Chapter Five
Before Mia took Maisie into the bathroom to wash her and get her ready for her outing, she’d taken the time to call her father in Phoenix, the person she’d considered the best character appraiser she knew.
A bit apprehensive about letting Maisie go out without her, she asked if he thought it would be okay for her to let Maisie go for the outing with this guy Jack Markham.
“Dad, are you sure it would be a good idea for me to let Jack Markham take Maisie to the park and out for a meal while I get the last of our belongings together here at the apartment? I’m in a mess, and she’s being freaky about everything.”
“She’s as safe with him as she’d be with me. He’s a good man. Your mother has almost as big a crush on him as your Aunt Angie. You let him help you today. I wish I was strong enough not to be such a burden, or I’d be there too.”
“God, Daddy. You’ve never been a burden. You’re my solace when things get tough. Love you. Thanks for listening.”
“Bye, princess.”
Feeling a bit silly and overprotective for making the call, she still knew it had been the right thing to do.
After all, she’d just met the man and though he’d seemed to know exactly the tone to take with Maisie, had charmed her out of her tantrum and into his arms within minutes, she still had a responsibility to make sure he wasn’t a weirdo. That Maisie would be safe.
Now dressed in a pair of old jeans and sweatshirt that had seen better days but were perfect for the cleaning spree she intended, she grabbed the clothes she’d set aside for Maisie for that day and hurried back to the kitchen to find Jack on his cellphone.
“I called Angie to tell her I’d found the place, and we’d be a bit later than expected. They were preparing her to go for X-rays, so I didn’t have much time, but she’s okay with the new plan.”
“Oh, good. I’m glad you thought of her. I’ve been in such a dither lately; I don’t know if I’m coming or going.”
Jack laughed at the old saying, something he’d heard Angie repeating often. Only Angie usually added, “or… decided to stay home.”
“I’ll fix Maisie some fruit and yogurt before you leave. Would you like some too? We have enough to share.”
“How about I organize the fruit while you get her highness ready?”
“Thank you. It’s all there on the counter, I was just starting breakfast before you arrived.” She pointed to the food and then held her hand toward Maisie. “Come and get ready, munchkin.”
Maisie didn’t like being taken from her new hero. “Mia, me stay with man.”
“His name is Jack, honey. But you have to let Mia get you dressed so Jack can take you to the park.”
“Mr. Jack takes Maisie to play in the park?” She wiggled to be put down. The chatterbox completely over her tantrum was behaving like the usual cheery darling Mia recognized. Her green eyes had lit up and the dimpled smile was back.
Guiding her to the bathroom to get her ready, she answered, “If you promise to behave. He only likes good little girls, so you’ll have to show him how good Maisie can be. Okay, my pet?”
“Okay. I’m a good girl, Mama Mia. Right?”
Mia laughed at the silly name that Jasmine had always used, and Maisie had picked up. Though she’d called Jassie mommy, often they’d both referred to her as Mama Mia. It had been their joke.
Mia hugged Maisie tight. “You’re a true angel, my lovie.” After a quick sponge bath, she gently brushed the knots from Maisie’s thick, reddish curls. She tied it back in the low-hanging pony because the child wanted her hair to be like Mia’s.
There was a time when Jassie and her little girl had battled over keeping her beautiful hair out of her face and the only way she’d agree to letting her mom tie it back was if she could wear it like Mia, and so they’d made a compromise.
Now it was taken for granted that she’d let her hair be done in whatever style Mia fixed her own hair in.
“When you go to the park with Jack, you promise to behave and play nice with the other kids, right?” There were some kids who liked to fight, or bully, and Maisie didn’t allow anyone to push her around.
Jasmine’s personality traits showed up in her little girl, and this was one of them that never failed to shock Mia. Their aggressive little girl didn’t stand for anyone taking advantage of her or those she liked and could be a monster demon if pushed.
Maisie checked Mia’s eyes. Hers narrowed. She bit her lip. “If that bad ole Howie hurts his sister Chewwy again, I’ll hit him harder.”
“You’ll do no such thing. You’ll go and tell his mommy, and she’ll deal with him. Promise me.”
“Maisie can stop—”
“Do you want to go to the park?” Mia kept her tone firm and her expression firmer.
“I pwomise. But he’s a meanie. I don’t like him.”
“I know, honey. It’s Saturday so, he probably won’t be there. You just play nice with your own toys, and please be a good girl. Maybe Jack will take you for lunch later to the café on the corner. You can have a hot dog.”
“Yesss! I’m gonna be good. Let’s go.”
***
Jack couldn’t believe the difference in the child he’d first met to the one showing him her sand sculptures now. “Mr. Jack, see my castels? Aren’t they pwetty?”
“Almost as pretty as you are, sweetie pie.” He tickled her under her chin and laughed when she chortled adoringly. Then she ran back to play with the other little boy who’d just arrived, her jean shorts and pretty pink blouse taking a beating from the sand she’d smeared everywhere.
The overweight woman who’d brought the boy sent Jack a smile and gestured at the bench where he’d sat close to the sandbox so he could keep an eye on Maisie.
“Sure, help yourself,” Jack’s smile was fleeting and careful. Women tended to come onto him in the most ridiculous ways, and he always pretended disinterest as a self-protective mechanism. Why females thought men were always on the hunt, he’d never know. It wasn’t true, especially in his case.
Oh, he liked women… a lot, but in the right time and the right place. Today certainly didn’t fit that concept. His mind wandered to the woman he’d left earlier, and a smile formed inside. What a cutie!
When he’d arrived, she’d still had on her pajama shorts and an oversized T-shirt, her hair was in long golden strands around her back, tied at the end in a sloppy ponytail half undone.
Her slenderness gave her the appearance of a young girl until one looked into her eyes and saw the suffering of an adult who’d gone through turmoil and was coping.
When he’d first met Angie, she’d bragged about her niece until his ears became numb. He’d stopped listening, tuning her out with the occasional uh-huh.
He did remember the older lady saying that her niece had started a blog and a podcast fairly young, and it became successful.
He also remembered her saying that Mia’s subject, about looking after the elderly and their health needs, had gathered a huge audience.
Once her parents had moved into an assisted living facility, she’d warped the discussion around her hobby of sewing baby clothes.
It soon became a place for her to sell her designs, and she’d needed to hire more seamstresses due to the number of orders.
Imagining a young girl taking on that kind of responsibility had caught his attention, but as Angie had continued to sing her praises, he’d faded out again. After all, a person could only listen to so much “she walks on water bullshit” before his teeth got achy from gritting them.
Now that he finally got to meet the saint, it tickled him that her halo had slipped and dimmed. She seemed like a nice person struggling with insurmountable odds.
The earlier scene greeting him had been refreshing, seeing as most of the flight down he’d been pissed at himself for having made the offer to help.
Although there wasn’t much he wouldn’t do to soothe Angie.
Considering his mouth had left his brain behind, he’d decided he would just grin and bear it for as long as it took to get her niece and the toddler to Angie’s house.
Probably the biggest reason he’d suggested helping had been because of the kid.
She was the draw for him. Hell, to be honest, any little creature drew him in.
He loved kids, especially toddlers. He’d seen photos of the child and had fallen for the cutie.
Red hair and big green eyes had been a draw, but the adorable grin highlighting the sweetest dimples had solidified his crush.
Angie had pictures all over the house of Mia and Jasmine and then one’s of the baby too. The big one in the living room had always drawn his interest. If there was one thing that Jack couldn’t resist it was kids.
Being an only child and living most of his life in London, he’d been a lonely boy. Oh, he had scads of mates but every one of them came from larger families, and it always made him feel like an outsider knowing they were part of a group, and he was a single.
His parents were scholarly individuals, his father always had his head in a book and his mother, though she’d tried occasionally to bake cookies or give him treats, museum visits and theatre nights were her idea of fun and didn’t really cut it for a young lad.
Once he’d reached his late teens, he’d applied for a Visa to the U.S., choosing the state where his mother had originated from before marrying his father. He’d gone to the University in Phoenix for two years, applying himself toward a teacher’s degree.
Working weekends with a small construction company had been the highlight of his week.
Unsurprisingly, he’d found his true path.
Deciding he loved working with his hands and needed to be outside rather than stuck inside a classroom, he’d apprenticed under his friendly, helpful boss and got his carpentry certification.
Around that time, the Armed Forces came to town with a huge campaign where they pressed the younger generation to join the army, get an education… support their country.
Jack got suckered in. As his father before him, he believed everyone owed some of their energy and loyalty to keeping their country safe. Since the U.S. was now his home, he felt obligated to give up two years of his life and do his part.
Those years passed quickly, especially once he was injured when his truck hit a bomb. He was given an honorable discharge and medical coverage which meant spending frustrating hours filling out forms and waiting for answers that took forever to show up.
Finally, he moved on, used his carpentry skills, and life had changed for the better. He’d made great friends, lived as a swinging bachelor looking for his ladylove, which hadn’t happened yet, but he kept trying.
After the nightmare calamity where he’d been tested as a man and a human being, he never forgot the words the old man Lucas had left him with.
For some unfathomable reason, Jack had imagined him being there in his blackness of despair.
Lucas’s deep voice had resonated so many times over the worst moments, pulling him back from the abyss.
“I believe in you, Jack. You’ve got this my boy.
You’re a good man. You need to hang on. There’s a beautiful future waiting for you one day.
You have to live now so you can bring happiness to those waiting for you to find them. ”
An annoying voice broke into his thoughts. “It’s a nice day today, not so hot as we normally suffer this time of the year.” The lady next to him had finally settled her belongings and was taking the plunge to start up a conversation.
Oops… time to take Maisie for her lunch. “Yep. It is a nice day. Gotta take the kid for chowtime. Good talking to you.”