Chapter 6
Over the next week, Sasha, David, and Callie fell into a natural routine.
Sasha was an early riser and liked to make breakfast before anyone else was awake.
She always made extra, in case Callie or David wanted some when they woke up, but she wasn’t there to sit down with them.
She liked to take Dot for a walk around town when the shops were opening for the day.
It was now the Friday after Sasha’s arrival and Callie was out running errands. According to Callie’s friend at the Ferndale Bookstore, Sasha was becoming popular with the locals.
“Yeah, she drops in on her way back to your house every morning,” said Kate, the middle-aged woman who owned and operated the bookstore. She had inherited it from her father a decade ago. “She’s so nice and she loves reading. Oh, and that baby is adorable.”
“You don’t have to tell me.” Callie laughed. “I’m obsessed with Dot. So is David. But I had no idea Sasha liked to read. Did she say what kind of books she enjoys? I’d love to pick one up for her.”
“She didn’t say anything specific, but I think she’s smarter than people give her credit for. She name-dropped two different obscure non-fiction authors in a single conversation!”
“Huh. That’s cool. I’ll have to ask her about that.” Callie smiled at her friend. “Thanks for being so kind to her. I really want her to feel like she’s a part of the town. Make friends and stuff.”
“She will. She’s a sweetie. How long do you think she’ll stay?”
“I’m not sure,” Cassie said with a shrug. “For as long as she needs, I guess. I’d really like to help her get back on her feet, which could take a while. I guess it depends on how quickly she gets a job and finds another place to live. But I’m not going to rush her.”
“She can work here if she wants!” Kate announced, grinning. “I’ve been looking for an extra pair of hands as we enter the holiday season.”
Callie beamed. “Oh, that’s wonderful. It sounds like that’s something she’d really enjoy.
I’ll let her know.” Which was exactly what Callie did when she returned to the house later that afternoon.
David was still at work and Sasha was taking a nap.
Heading to the kitchen, Callie prepared a snack of apples and cheese and warmed a bottle on the stove before Sasha even woke up.
“Are you psychic?” Sasha asked ten minutes later, taking a seat at the kitchen island to grab an apple slice. “How’d you know I’d wake up starving?”
Callie smirked. “Lucky guess.” She picked up Dot and handed her the bottle. “I was in town today, and Kate—from the bookstore—was telling me that you’ve been making friends.”
“Dot’s been making friends,” Sasha corrected her. “She makes them everywhere we go. Even on days when I’m not in the mood, Dot smiles and waves at people... and then, of course, they come over to talk to us.”
“How could anyone resist that smile?” Callie gazed down into the baby’s eyes. “You can’t be mad at them for it.”
“No, I’m not. It’s just… it’s really different. Before I had Dot, I could just walk around with my head down and nobody bothered me. I’d put my headphones on and be in my own world. But now, I can’t do that anymore...”
Callie frowned at her. “Well, if you ever need a solo walk, where you just get to listen to music or let your mind wander, you can always leave Dot with me. Or we can look for a nicer stroller, one with a little cover so she could sleep on your walks.”
“What? You don’t like my bougie stroller?” Sasha smirked. The stroller Sasha had come to the house with was a cheap plastic thing with sticky wheels and a fabric lining that was covered in stains.
“Hey, you’re the one who admitted to finding it in the trash.” Callie put her hands in the air. “I’m just thinking we could upgrade a little. We could go to Goodwill if you’d rather look for a used one…”
Sasha chewed her apple methodically and didn’t say anything.
“Or… if you’re dead set on paying for a new stroller yourself, then I should mention that Kate said you could work at the bookstore if you wanted. At least, during the holidays.”
Sasha half choked on her apple slice. Coughing, she washed it down with the glass of water Callie quickly grabbed for her. “You—you asked Kate to give me a job?”
“She offered,” Callie clarified, not quite sure what to make of Sasha’s reaction to the news. “We were just talking about how you’ve stopped in her store a few times, and somehow we got on the topic of the job. But I promise, I didn’t go around town asking people to hire you or anything.”
“No, I know. I get it.” Sasha shook her head.
“I just—” She cleared her throat and rubbed the back of her neck.
“I guess, I just haven’t really thought about getting a job.
I mean, it makes sense. It’s the next step.
I’ve just... I’ve always struggled getting something since I need a place where I can bring Dot with me. Those kinda jobs don’t really exist.”
“Now you can leave Dot with us though,” Callie said. “Or—with me. I can easily grade papers and have office hours online while taking care of her.”
“I’m not going to ask you to do that.”
“You didn’t ask me.”
“No–I–I don’t really know if that’s... I need to think about it.” She slid off the stool and pushed the plate of apples to the other side of the island towards Callie. “Thanks for the snack. I’m—I’m gonna to take Dot to the park.”
“Okay... Do you want a ride, or—”
“I’ll walk,” she said curtly. “I could use the fresh air. I’ll be home for dinner. Thanks.”
Callie watched as Sasha took her baby girl into her arms and marched out of the kitchen.
She knew she’d said something wrong, but she couldn’t place her finger on exactly what her transgression was.
She sighed to herself and ran a hand through her short, gray hair, remembering the times she used to accidentally irk Mallory without understanding why.
At least with Mallory, Callie could always count on David to go check on her and get to the bottom of things—but with Sasha—Callie had no idea where the lines were.