Chapter 8
Eight
She couldn’t have offended Miles too badly, because after taking notes on the improvements they needed, he said he’d be back the next day.
Just before they left, Leon accidentally headbutted Bella in the chin. Annie half expected to never hear from her again either, but at eight the next morning, Bella appeared on Annie’s doorstep with a drink in each hand.
“I brought coffee,” Bella said, a tentative smile on her face. “Margie told me moms of young kids always need coffee.”
Annie grinned, accepting the cup. “Margie was right. Come on in.”
The twins had been up since five. Annie was due for her second cup of coffee.
“Let me give you some money for this,” Annie said, rushing to get her purse.
“No, please, it’s my treat,” Bella said. “I had so much fun yesterday, and I feel so lucky that you trust me with Noel and Leon.”
Annie frowned. She would slip the money into Bella’s purse later. If Bella even had a purse. What was it kids had these days, fanny packs?
“You are too sweet,” Annie said, leading her in. “You know, I loved babysitting when I was your age.”
“I got the idea from my mom’s old books. She had this huge box of Babysitters Club books, and I love them. I made all my friends read them. Now we’re determined to run a babysitters club of our own.”
Annie blinked at her. “The Babysitters Club books? I loved those growing up! I can’t believe kids are still reading them. That’s wonderful.”
“See, and they say today’s youth is rotting their brains with screens. Not me,” Bella said solemnly, “I am reading thirty-year-old paperbacks and getting ideas.”
A laugh burst out of Annie. “Not you, indeed.”
Bella impressed her more and more. She was a delightful teenager. They spent the morning wrangling the kids – playing with toys, making snacks, and even getting them outside. Bella’s skill in getting a coat and shoes and hat onto an escaping two-year-old had appeared overnight.
“I watched some videos,” she said with a grin after Annie complimented her.
At ten, Miles arrived with a knock at the door. Annie opened it, determined not to gape at him again.
It was no easy feat. He was dressed in a black long-sleeved shirt that clung to his muscles, and a pair of paint-splattered jeans that accentuated his long legs.
He offered her a smile when their eyes met, and the warmth of it shot an electric jolt through her body.
“Hi, Miles,” she said, averting her eyes and stepping to the side.
“Hey! Don’t mind me. I’ll stay out of your way,” he said, disappearing with a shower seat and an arm full of grab bars.
As he worked and Bella laughed with the kids in the living room, Annie was able to make lunch for everyone. Mac and cheese for the twins, one of their favorites, and chicken sandwiches and egg salad for everyone else.
The rolls were fresh, crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Sandwiches were her usual go-to during the week for lunch, and she’d perfected a few – cranberry turkey with a honey mustard; caprese with a balsamic and olive oil drizzle; Italian sub with pepperoni.
All she had today was chicken and cheese with dijon and crispy lettuce. She wished she had something else to offer but she hadn’t thought of it when grocery shopping.
Annie set a platter of sandwiches on the table, adding, “I can make something else if you aren’t fond of sandwiches.”
Bella already had taken a bite. “No way. This is so good, like a professional sub.”
Annie smiled. This one, though simple, was one of her favorites—a thick slab of butter on each side of the bread, creamy muenster cheese, and pepper-roasted chicken breast. The dijon had taken her ages to find; it had the perfect amount of heat and tartness to round out the flavor.
Miles nodded in agreement. “This is excellent. Are you sure you’re a scientist and not a sandwich artist?”
She laughed, peeking at him as she took a seat. “I sleep so little that I don’t know what I am anymore.”
His shoulders shifted with a laugh. “Fair. I get that.”
She’d even had time to clean up the kitchen before sitting down.
That never happened. She was always running around, the mess in the house reaching unfathomable levels until she tackled it in the hours between the twins falling asleep at bedtime and waking in the night for whatever the reason of the week was.
“So, Annie,” Bella said, leaning forward, “we’re putting the twins down for their nap next, right?”
“That’s right.”
Bella pulled out a notebook and opened to a page with looping pink handwriting. “I see for their age, their wake window should be no more than six hours.”
Annie looked at Miles, her eyes wide. “Wake window?”
“How long they’re supposed to be awake,” Bella added.
Miles hid his smile behind his sandwich.
“Right. I’ve sort of forgotten about all those rules,” Annie said. “I need to revisit them, though. Good thinking.”
She’d been having issues with both kids having meltdowns at bedtime. Maybe they were too tired? She and Roy used to talk these things out together. The target moved every month they got older, shifting with teeth and introducing foods and new illnesses. It was so much harder to do by herself.
Bella went on. “If they woke up at five, they need to be asleep by…” She sighed. “They’re supposed to be asleep already.”
She cast a wide-eyed look at the twins, sitting happily in their dual high chairs.
Annie smiled. “I think you’re on to something. The more tired they are – ”
“The harder it’ll be to put them to sleep!” Bella finished.
“We’ll get them in their cribs quickly after they finish eating.”
Bella nodded. “I think if this goes well, you should just keep me here all day. I can do bath time, and a time-appropriate bedtime, then stay through the night in case there are any night wake-ups.”
A laugh escaped from Annie. She didn’t know how to let Bella down gently. “Though I love having your help, I don’t think you should commit to that much time with the twins.”
Bella frowned. “Why not?”
Oh goodness, she was serious!
Thankfully, Miles spoke up. “I don’t think Annie signed up to take on another child full-time.”
Bella’s jaw dropped. “I am not a child. I am a young woman.”
“Certainly not a child,” Annie interjected. “But I’ve already been tempted to keep you forever, and I don’t need more reasons.”
Bella smiled at her. “Really?”
“I can’t loan you out that long,” Miles added, shaking his head. “I’d miss you too much.”
Annie looked at him, and he smiled that vibrant smile of his. Her heart fluttered against her chest.
Not only was he unspeakably handsome, he was also a genuine, heartfelt dad. How many dads would’ve taken the chance to roll their eyes and “joke” about someone taking their teenager off their hands?
Not Miles. He was so clearly enamored with his daughter; it showed with every word.
Bella, apparently unable to see how lucky she was, rolled her eyes. “What about independence, Dad?”
“Yeah, yeah,” he said, grinning.
She couldn’t keep staring at him. He would notice, and he’d feel uncomfortable, and then who would install the handrail for her mom?
He probably had women fawning over him all the time. Annie didn’t need to be one of them.
Leon threw a handful of mac and cheese on the floor, and Noel followed with a squeal, signaling the end of the meal. Annie stood, wetting a cloth to wipe their hands.
“Okay, Bella. Are you sure you’re ready?” Annie asked.
Bella leapt to her feet. “I was born ready. Or at least woke up ready this morning.”
Miles and Annie laughed. He caught her eye again, his eyes brimming with fatherly pride.
“Into the lion’s den, then!” Annie said.