Six | Avery
Six
Avery
T he first week working for Sam flew by and I hadn’t realized just how tired I was until the weekend rolled around and I didn’t want to get out of bed. I was so used to sleeping on the comfortable pillow top mattress Grant had insisted on buying when I got pregnant with Kennedy that my body was actively objecting to every uncomfortable bed I’d slept on since.
It had been a little over two weeks since I’d packed my SUV and left with Kennedy, not knowing where to go and showing up unexpectedly on Cassidy’s doorstep. Her apartment was small, but she made room for us, giving Kennedy the guest bedroom that only had a twin-sized bed while I took the couch.
We knew it was a temporary solution until I could get on my feet again, but I was finding that to be harder than I could have imagined. I made good money working for Sam, but I had to decide whether I wanted to use that money to try to get us our own place or if I wanted to use it for Christmas gifts for Kennedy. It was a no-brainer, but I still felt terrible about imposing on Cassidy.
I sat at the small kitchen table and sipped my coffee while Cassidy took a shower. We were supposed to go shopping today, but I had a hard time being excited about it, knowing that I wouldn’t be able to buy anything until I got my first check from Sam next week. It was hard taking a five-year-old to the store and telling them they couldn’t have anything. If that didn’t crush your heart, nothing would.
“Good morning,” Cassidy said, drying her hair with a towel.
“Morning.”
“You okay?”
“Yeah, just tired.” I didn’t want to complain about how sore my body was or that I was so uncomfortable that I hadn’t slept well in the week we’d been staying with her. She went out of her way to accommodate us; I wasn’t about to be ungrateful.
“Maybe some coffee and then shopping?”
Before I could answer, Kennedy came in, rubbing her eyes.
“Good morning, sweetheart,” I said, reaching for her as she held her arms out to me.
I picked her up and then frowned when I felt her pajamas were soaking wet.
“Did you have an accident, baby girl?”
“No,” she said, leaning her head against my shoulder as she nuzzled close to me. I immediately felt the heat coming from her body and lifted my hand to her forehead.
“What’s wrong?” Cassidy asked, standing beside us with concern etched on her face.
“She’s burning up, and her clothes are wet.” I pulled her away slightly so I could get a good look at her. Her eyes were glossy, and her cheeks flushed. “Do you have a thermometer?”
“Yeah. Let me go grab it real quick.”
“Thanks. And I’m sorry, I think she had an accident. It happens sometimes when she’s sick.”
“I didn’t have an accident,” Kennedy objected, clinging tighter to me. “There was water dripping on me, and it woke me up.”
Cassidy and I both frowned, about to ask what she meant when we heard a loud noise. I jumped up with Kennedy still in my arms as we rushed to the bedroom where she had been sleeping.
A giant hole opened in the ceiling as water poured inside.
“Oh my God!” Cassidy shrieked, holding her hands in front of Kennedy to keep her from getting splashed by the water that was pouring in. “Get her out of here! We need to get out of the apartment before the rest of the ceiling collapses.”
I nodded and hurried out of the room, stopping to grab my phone from the table before heading outside. Cassidy had her phone pressed to her ear as we stood in the parking lot, staring in disbelief as we heard another loud crashing noise.
I walked over to my SUV and sat on the curb in front of it, hating that I didn’t have my keys so I could get Kennedy inside. She was sick, and it was freezing outside, which wasn’t the best combination right now. I still had pajamas on with nothing to offer her to keep her warm except my body heat.
“Here honey, take this,” an older woman said, coming across the parking lot and handing me a blanket. I had seen her a handful of times and knew she lived next door to Cassidy.
“Thank you. I appreciate it.” I wrapped the blanket around Kennedy and held her close to me as I rocked her back to sleep.
Before I knew it, fire trucks and paramedics filled the parking lot as people rushed about. Cassidy came and joined me on the sidewalk, looking completely lost.
“Did they say what happened?”
She nodded, her face pale.
“The older woman who lived above me had been running a bath but had a medical episode and died. They said it looked like it had been a few days since it happened and that the leak likely started small, but the ongoing water pressure from the tub continuing to fill caused the entire ceiling to collapse.”
“Oh my God,” I whispered, covering my mouth with my hands while trying to keep from waking Kennedy up.
“It’s a good thing she got up when she did,” Cassidy said, shaking her head. “I can’t even—”
“Don’t,” I interrupted, not able to hear her finish her sentence.
We sat there in silence for a few minutes while we watched the paramedics bring out a gurney covered with a sheet. My heart broke for the poor woman, wondering if her fate would have been different had she had someone there with her who could have called for help when it happened.
“Hey, are you guys alright?” Sam said, startling me as he stood in front of us.
“Yeah. We’re fine,” Cassidy answered with a shaky breath. “They said it’s going to be a while before I can go back since they have to deal with the water damage and fix the ceiling. I talked with Mom and Dad, and they said we can stay with them until then.”
She smiled at me and gave my arm a soft squeeze.
“I can’t do that,” I objected, already knowing how crowded it would be. Cassidy and Sam had grown up in that house, but they had since converted his bedroom into a craft room for Amelia. Cassidy’s room was big enough for her, but it wouldn’t fit the three of us easily, which meant Kennedy and I would have to sleep on the couch with nowhere to store our stuff.
“It’s not a problem,” Cassidy insisted. “You and Kennedy can take my room. I have a blow-up mattress we can put in there. I’ll sleep on the couch. I don’t mind.”
“I’m not doing that, but thank you. I’ll check into a hotel for a few days until we figure out the next step.”
“I hate to break it to you, but there’s nothing available. Everything was booked months ago. You’d be lucky to get a last-minute cancellation with it being a week until Frosty Fest.” Cassidy smiled sympathetically, but it did nothing to dull the burning pit of fire I now had in my stomach.
This wasn’t an ideal situation, but I would figure something out and make it work.
I rubbed my lips together as I tried to think about other options. Just because the hotels in Sugarplum Falls were booked didn’t mean that the neighboring towns would be booked as well. It would be a further commute to work, but I could figure it out.
“You and Kennedy will stay with me,” Sam said, bringing my and Cassidy’s attention to him.
“I’m sorry. What?”
“You and Kennedy will stay with me.” He nodded as if this decision was final.
“Sam, no. You’ve done enough for us already by giving me a job. I couldn’t ask—”
“You didn’t. I’m offering it to you, Avery.” He rocked back on his heels and shoved his hands in his pockets as a gust of cold air whipped past us. “Technically, I’m telling you that’s what’s happening. Cassidy will stay with my parents, and you and Kennedy will stay with me. I have two guestrooms that I don’t use.”
I opened my mouth and then snapped it shut, unsure of what to say.
While I didn’t want to take advantage of Sam’s kindness, I honestly wasn’t in any position to be picky right now. It wasn’t just me and my pride I had to worry about. It was my baby girl, who was sick and needed a safe place to stay.
“I’ll pay you rent,” I offered, feeling the knot in my stomach get tighter as I thought about how I didn’t have the money to do that.
“You will not.”
My eyes widened, not sure how to handle bossy Sam .
“I called Aiden. He’s on his way with his truck. We’ll load up what we can and get you guys settled in. Here are my keys. Why don’t you get Kennedy situated in my truck so she doesn’t freeze out here? Cassidy can help get your stuff.”
“Okay,” I said, not having it in me to fight. I looked around for something to hold on to so I could get up with Kennedy wrapped around me, but before I could, Sam reached out and gently took her from me before extending his hand to help me.
“It’s the black one over there,” he said, nodding to it. “Go ahead and let her sleep for now, and then we’ll worry about waking her up and putting her in her booster seat once we’re ready to go.”
“Thank you. You have no idea how much I appreciate this.”
He smiled a smile that could warm even the coldest days while I forced my heart not to get used to it.