37. Action In The Sheets
ACTION IN THE SHEETS
“ Y ou get that sling off on Monday,” Julie said Wednesday, two weeks later. “I bet you can’t wait.”
“I can’t,” she said. “And I’m thrilled to be back to work this week, even if it’s only helping with Colin and Holly.”
All four kids were down for their naps. Poppy and Reese took turns staying with the kids for the rest of the week that Daphne had been injured. Last week and this week Julie was watching all four kids here with Rose or Thomas dropping the kids off around their schedules.
It worked out well and the worst part of it all was the boredom that she’d experienced.
“They said you shouldn’t be lifting the babies just yet,” Julie said. “Not even next week.”
“I’ll do it with my right arm next week. I can do it now with my right arm. It’s like I told Poppy, how many people out there only have one arm to begin with? Or don’t have help and get hurt and are home with kids? It’s fine.”
“But they don’t want you to be hurt any longer and it’s not a big deal. I will admit last week was touch and go with all four of them, but it wasn’t for long stretches. Not full days.”
Because everyone flexed their schedules so that Julie wasn’t overwhelmed.
Daphne knew she could handle the four kids easily. Even with one arm, Julie and she weren’t the same.
Poppy even confessed that Holly was still wound up at night and not getting enough energy out during the day. Even mental energy.
Daphne always had activities planned if they were inside, but Julie tended to put on cartoons, movies, or sat and read to the kids.
She did that too, but only for a limited amount of time.
When she was reading to the kids, she was interacting the book out with them, which they enjoyed. Colin especially when they were using props.
“I’m glad it worked out,” she said. “They are great bosses and I was so worried about being out.”
“I know,” Julie said. “They are great. But they wouldn’t fire you over this. You got hurt watching Holly. Heck, she would have probably gotten hurt long ago with me if I let her run like you do.”
She didn’t know if that was a compliment or an insult.
“Holly needs stimulation,” she said. “It’s all good. Look at how well she’s napped the last two days.”
Julie snorted. “You’re right. I barely got an hour out of her and the last two days she’s falling asleep at the lunch table, then slept for three hours.”
“And that is three hours you get to relax or deal with the babies,” she said. “Not that Tatum sleeps that long since he’s napping in the morning.”
“He took two two-hour naps yesterday,” Julie said. “Even Summer did. I don’t know your secret. It’s not like they were running around.”
“Fresh air and being entertained with the other kids,” she said. “Did you notice that when we are outside there is just so much going on they are constantly looking around? If not at Colin and Holly, then each other or nature.”
“I did notice that,” Julie admitted.
“They get excited and their little endorphins are running too. It tires them out,” she said, smiling.
“It’s not a reason to watch more than two kids though,” Julie said, laughing. “I’m glad this is only short term.”
Daphne finished her sandwich and cleaned up her dish, reaching for Julie’s to put away too.
Julie let her. She had to do something more than just sit around.
She wasn’t even sleeping well because it was like the kids. She didn’t get enough energy out of her.
It’s not like there was much cleaning to do. All she did was walk the grounds most days to get outside, or sit on her front porch and read.
The rest of the week after she’d gotten hurt, she did what Abe joked about. Sat on the porch and watched the guys work.
Last week was almost as boring as the first week she lived with Aster and hadn’t started working yet.
At least on Monday, she convinced everyone to let her start rather than waiting until today, which was the full two weeks.
“Can I ask you something?”
They’d stay in the kitchen for now. The kids’ bedrooms were upstairs, but they always napped in one of the spare rooms downstairs. One had two cribs in it for the babies; another had two toddler beds in it.
The house was massive and was barely used in most sections.
“Sure,” Julie said.
“You commented on me being worried I’d get fired. Why?”
She hadn’t said that to Julie even though she had that fear early on.
Poppy and Reese assured her that would never happen. They paid her full salary during this time on top of it. They were even covering any medical expenses she had outside her insurance.
She’d argued over that and they laughed and reminded her it was workers’ compensation again.
Nothing she could do about it.
At least everyone stopped hovering over her.
Well, not Abe.
She’d finally sent him back to his house last week when the work was done at the McGill Estate.
She knew he wanted to stay, but she could handle it on her own just fine.
She wasn’t in much pain and she was used to doing things with her right arm anyway.
It’s not like he needed to wait on her hand and foot. He’d been working long hours during the day anyway.
She was starting to think he only wanted to be in her bed at night.
It’s not like they did anything in it and she was frustrated over that too.
Maybe if she was getting some action in the sheets, it would tire her out too. But he was acting like he was going to hurt her or something.
“I overheard Poppy and Rose talking about it last week.”
She’d never told them she was worried she’d get fired. Just that she was concerned about the job because the kids needed her.
Abe was the only one that she’d used that word to.
“I’m not sure why they’d say that,” she said.
She knew Julie liked to gossip. This just fed right into it.
“I guess Abe talked to Reese the day of the accident or something and said that you were worried about it. I find that sweet that he was looking out for you. Sounds like things are going well there?”
She kept her best poker face over hearing that bit of information.
How dare he do that? Talk about embarrassing.
She didn’t need someone to watch out for her. She could handle her career on her own.
“They are,” she said. “Working out perfectly.” One of the kids made a noise on the monitor and she stood up. “I’ll go check. Someone might just have lost a blanket and it’s cool in there with the air conditioning on.”
It was a good way to end this conversation too.
Hours later, she’d calmed down though.
She was going to talk to Abe about it, but there was another issue she wanted to address.
He was coming to dinner tonight. Actually he was picking up dinner and told her not to cook.
She didn’t know why since she’d been cooking one-handed all week when he was outside. It’s not like he could stop her since he was working.
He’d come in and dinner was ready. Even joked he could get used to it.
Maybe she could too.
“Hi,” he said, entering, holding a pizza box. “Quick and easy. Hope this was okay.”
“It’s fine,” she said. “And gives you leftovers for lunch.”
He laughed while she reached for the box. “That was my thought. I’m going to take a quick shower.”
“Go ahead,” she said.
He’d left his boots right at the door like he always did. She’d seen him shake off anything on the porch. She’d joked that he was like a dog doing that so he was more exaggerated now even shaking his head and wiggling his butt if he knew she was watching.
He did make her laugh.
Her anger over his conversation with Poppy and Reese wasn’t as great. She even told herself to not jump the gun, that Julie tended to embellish a lot.
She’d get to that conversation at some point tonight, but there was another she was going to have first.
Abe returned ten minutes later smelling like crisp mountain air.
She moved over and gave him a kiss, her right hand trailing down his arm and under his T-shirt. “Yum.”
He stiffened and then laughed.
What the hell?
Was he turned off by her for some reason?
They sat at the table and she lifted her right arm to smell herself.
Nope, nothing.
With her arm in a sling, she lifted her left as well as she could and did the same.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“Checking to see if I stink,” she said. “Every time I get near you for anything more than a kiss you back away as if I’m a skunk trying to spray you. What is going on?”
“You smell great as always,” he said, leaning closer to give her a good sniff.
“Then why are you backing away from me all the time?”
“I’m not,” he said. “I’m sleeping next to you. Or I was before you kicked me out last week when we finished here.”
“I didn’t kick you out,” she argued and took a big bite of her pizza.
“Oh,” he said. “You did. You were polite about it, but I know I overstayed my welcome. I get it.”
“I don’t need to be watched over,” she said. “Maybe if we were having sex I would have let you stay longer.”
She lifted her chin as she said that and he choked on his bite of food.
“You’re not ready,” he said.
“There is nothing wrong with my lady parts other than they are damn lonely and only being teased by having you near me.”
He burst out laughing. “That’s funny.”
She didn’t find it so. “I’m not laughing.”
“I see that,” he said. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“There are ways for you not to hurt my arm,” she said sarcastically.
“Really?” he asked. “If you’re on top in bed, you need to lean on your arm or if you lose your balance you might land on it.”
“No one says that is the only position,” she said. “I expected better of you. We’ve done enough of them.”
He snorted. “If you’re on your back, I might land on you. You tire me out. I lose brain cells. I could make your shoulder worse.”
“Now you’re just trying to compliment my ability. It’s not working.”
He winked and shrugged. “It was worth a try.”
“Your try failed. Finish your dinner and then I’m going to show you what we are going to do because I’m tired of waiting for you to make a move. I’ve had a lot of time to think this out, and trust me, nothing is going to be sore afterward other than what is between your legs.”