue to say no, but at what point did she stop making her problems worse and latch on to a bit of good fortune when it came her way? It’s not like Caleb was looking for a relationship or love, so maybe it would be easier to protect her heart than she thought. After all, the man had been her friend’s husband.
Forget the rest. Her childhood crush was long over and everything that stood between them would keep it that way. “I’ll take your job offer on one condition.”
“What’s that?” he asked, his expression one of genuine relief. But then he hadn’t heard her condition yet.
“That you understand I’m leaving as soon as I find a job. This is short term, not a career move.”
Caleb nodded. “I’ll take the condition, but I’ve got one of my own.”
“What’s that?” she asked, mimicking him.
“You start now. I turned my back for a few minutes and Joelle wound up out on the street. This could have been disastrous. There’s no way I can juggle the work I need to do at the store and watch her as carefully as I should.” He ran a hand through his hair and then rubbed the back of his neck as though the tension had been too much.
“Lucky for everyone, nothing happened. And yes, right after the tow truck arrives, I’ll take over with Joelle. It works, seeing as my new client just fired me. For some off-the-wall reason, they want their dog walker toactuallywalk the dog,” she teased, finding another tidbit of humor in the situation.
Chapter Five
“Guesswhat,sweetheart?MissMadison is going to be your new nanny. So, you better be on your best behavior and no more of this running off whenever you want to. Daddy can’t keep you safe when you wander away, and neither can Miss Madison.”
Relying on someone else to protect and watch over Joelle didn’t come easily to Caleb. So the more he impressed upon his daughter the need for good behavior, the better this might all work out. The bonus, however, was that he could work on balancing his bank statements from home. Which would then give him the chance to get comfortable leaving Joelle with the new nanny.
“Yay. You can play Barbie with me. And wait till you see my tent. Daddy made the best tent ever for me. He says it’s blue like my eyes.” Joelle giggled, pointing at her eyes to emphasize her point.
Madison grinned. “Sounds like a plan. I get paid to play.”
