Chapter 6 #2
“First, you might have realized already, but Charlotte is not my daughter. She’s my brother’s child. He asked me to take her in a few months ago.”
She couldn’t imagine how disruptive that must’ve been to a single man. “Had your brother been caring for her? Did he not feel up to the job?”
“Charlotte’s mother had her for the first five months. Then child services stepped in, and she went—”
“Wait, sorry. Why did child services step in?”
His brows crinkled, and she guessed her question had annoyed him. Before he could tell her, once again, that it wasn’t her business, she added, “If I’m to take care of her, then I need to understand what she’s been through.”
He licked his lips, gaze shifting toward the windows. “I don’t know exactly, but I think she’s a drug addict.”
That knowledge had Delaney’s heart dropping. Poor Charlotte.
“Do you know if she was sober during her pregnancy?”
“As far as I understand, she was. That’s what Jasper said, anyway, and her doctor sees no sign of fetal alcohol syndrome or…whatever it’s called when a mother uses drugs during pregnancy.”
One bit of good news. Maybe the woman had intended to be a worthy parent. And then…what? Decided she could take care of an infant and use drugs?
“Jasper was out of the country at the time, so CPS placed Charlotte with her maternal grandmother. She was still a baby. The courts forbade the mother to see her. When my brother returned earlier this year, he visited Charlotte and realized the grandmother wasn’t fit.”
“In what sense? Was she also an addict? Or abusive?”
“Neglectful. At least that’s what he told me. That’s when he brought her to me.”
How sad for little Charlotte. No wonder she was so quiet.
“What about Jasper? Where is he?”
“Not in the picture, and neither is the mother. They’re both…” He shook his head. “Suffice it to say, Charlotte’s stuck with me, and I’m doing my best. But what do I know about a four-year-old girl?”
“She’s four?” That information was almost as shocking as the rest. “She’s so small.”
“Yeah.” He sipped his water, then took a deep breath, and she got the sense he was still reeling from everything that had happened, maybe trying to rein in emotions he didn’t want to show.
They flickered in his eyes. Anger, frustration.
But why did he feel those things? Because he was stuck with Charlotte?
Or was he angry at the child’s neglectful parents?
She couldn’t exactly ask, but she figured Mr. Aylett’s true feelings would come out sooner or later.
“The doctor calls it ‘failure to thrive,’” Mr. Aylett said.
“Before she came here, she was malnourished, which affected her development. I have her on a high-calorie, high-protein diet—which she hates, by the way. But it’s very important that we feed her healthy foods, more so than with other children. ”
Delaney hated to think what little Charlotte had gone through before she’d come here. And now she was stuck with an uncle who hadn’t even known her before.
At least he was trying to do right by her.
“Is she in therapy?”
“No.” His shoulders sagged as if the weight of the world rested there—and had just become a little heavier. “I need to do that, but I haven’t found anyone suitable yet.”
“Suitable meaning…?”
“It’s a small community. We have therapists, but I’ve been told she needs a well-trained play therapist, and I haven’t found one close by. And with my work…”
“I understand.” Delaney tapped a note into her phone. “I’ll compile a list, and we can find one together. I’ll make that my first priority. You might need to attend some of the sessions, but hopefully, I’ll be able to take her most of the time.”
“Okay, good. That would be very helpful. I’ll be there if I have to, but it’ll be hard for the next few weeks, maybe a month. My schedule should open up after that, and I’ll be able to devote more time to Charlotte. Do you have a car seat?”
“I need to get one.”
“I’ll take care of it. That Toyota you drive—that belongs to you?”
“I’m not in the habit of stealing cars—or crystal, for that matter.”
“I never thought…” He shook his head, and maybe her remark amused him, but it was hard to tell. “I thought maybe the car belonged to a friend or a boyfriend or something. What year is it?”
“It’s ten years old, but it’s in good shape, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“Not worried, just…” His voice trailed. Then he said, “It has Maine license plates.”
“I didn’t want to register it until I was settled.” And until she was certain she wasn’t going to have to go home.
“I don’t want Charlotte to get attached to you if you’re not planning to stay.”
“I agreed to stay on at least until she starts kindergarten next year.” They’d talked about this the night before. “I’ll honor that commitment. And she should get attached to me. She needs to trust me.”
Mr. Aylett stared at Delaney for long enough that it started to feel awkward. She waited for him to argue or clarify his position.
Instead, he said, “You’re okay with driving Charlotte in your car?”
“Of course.” Delaney tried to sound lighthearted, but she’d gotten here on fumes the night before. It was less than two miles from the shelter, yet she was lucky she’d made it. “It’s just that…” She steeled her courage. “I hate to ask, but I need to fill up my tank, and—”
“Not a problem. I’ll provide you with a credit card to cover your expenses.”
Wow. He was worried she was going to take off with the Waterford, but he was going to give her a credit card?
She couldn’t figure this guy out.
“I was thinking we should get Charlotte involved in some activities,” he said, “like…dance or…I don’t know.” He shrugged. “I have no idea. If you think she’d enjoy lessons of some kind, feel free to arrange it.”
“I grew up with four sisters. Among the five of us, we did pretty much every activity you can imagine. I’ll feel her out, see what she might like. I assume she likes the park. Is it all right if we do that?”
He nodded, then added, “All I ask is that, for the first few weeks, you let me know where you are so I don’t worry.”
“I’ll share my location with you.”
They exchanged numbers, and she did that, which reminded her…
“Yesterday, when I stopped Charlotte from running out into the street.” She put her phone away. “That was you, wasn’t it?”
He narrowed his eyes. “What are you talking about?”
“I saw someone duck behind a tree. At the time it made me nervous. I thought maybe it was a kidnapper.” She’d laugh at her own paranoia if he weren’t giving her such a serious look. “I assumed when you showed up—”
“I was behind you. I saw Charlotte and was running to intercept her, but you got to her first. Once I knew she was safe, I wanted to see what her nanny would do. Not that I would have kept her on, but if she’d been horrified at taking her eyes off Charlotte, if she’d been repentant, I would’ve offered her severance—a week’s pay, anyway. ”
“She blew that.” But the rest of what he’d said registered. “Wait. Then who did I see?”
“I have no idea. Someone was watching Charlotte?”
Delaney thought back to that moment, to the glimpse of a person ducking away. “I could have imagined the whole thing.”
“Either you saw someone or you didn’t.”
“I did.” The words came slowly as she remembered the moment. “I just had a weird feeling, that’s all. That doesn’t mean the person was doing anything wrong.”
He seemed to take in that information. “It sounds like you have good instincts.”
Her? She had terrible instincts, but she wasn’t going to tell her new employer that.
“If you ever get that feeling again,” he said, “or see something suspicious, tell me right away.”
“Okay.” The discussion reminded her… “You said last night that you’re upgrading your security system.” He’d mentioned it as an aside when he told her the code. “Did something happen?”
“We had a break-in a few nights ago. It was the same morning as your interview. Not that that excuses my rude behavior.”
“You were home?”
“We were.”
“Any idea who did it?”
“It might’ve been random. Whoever it was, the alarm scared him away.”
“If it wasn’t random, who could it have been?”
“I don’t know.”
“Are you sure? Because if it affects Charlotte…” She wasn’t in the habit of arguing with her employers, but it had to be said.
“If I learn anything else about the break-in, I’ll let you know. Meanwhile, the additional sensors should alert us if whoever it was comes back.”
It wasn’t the security she had at home, but then Mr. Aylett wasn’t as paranoid as her former CIA-agent father. Also, presumably, he didn’t have the same kinds of enemies. “Does she have any regular activities?”
“No. I thought about putting her in preschool, but it seemed too soon after she came to live with me.”
“Allergies, medical issues? I’ll need her doctor’s phone number and your medical insurance card, should anything come up.”
“I have those.” He pulled a clipboard out of a drawer and slid it across to her. An insurance card was clipped to it over a piece of paper with the information she’d requested, along with names and numbers of emergency contacts.
When she looked up, he said, “What else?”
“Dislikes? Quirks?”
“Charlotte needs structure. She needs to know you can be trusted. I know things happen, but please do your best to make good on your commitments. A lot of people in her life have failed to do that.”
“I understand. My goal is for her to trust me, to know she can count on me. That’s a vital part of my job.”
He dipped his head, a quick acknowledgment.
“She enjoys being with kids, but she needs to be able to step in or step out if she gets overwhelmed. I think she shuts down when there’s too much chaos, but that’s just a theory.
I will say that when there are a lot of people around, she tends to wander off. ”
“Like yesterday?”
“Exactly like yesterday.” By the dark look that crossed his features, he was still angry with the former nanny.
“My sister was like that,” Delaney said. “I’d tell her to stay here or go there, and…she wasn’t disobedient, just easily distracted. I learned from Kenzie that kids need to be watched all the time.”
“Okay, good. Let’s see…” He stroked the short whiskers on his chin. “Oh, she doesn’t like pizza.”
“Really?”
“Go figure.” His lips quirked at one corner. “She’s been through…a lot.” His gaze flicked to the ceiling, then back to Delaney. “I want her to make friends and be happy. I’m just…I’m in the middle of this thing at work. I’m finding it hard to balance that and parenting.”
“It’s not easy. I’m sure you’re doing great.” Delaney had worked for enough families to know it was hard for two parents who worked to take care of their kids. How would a single man do it? A man who wasn’t even the child’s father?
“I guess that’s about…” His voice faded, and his serious expression morphed into a smile aimed beyond her.
Delaney turned one second before Charlotte collided with her. She didn’t say anything, just held up her arms.
She lifted the precious girl, who was far too light for her age. Her hair was a mop of messy curls, her pink pajama pants twisted around her waist.
She was adorable.
The thought brought her mind back to the stranger in the park, who may or may not have been watching her. And the intruder who’d set off the alarm.
There had been a time when Delaney would have brushed away her worries, but between Dad’s horrifying stories and everything her family had been through in the last couple of years, she knew trials and danger could strike anywhere.
Lord, protect this little one. Help her uncle and me to keep her safe.