Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
CATE
L ater Samantha, Marlowe and Cate couldn’t recall how they ended up taking care of Holly for the day. But Izzy had looked so exhausted when she arrived home from Coffee and Cupcakes the night before. Certainly three adult women could handle a baby. Couldn't they? Cate would remember that foolish assumption and laugh. What had they been thinking?
Oh, the day started out calm enough. They sat around the kitchen table, telling stories and laughing as they sipped their peppermint mocha coffee. Holly seemed perfectly content in her highchair munching Cheerios or Lucky Charms. In what she thought was a moment of brilliance, Cate decided to scramble an egg for the little one. Wouldn’t that be the responsible thing to do? Breakfast cereal didn't have any protein. “Let's see what happens,” she told her nieces, feeling a bit giddy in her new role as great aunt.
Yesterday she'd found the old child-size bowl her sister had used with all the toddlers during their visits to Charlevoix. With its ABC rim, the bowl had been tucked in the corner of one of the high cabinets. No one had needed it for years. Knowing her sister, Joanna probably was saving it for her daughters to use with their own children. She could be incredibly sentimental. Cate was trying to do whatever she could to make sure that the girls benefited from their mother's thoughtfulness. It only took a few minutes to scramble the egg and then she slid it into the porcelain bowl. Handing Holly one of the plastic spoons she’d found in a drawer was an afterthought. Holly seemed old enough to be feeding herself.
But Marlowe and Sam weren't buying it. “Aunt Cate, the kid could poke her eye out with that spoon,” Marlowe said, eyeing the red spoon with some trepidation.
Was this a big mistake? Indeed, Holly was waving the spoon around, crowing jubilantly. Maybe she needed a lesson in handling a spoon.
“Why don't you teach her how to use it?” Turning to Marlowe, Cate decided someone else should take the lead on this.
Grabbing another plastic spoon, Marlowe chopped up the scrambled eggs and took a tiny bite. Oh, it was quite comical how she made appreciative sounds and smacked her lips as she ate. The baby loved it, clapping her hands and giggling with delight. After watching her Aunt Marlowe eat a couple of spoonfuls, Holly seemed to get the idea and tried scooping up the eggs, but they wouldn’t cooperate.
Frustrated, the baby dropped the spoon and it clattered to the floor. Piper immediately snapped it up and ran off into the other room. By that time, Marlowe was hanging over the highchair, wondering what to do. Not to be deterred, Holly grabbed a fistful of eggs and tried to cram it into her aunt's mouth. Well, they all thought her efforts were hilarious and so was the expression on Marlowe's face. But the laughter must have scared poor Holly. Her smile folded and she began to wail.
“Sweetheart, don’t cry.” Samantha stepped in as if she knew what she was doing. Whisking Holly from the highchair, she cuddled her and whispered things in her shell-like ear. My, what a picture. Samantha would have made such a good mom. “She’s had enough breakfast. We’re going to look at the Christmas tree,” Sam threw over her shoulder as the two of them disappeared into the hallway.
“Thank goodness.” Jumping up, Marlowe grabbed an apron from a nearby hook. Oh how Cate’s sister had loved those full-length aprons. “Time to clean up.”
Sounded like a great plan because Cate had her own mission in mind. “If you can handle this, I’m going to explore that attic. See if I can find those family movies.”
“I’ll work on these dishes.” Marlowe seemed to be an expert with dishes, once she understood that the dishwasher wasn’t working. And she could multitask, putting all the pans in the sink to soak. “Don’t be carrying any heavy boxes down by yourself, Aunt Cate. When you come back, let me know where the boxes are and I’ll get them.”
“Sounds good.” And Cate was off. An important part of aging was knowing what you could no longer do. Heavy lifting was out for her. Her chiropractor had told her as much during her last adjustment. The last thing Cate wanted was to throw her back out. This family visit was turning out to be a lot of fun and she didn’t want to miss a minute of it.
When she got to the second-floor landing, she threw open the door. But when Bogart appeared at her heels, she quickly closed it again. Did she want to lose Sam’s pet in the frozen attic? No, that could cause problems. But when she tried to open the door slowly, she glanced down to find the persistent cat looking up at her with knowing green eyes. She was sure Bogart was saying, I really have to see what’s up there . Using her hands, she shushed the handsome thing back into Sam’s room. She was able to close the door before Bogart could slip out.
Then Cate raced back to the attic door and tried again. Of course the third floor was cold as could be. All the open Christmas boxes told her that Izzy was probably very familiar with what this attic contained. Clicking on the two overhead lights helped a lot. It didn’t take long to find the box marked Family Movies in her brother-in-law’s hand.
Eric had been very organized. Maybe his planning and labeling were a result of his teaching. You had to plan well to be effective in a classroom, or so she would imagine. Just as Izzy had said, Cate discovered an old nineteen-inch TV that handled tapes in one of the rooms. She wondered what shape those films would be in. Well, maybe they could discover all that together. This could be a very interesting evening.
Heaving herself up onto her feet, she walked deeper into the attic. Why hadn’t she worn a warmer sweater? Shivering, she was not giving up now. As long as she was up here, she might as well check everything out. Some cross country skis leaned against the far wall. She remembered the Christmas when Joanna and Eric had decided that the exercise would be worth the cost of the skis for the girls. They saw these secondhand skis and poles advertised in the local newspaper and snapped them up the day after Christmas.
Because she was younger, Izzy’s skis were shorter and they were new. She wondered if the girls ever cross country skied anymore. Probably not. Samantha didn’t have time and Marlowe lived in Florida. Well, she’d be sure to mention her attic find to them.
By that time she was shivering, and she hurried back downstairs to join Samantha in the living room. What a surprise to see the baby standing up looking jubilant as she gripped the edge of the coffee table. “Does she do that all the time?”
“I have no idea,” her niece said. “When do babies begin to walk?”
“You’re asking the wrong person,” Cate said as she plopped herself down on the sofa. “But Samantha, you look like such a natural at this.”
“Glad you think so. Looks can be deceiving.”
That’s when it happened. With them sitting right there, Holly lost her grip and plopped down. As she fell, she grazed her forehead on the edge of the coffee table. That poor little thing sent up a wail, so loud that it brought Marlowe and Piper on the run. Pressing one hand to her chest, Cate was afraid she might have a heart attack.
Whisking the baby into her arms, Sam looked beside herself. “It didn’t break the skin,” she said, brushing Holly’s wispy hair back from her forehead. “But look at that red mark.”
Cate could hardly breathe and breakfast churned in her stomach . Forget the heart attack. Maybe I’ll just throw up. The pink mark sure was noticeable on Holly’s beautiful skin. “Do you think we should take her to the ER?”
Someone better do something because Holly was crying and the dog kept barking. Piper must consider herself the baby’s guardian.
“Ice.” Jumping up, Marlowe headed for the kitchen. “I’ll get some.”
At least someone was doing something. Crossing her arms over her chest, Cate paced in front of the Christmas tree. “Should I call Isabel at the store?”
“Let's give it a few minutes, okay?” Sam said. “I don't want to worry her over nothing.”
Cate studied her niece. “Is this nothing?” How did they know that? No concussion or internal bleeding? Every sad story she’d read online chattered in her head.
“I have no idea.” Her usually competent niece was stumped.
Looking very much in control, Marlowe marched back carrying some ice cubes wrapped in a dish towel. Bouncing Holly in her arms, Samantha tried to hold the towel to her forehead. But the baby wasn’t having it. “Ma-ma,” she cried. “Ma-ma.” Her sobs wrenched Cate’s heart.
Sam and Marlowe looked at each other. “Is she crying for Izzy?” Marlowe asked. “Does she call Izzy Mama?”
Sam shook her head. “Izzy would love it but I haven’t seen that. Not yet.”
Now this was not good. Cate didn’t know what to do. “What if this is the first time she’s used this word and Izzy isn’t home to hear it!” Wasn’t this a moment every mother waited for?
Lifting Holly onto her shoulder, Sam rocked the baby. “I have no clue.” The towel and ice cube were discarded on the coffee table. Thank goodness Holly began to quiet down, her head pressed into Samantha’s neck as she sniffled.
“Maybe we shouldn’t tell Izzy. Maybe we should forget this happened.” Suddenly Marlowe looked nervous. She was pacing from the tree into the hallway, her steps making the tree ornaments bobble.
The night before Cate had decided to play Santa. While the girls were off doing other things, she had wrapped some of the gifts she’d picked up in town. Feeling that she had to do something, Cate reached down and grabbed one of Holly’s gifts. The baby quickly fastened her eyes on what Cate was holding. The bright red and gold bow definitely had grabbed her attention. Her crying slowed to a hiccup.
"You better sit down before you fall down," Cate murmured to her niece. “By the way, I saw skis in the attic.”
“Good find,” Marlowe said, but her eyes were glued to Holly. The baby was mesmerized by the package. While Holly tugged at the bow, Sam collapsed into the blue and white chair. The baby had such determination, looking as if she wanted to wrench that bow right off. Holly definitely fit right into the family.
By the time the baby stopped crying, Marlowe, Samantha and Cate were exhausted. They had helped the baby unwrap the package, but she wanted no part of the teething ring. No, instead she was still playing with the bow, trying to cram it into her mouth and even babbling to it as if she expected an answer.
This was high entertainment and she had an audience.
“One of us should probably light a fire.” Marlowe rolled over and studied the fireplace.
“Not going to be me.” Samantha slid to the floor, taking Holly with her. “Not today.”
Marlowe joined her sister on the floor, with Holly seated happily between them, unaware that she’d turned her aunts inside out. Who knew babies could be physically and emotionally draining? Every once in a while Holly would shake the bow in one tight little fist and glance up at Samantha. “Ma-ma. Ma-ma?”
Samantha groaned while Marlowe chuckled. “This would kill Izzy,” Sam muttered between clenched teeth.
“Maybe the kid’s pressing your buttons.” Marlowe was enjoying this. “You know, to get your reaction.”
Well, enough of such nonsense. “I’ve been making a shopping list.” Cate finally said.
“I thought we weren’t getting each other presents,” Sam said from where she was lying on the floor while Holly tried to crawl on top of her.
“We aren’t.” Well, that wasn’t quite true. Of course Cate had been picking up things here and there. Wrapping them up in her room had been fun. “But we need some things under the tree. You know, to set the mood.”
“Set the mood? What does that even mean? This is Christmas.” Sam wasn’t buying it. Holly was now trying to cram the red bow into Samantha’s mouth, as if she were feeding her.
At that, Marlowe raised a hand and looked over at her sister. “I’ll be glad to go shopping in Charlevoix if I can use your car.”
“No problem there. I’m so exhausted that I’d probably run right off the road.” They all laughed.
“I thought we could make some cookies. That’s one thing that’s missing here.” Cate had been going through the box of recipes she found in the kitchen pantry. Didn’t Christmas mean cookies? She remembered her mother rolling out dough after liberally sprinkling a fistful of flour around. Going through her mother’s box of recipes, she’d pulled some favorites. “I’ll get my shopping list.”
In a second she was back, list in hand. Reaching for it, Marlowe gave it a quick glance. “Okay, so we need butter, flour and sugar, right? Lots of decorating stuff too.”
“Probably,” Cate said.
Marlowe scanned the list again. “Right, but I don’t see those on the list.”
Cate tried to break this gently. She was no Martha Stuart. “I figured buying cookie dough would be easier. I found your mother’s old cookie cutters. We can use some of that prepared dough as a base.” Her voice dropped at the end as she tried to read their expressions.
She knew that her nieces thought she walked on water, but she’d had a very different life than her sister. Cate’s schedule had never allowed time for baking. Instead, her sister would send her a tin full of Cate’s favorites. And if they were at Sunnycrest for the holiday, Cate had enjoyed watching Joanna bake. Her sister had a system, deftly switching from recipe to recipe, turning out three kinds of cookies in one morning. She had been a magician.
“Get what you think is necessary,” Samantha told Marlowe. “We’ll fit the tubes of dough into the recipes. If they don’t have molasses dough, be sure to pick up some molasses and brown sugar. We can find the recipes online.” Sitting there planning, the three almost didn’t hear Izzy pull up outside.
They all groaned. “Will she notice?” Samantha asked.
“We have to tell her.” Cate crawled into the big chair. Maybe she was getting too old for all this excitement. “She can make the call to the Urgent Care Center, if necessary.” Holly seemed blissfully unaware that she was the focus of a lot of concern.
What was Izzy doing home so early?
The front door banged open. “Sorry, sorry.” Izzy appeared in the door, pulling at the green scarf around her neck and whisking off her knit cap. Didn’t she look beautiful? So much energy followed Izzy wherever she went. After hanging up her scarf and cap, she shrugged out of her jacket. “Debbie and her cousin Patricia sent me home. Isn’t that great? They didn’t want me to miss time with my family.” She toed off her boots and left them in the hallway.
“How thoughtful.” Samantha was sneaking peeks at her niece, now content to roll up and play with her own feet.
“Did you miss Mama?” Izzy cooed, sinking to her knees to gather Holly into her arms. Cate wanted to chuckle when she noticed Marlowe and Sam both holding their breath.
“Well I sure missed you, cutie pie,” Izzy said to her daughter in baby talk. “Did my baby miss Mama?”
Holly gurgled while Cate and her nieces waited for Holly to utter the words she’d babbled when Izzy was nowhere in sight. But the words didn’t come. Only delighted gurgles came from the baby. Then Izzy noticed the red mark on the baby’s forehead. “Oh, what’s this?”
Cate tried to breathe and she thought Marlowe and Samantha might be having the same problem.
“She was trying to walk,” Marlowe said at the same time that Sam said, “She lost her grip on the coffee table.”
Izzy laughed down at her adoring baby. “Oh, you stinker. You have to stop doing that.” More nuzzling of the neck. “One of these days you’re gonna need stitches.”
The mention of any stitches brought a panicked look to Samantha. But Marlowe crossed her arms and smirked, trying to control her laughter.
“People missed her this morning.” Izzy moved on. When had that young woman become such a confident mother? “They like finding Holly in that Pack ‘n Play. You guys have been great, but I think I’ll take her with me tomorrow.”
“Oh, are you sure?” Sam asked as if she really wanted to take care of the baby the next day. Cate didn’t think that was the situation, and she felt relieved.
“She’s really no trouble at all,” Marlowe added. But then again, Marlowe had just arrived, so she had no idea how absorbing taking care of a baby could be.
Scrunching up her nose at Holly, Izzy seemed to be considering but then said, “I think I’ll take her with me. The following day is Christmas Eve and the girls are going to handle the shop until noon. Boy, Christmas sure came in a hurry, didn’t it?”
The baby started a fuss and Izzy took her back to the kitchen to fix a bottle and heat some food. She was such an attentive mother. Seeing her like this lifted Cate’s spirits.
“Did I hear you say that our cross-country skis are still in the attic?” Marlowe asked.
“Yes, I saw them up there,” Cate said.
Marlowe looked over at Sam. “What do you say? I could use some exercise. Why don’t we go cross country skiing tomorrow?”
Sam tucked her hands behind her head. “I haven’t skied in a long time. That might be fun.”
Sitting back on the sofa, Cate was delighted that she would have some time to herself. No matter what those girls said, there would be more presents under that tree. There had been too many holidays when she’d opted for sending checks because she was so busy with work. Those shops on Bridge Street beckoned.
“Oh, Sam.” Izzy turned from the lower steps with Holly in her arms. “Josh McCall came in today. Said to say hi to you.”
“That’s nice. I guess.” Samantha sounded doubtful.
“Did you say Josh?” Marlowe pivoted toward Samantha. “Josh McCall, your boyfriend from high school?”
“He was a friend, Marlowe. And yes, we ran into him at Coffee and Cupcakes. No big deal.” But Samantha wouldn’t look at Marlowe, who sucked in her cheeks and sat back.
Cate was trying to remember Josh from Samantha’s high school boyfriends. This was one of the many times when she wished her sister were here. They could compare notes. “Remember when Samantha…?” But at least she had the girls. And I’m taking good care of them, Jo. Really I am.
Izzy was laughing. “His daughter is a hoot. She said that this is his rehabilitation week.”
“Rehabilitation? Did he have an injury?” Sam asked casually. Was she pretending that she hadn’t heard Cate give the details of her talk with Mia?
Marlowe patted her heart. “Maybe everyone should have a daughter to take care of them in their old age.”
“Hey, cut that out. Josh isn’t that old,” Izzy continued. “Mia said her dad needs to have more fun and that’s what this week is all about. The kids are on vacation and so is he.”
Giving her older sister an assessing glance that said We’ll talk later , Marlowe leapt to her feet. “I’m going to the grocery store. Who’s coming?”
“I’ll get my coat.” Samantha raced for the hall.
While Cate went back to her recipe box, the two girls left for town. She loved reading these cards written in her mother’s and Joanna’s handwriting. The recipe cards connected her to the past. Slipping one from the pack, she frowned. “Sand tarts? I’d forgotten those.”
Grabbing her phone, she texted Marlowe. Please get some pecans and walnuts. Also sugar and powered sugar . Samantha must be driving because she got a fast thumbs up back from Marlowe.