Chapter Eight
T he next week passed in a warm summer haze. Her mother and father’s RV was still parked behind her cottage. Lee’s old resentments were fading. And she spent as much time with Adam and Jessie as possible.
She felt buoyant and light.
She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so…well, just plain good. She still had no idea where her relationship with Adam was going, but she was appreciating the ride and trying not to let worries about the future intrude.
She felt lost when they were apart, and practically bubbly when they were together.
Friday evening as she watched Jessie splash a wave on the shore, Lee realized that the almost constant ache she’d lived with the last year had faded.
It wasn’t that she’d forgotten her baby, just that when she remembered now there was no sharp pain that left her breathless, just a soft feeling of regret for what might have been. She felt as if she could finally say goodbye to that painful chapter. Not forget, just move on. Move toward something new.
She crawled into bed that night, looking forward to the next morning. They were going to take Jessie to the park again.
Lee felt as if she’d just closed her eyes when something woke her up. She sat upright and for a befuddled moment tried to figure out what was wrong.
She realized the sound that had woken her was her phone.
“Hello?” Her voice was thick with sleep. She glanced at the clock. Four thirty-three. There was no such thing as a good call at four thirty-three in the morning. “Hello?”
“Lee, it’s me, Adam. Could you come over. I think Jessie’s sick.”
Lee’s heart was racing as she ran the short distance that spanned the cottages. She didn’t even bother to knock, just threw open the door and hurried into the living room.
Adam was sitting in the rocking chair, holding Jessie. The toddler’s head was resting on his shoulder. “Thanks. I didn’t know what else to do. She’s got a fever. I gave her some acetaminophen, but she’s still so warm.”
Lee had an I-don’t-know-nothin’-about-birthin’-no-babies panic moment, then a feeling of assurance. “When I was a kid my grandmother used to give me a tepid bath when I had a fever. I don’t know if it helped, but it always felt heavenly. Want to try that?”
“Sure. I’ll try anything at this point. She’s just so miserable.” Jessie wasn’t the only one who looked miserable. Adam’s face was pinched with anxiety.
Lee wished she could make him feel better, but knew that nothing would until Jessie was right, so she hurried into the small bathroom and started the water in the claw-foot cast-iron tub. A moment later, Adam brought Jessie in. She was flushed looking and her eyes were glassy.
“Hey, baby,” Lee crooned. “I hear you’re not feeling all that good.” She began taking Jessie’s pj’s off. “To be honest, Adam doesn’t look any better, does he?”
“I don’t think I’ve done more than doze all night. If I look half as bad as I feel right now, I must be scary.”
“Not quite scary.” No, as a matter of fact, seeing him so worked up over Jessie was endearing. “But bad enough. Why don’t you go lie down for a few minutes and I’ll give Jessie here a bath, then get her in fresh pj’s.”
“I can help.”
“I know, but humor me.”
“Well, maybe for a few minutes.” He started out of the bathroom, then turned around. “Thanks. Other than my uncle and Cathie, there’s never been anyone I could call in the middle of the night and just say come, and know that they’d be here. That’s something for me to realize, Lee. You can’t know just how much it means.”
Before she could respond, he turned and hurried out of the room.
Lee brushed at a drop of suspicious moisture on her cheek. “Must have been splashed starting your bath,” she said to Jessie, although even the sick toddler didn’t seem to buy the explanation.
“Your cousin is very special, isn’t he?”
Instead of her normal, happy chatter, Jessie made a sad moan in response.
“Come on, sweetie. Let’s have a nice bath.”
Lee forced herself to concentrate on the baby. Fifteen minutes later, she had Jessie dried, powdered and in a fresh pair of pajamas.
Lee carried her out to the living room and sat in the rocker with her. Adam was sprawled across the couch, dead to the world.
Lee began to rock back and forth, and soon Jessie’s body became deadweight in her arms. Still, she rocked, humming one of her grandmother’s favorite lullabies in the toddler’s ear.
She stole another look at Adam. Tonight, his concern for Jessie was so evident, she’d had a sneaky feeling that here was a man she could love. Moments when he laughed with her, when he held her, she could believe that they had a chance at something. But then he’d sink back into a hyper work-is-everything zone, and she’d worry that falling for Adam Benton would be another big mistake.
And this time she wasn’t sure any amount of time would allow her to recover.
Adam woke up feeling groggy as he tried to decide where he was and when it was.
Slowly he pried open his sleep-heavy lids and his eyes came into focus on Lee. She had fallen asleep in the rocker, cradling Jessie.
He thought about sitting up, but didn’t want to disturb her. Instead, he simply watched them both.
He’d come to Erie to make a decision for Jessie’s future…for his future. He knew if he kept his cousin, he’d have to find a way to balance what was right for the company and the same for Jessie.
Since college, Delmark had been his sole focus. He had dated, but never anyone for too long, never too seriously. Letting someone in, even if she was so young—especially if she was so young—would mean concessions at work.
Concessions he wasn’t sure he wanted to make. Delmark was on the cusp of something big. He’d brought the company that far. A diversification that would make them stronger.
He’d done that.
And until lately, he’d thought the company would be his life’s work.
But sitting here in the wee hours of the morning, watching Lee and Jessie, he knew that if his company was all he had to show for his life, it would be a shallow sort of prize.
And with stark clarity, he suddenly knew he wanted more.
He’d like to think all his doubts about keeping and raising Jessie evaporated, but they didn’t. He knew despite them though, he was going to keep her. Which meant he had to rethink his role at Delmark. He wouldn’t let go of the reins, but maybe ease up on them a bit. Life needed balance.
I work to live, not live to work. That’s what Lee had told him.
For too many years he’d lived to work and had forgotten to live a life. For Jessie’s sake, he was going to have to change that. He recognized that fact, thanks to Lee.
Lee.
What was he going to do about Lee?
If she lived in New York, or he lived in Erie, there would be no question. He’d continue seeing her and let their relationship develop. But they lived seven hours apart. How was he going to reconcile that?
Adam wasn’t sure how long he stayed on the couch, watching the women in his life and making tentative plans, but as the sky grew brighter, he had at least an idea of what he wanted, what he hoped for.
As Lee began to stir, Adam got off the couch and walked across the room.
“Here, let me get her from you,” he whispered as he deftly scooped up Jessie from Lee’s arms. Their hands grazed each other and he felt a stir of awareness.
He knew they both looked a bit worse for wear after their long night with Jessie, but as their eyes met, he also knew he’d never seen anyone look more beautiful.
“Morning,” he said, his voice still soft. He took Jessie but didn’t move from the spot. He wanted to reach out and touch Lee, but since his arms were full of sleeping toddler, he simply settled for standing near her. “I can’t thank you enough for the help last night. Although, I didn’t mean to crash and leave you carrying the brunt of it.”
Lee stretched, reaching for the sky and tipping left and right to work out the kinks. Adam’s earlier awareness moved to desire in that split second.
“Adam. You all right?” she asked.
He swallowed hard. “Sure. Fine. Just tired.”
“She’s much cooler now. Since she’s on the mend and still sleeping, I should probably head home and let you get a bit more sleep if you can.”
“I know that she’s probably not going to be up for the park, but can we still get together?”
Lee smiled. “Sure. I’d like that.”
“Great. I’ve been doing some thinking. We should talk later.”
“Just come over whenever the two of you are up and moving.” Gently she reached out and brushed Jessie’s wild hair off her forehead before placing a light kiss on it.
Adam wished she’d touch him as tenderly, but she didn’t. She just gave him a small wave and left.
He carried Jessie into the bedroom.
Okay, so he’d get some more sleep, but then he’d put his plan into motion.
It was almost noon before Adam and Jessie came over to Lee’s cottage.
“Come on in,” she called through the screen door. “You’re just in time. I’m making omelettes.”
“Eggs. Mmm,” Adam said, setting Jessie down on the floor.
Jessie made an immediate beeline for the tissue box on the end table, then plopped onto the floor and began pulling tissues out, one by one, and shredding them.
Lee laughed at the pile of tissue accumulating in front of Jessie. “I’d say the patient has made a complete recovery.”
“And I think I found the culprit. A new tooth.”
“That’s so cool.” Lee knew it was goofy, that all babies got teeth, but she felt as if Jess had come in and handed a report card with straight A s. “Pretty soon you’ll be thinking about braces.”
“God forbid. Cathie had a perfect smile, and I’ll just hope Jess does, too.”
She realized he’d responded as if he’d be there when Jessie needed braces. Lee wondered if he’d made a decision, but was almost afraid to ask. If he said no, her heart might break. So, she said, “If you open the left-hand cupboard there are Cheerios for Jessie. And I bought a sippy cup for her. It’s right next to it. There’s milk and apple juice in the fridge. If the tooth is still bothering her, the cold liquid might help.”
“You’ve thought of everything.”
“Not quite everything, but every now and again I get a few things right.” She took the mushrooms out of the pan and placed them on a waiting plate, then dumped the egg mixture into the hot pan. “I hope mushroom-and-cheese is okay?”
“Great.”
“The coffee’s hot.”
The scene felt homey as Lee added the mushrooms into the omelet and covered the whole thing with a few slices of provolone cheese.
Adam picked up Jessie from her mound of tissues and set her in the booster seat that Lee had also bought. He handed her breakfast, or maybe brunch was a better description, and the toddler gamely played with the Cheerios as Adam sipped at his cup.
Lee leaned over the table. “Smile, Jessie.”
The small white tip of a tooth was evident.
“She’ll look a bit snaggletoothed and definitely lopsided until the other one comes through to balance it out,” Adam said. “But I hope it waits at least a few weeks. I don’t think I could do another night like that right away.”
Lee turned back to the stove and slid the omelet from the pan, cut it in half and moved part to a second plate, before carrying them to the table.
“Here you go.”
“It looks great.” Adam took a bite and made an appreciative noise as he ate it. “Tastes better.”
“Thanks. Although, omelets are pretty simple to make.”
Adam swallowed his second bite. “It’s better than I can do. Potato salad. That’s my one and only dish. And as much as I like it, it’s not quite what I want for breakfast.”
They ate in companionable silence for a few minutes as Jessie chatted to the cereal she was busily throwing here and there.
“You said you wanted to talk to me?” Lee asked.
“I have a favor.” Adam paused. “A big favor.”
“You know I’m here for you,” Lee said, with no hesitation.
For the last year, she’d kept to herself and avoided relying on someone, or having someone rely on her. But she realized she could count on Adam and was pleased he felt he could ask her for help as well. “What do you need?”
“Darius called this morning, and I have to go back to the city for just a couple days. One of our biggest clients is in town and things aren’t going well. We can’t afford to lose the account and Darius feels like he’s in over his head. Could you keep Jessie a few days?”
“So you can go back to work.”
“I don’t have any day care arranged for her yet, so I thought if you kept her here I could take care of business and even start lining up some things for when I go back.”
Lee finally gave voice to the question that had been nagging at her. “So you are keeping her then?”
“Yes.” There was happiness, tinged with more than a little nervousness in his smile. “I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing, but I can’t let her go.”
“What about her grandparents, Cathie’s parents?”
“I’ll need to talk to them as soon as they get back from their trip and make sure that they understand that I’d never cut them out of Jessie’s life. And there are other ideas I have that might do for all of us.” He took another sip of coffee. “Needless to say, I have a lot to do.”
“Yes, I see that. And yes, I’ll keep her.” She forced herself to smile. Adam was keeping Jessie. That was good news. They’d be leaving soon—she made sure her smile didn’t slip at the thought. She didn’t want Adam to know how much she’d miss them both.
“You’re sure?” he asked. “I thought I’d leave on Monday. It will only be for a couple days.”
“Right. No problem.”
“What about work?”
“I’ll see if Juliet will take over more hours in the shop, and whatever she can’t cover, I’ll either take Jessie with me or see if Mom will watch her. Don’t worry. I’ll handle it.”
“I’m sure you will.”
He leaned over the table and kissed her, long and hard. “When I come back, we’ll talk some more.”