AllFreeNovel
Share Us
There wasn’t a day that passed that I didn’t thank whatever higher power was responsible for leading me to this town and these incredible people.
* * *
Thanksto the two coffees I’d downed on my lunch break, I’d managed to stay awake once I returned to work.
I was in the middle of ringing up Mr. Armstrong’s weekly purchase of canned corned beef hash and microwavable dinners—the man was a lifelong bachelor—when my cellphone started ringing from my back pocket.
“Let me just put that on silent, real quick.”
He gave me a kind look. “Do what you need to do. Don’t you worry about me.”
I pulled the phone out of my pocket, frowning when I saw the name flashing across the screen. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Armstrong. It’s my daughter’s daycare. Do you mind—?”
He waved off my apology. “Got nowhere else to be. Go ahead and take it, sweetheart.”
Shooting the sweet old man a grateful smile, I stepped back from the register and swiped my finger across the screen before bringing my phone to my ear. “Hello?”
“Hi, Sawyer. It’s Misty,” the director of the daycare greeted.
“Hey. What’s going on? Is Renee all right?”
“She’s okay, but it seems that she may have come down with a little bug. She was fine when you dropped her off, but she started complaining that her stomach hurt shortly before lunch, and she just threw up a few minutes ago. We checked her temp, and there’s no fever, but a few of the other kids have been out recently with a stomach virus. Silver lining is that it’s one of those fast-moving bugs. They’ve been bouncing back within a day or two, but it looks like she may have caught it.
“Oh no. Okay. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“No rush, honey. She’s in with another teacher right now, having a rest. We’ll see you when you get here.”
“Thanks, Misty.”
Georgia appeared by my side before I’d even ended the call. “What’s wrong?”
“Looks like Renee’s come down with a bug that’s making its way through the daycare.”
“Poor baby.” She scooted in, easing me out of the way of the register with her hip. “You go take care of that little girl. I’ll finish ringing up Mr. Armstrong.”
“Thank you, hon.” Leaning in, I placed a kiss to Georgia’s temple and unpinned my name tag from my shirt, dropping it in the little bin under the counter before grabbing my purse.
“No need to thank me. Family comes before everything. Get that precious baby better, and don’t hesitate to call if you need anything.”
I blew her a kiss before shoving out the door and heading for my car, thankful I’d decided to drive this morning because the forecast was calling for rain later in the day.
In no time at all, I had my girl back home and was settling her in the living room so I could be close by. “How you feeling, doodle bug?” I asked as I sat on the edge of the cushions and brushed the hair back from her face. I’d made her a little bed with a pillow and blanket on the love seat, and put the wastebasket nearby in case of more accidents. As soon as I got her comfortable, I turned on the television to one of her favorite movies.
“Yucky,” she answered, her little face, normally all smiles and brightness, pale and drawn into a pout. Renee didn’t get sick often, but when she did, she was usually down for the count. I hated seeing her like this.
“I know, baby. I’m sorry, but I’m going to make you all better, okay?” Seeing my baby, normally so full of life and energy, curled up in a ball because she didn’t feel well never failed to leave me with this yawning sense of helplessness. All I could do was make her comfortable and wait it out, hoping it didn’t take long for her to rebound.
“Will you stay wiff me, Momma?” she asked, her little voice belying just how bad she felt.
“Of course I will.” I brushed me fingers through her soft hair and smiled down at her. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Shifting on the love seat, I snuggled into the cushions with her and hit play on the remote. Fifteen minutes into the cartoon, so brightly colored I felt like I was on an acid trip, the doorbell rang.
“Be right back,” I murmured as I placed a kiss on her forehead and stood up to answer the door. When I pulled it open and saw Trent standing on the front porch, I was hit with that sense of butterflies in my belly, their wings flapping so hard and fast it was a wonder my feet didn’t lift off the floor. “Hey. What are you doing here?”
“Stopped by the store to see you, and Georgia told me Renee was sick. I wanted to check on her, and bring her some stuff that might make her feel better.” He lifted a bag with the Warren’s logo on it.
I didn’t even try to hide my surprise. “Wow. How did you know what to get?”
