Chapter 3
Isabel
Getting Holly ready in the morning sure wasn’t easy without Skipper. But he had to leave early to get the ovens going at Coffee and Cupcakes. Bread was probably cooling on the racks right now. The bakery opened early for all the folks headed into work. Izzy’s husband was proud of those early hours.
Husband. The word brought a rush of warmth to her face. And it meant much more than it had years ago when she’d married Skipper Malone for the first time right out of high school.
Sitting in her highchair, Holly wasn't cooperating. “What? You’re not hungry?” Izzy couldn’t wait until her little girl could talk to her.
“Nope.” Her little girl's lower lip came out. She knew that word all right. “No way.”
Oh, how could a two year-old be so stubborn? Time to sit down and deal with this, and Izzy drew in a deep breath. Somewhere a cock was crowing and the owl clock on the wall ticked away.
Izzy liked living out in the country. Liked the sounds and smells of the farmland, although they didn’t plant any crops.
They’d bought this sprawling home from a couple who’d had their ailing mother living with them.
Once she’d passed away, they decided to move to Arizona.
The timing had been perfect for Skipper and Izzy.
They’d been able to move in right after their wedding.
The Malone family house had sold quickly, and Skipper’s mom had seemed eager to move on too, especially since Skipper’s sister Ainsley arrived.
Irene hadn’t come out yet from the mother-in-law suite, as they still called it.
Ainsley always slept late. Skipper’s younger sister was living with them temporarily until she got her feet on the ground.
During the summer months she’d come home from California.
Together, they’d formed a little family.
“Come on sweetheart. You need to eat.” Holly had been making progress with feeding herself.
With a toss of her head, Holly looked at Izzy through lowered brows. Was that look genetic? She often asked herself that question since Holly was adopted. No way did she want to pin her little girl’s personality foibles on her own family. Anyway, time to get things moving.
“Here we go.” Grabbing the spoon, Izzy scooped up a bit of oatmeal and brown sugar and held it in front of Holly. “Yummy airplane coming. Open up.”
With one swipe of her hand, Holly knocked the spoon to the floor.
Maybe it was weird imagining an airplane flying into your mouth.
Izzy counted to five. Skipper had taught her that.
When it came to Holly, her husband had a lot more patience than Izzy.
Glancing at the clock, Izzy felt jittery. They had to get moving.
“Bad girl.” The words were out before she thought.
When she was grocery shopping one day, Izzy had heard a mother say that to her baby girl.
The crushed look on the little girl's face stayed with her.
But here Izzy was, saying the same awful words.
And yes, Holly's lips were quivering and tears filled her brown eyes.
“You are not a bad girl.” Picking up the spoon, she tossed it toward the wide farmer’s sink. Izzy’s voice was thick with tears. “But throwing food on the floor is bad.”
Peering at the floor where their dog Piper was dutifully lapping up the oatmeal, Holly pointed to the mess. “Garbage,” she said with such relish that Izzy almost laughed.
But she stopped herself. “Oatmeal is good for us. It makes us strong.” Izzy tried to make a muscle of her bicep the way Skipper did.
Holly wasn't buying it. “Garbage,” she said again.
What was going on? “Where did you ever hear that word?”
“Oh dear, she probably heard Ainsley say that. But she was talking about spinach. Ainsley thinks it’s funny.” Her mother-in-law stood in the doorway her flowered bathrobe wrapped around her. Irene was always cold. They’d gone straight from air conditioning to heat in that house.
“It’s not funny. Holly needs to eat nutritious food.
” But Izzy stopped. What had been her favorite foods as a kid?
Fruit Loops and candy bars. She’d driven her mother nuts, or Sam had told her.
Okay, so Aunt Ainsley was the one teaching her niece outrageous words?
She’d let Skipper handle that. Izzy would be so glad when her sister-in-law found her own place. But first she needed a job.
“I guess you’re right.” Irene shuffled over to put the kettle on the stove.
“But it sure sounds funny coming from that little thing.” Although Izzy had bought a fancy coffee maker for Irene, Ainsley preferred tea.
After her daughter’s arrival, Irene switched to tea with exotic flavors like Hindu Sunset and Machu Pichu lemon. Maybe California did that to people.
Izzy had no time for this nonsense and pushed back her chair.
“I'm going to be late and Debbie has a dental appointment early this morning. I have to be there. Maybe I’ll give Holly one of those granola bars in the car.” Usually Debbie was the first person to open the store, while Skipper worked in the back.
Running around, she grabbed her jean jacket and then dashed into the master bedroom for Izzy’s hoodie.
When she got back, Irene was wiping off the highchair and making funny faces for her granddaughter.
Izzy had to admit that Irene and Ainsley often helped out.
But sometimes she thought they caused more problems than they fixed.
“Okay, Holly. Upsy Daisy.” She held out the pink hoodie.
Crossing her little arms, Holly eyed the pretty sweatshirt. “Too hot.”
Izzy was not going to lose this battle. “It’s cold outside today.
You need the hoodie.” Taking Holly gently under her arms, Izzy lifted her to the floor.
But her baby girl was still giving her that stubborn look, as if Izzy was asking her to eat worms. Irene poured hot water into a mug and plopped in a tea bag. Then she sat down to watch.
Her hands shaking, Izzy unzipped the hoodie and tried to slide one arm over Izzy’s. “No way.” Izzy reared back and banged her head on the highchair tray. Her howl could probably be heard a mile away. The commotion made Irene close the door so that Ainsley wouldn't wake up.
“Sorry. So sorry.” Scooping up her baby, Holly checked the back of her head. No blood. Irene opened the freezer, wrapped some ice in a towel and handed it to Izzy.
“You poor thing. I am so sorry.” Cuddling her baby in her arms, Izzy swayed with her until Holly's cries turned to hiccups and she batted the cold towel away.
“What that little girl needs is a baby brother or sister. She’d grow up fast then.
” Her mother-in-law's words came out of nowhere.
Izzy felt like she'd been run over by a tank.
All she could do was stare at Irene, who was giving her a look that told her she knew about the situation but still wanted the impossible.
Adopting had taken so much time…and money.
“You know that's not possible.” Years ago Holly had to have a hysterectomy which had removed just about all of her female parts. That surgery had eventually led to her adoption of Holly.
“Just think about how you got this little one.” Irene Malone was looking at her granddaughter as if the sun rose and set on her.
Although Izzy appreciated her mother-in-law’s devotion to Holly, there were limits.
Izzy and Skipper never asked her to babysit alone because she had mobility issues.
“I would think that you could get a little brother or sister the same way.”
“It wasn’t easy.” Izzy realized Irene had no idea how expensive that adoption had been and how much time the adoption process had taken.
If it hadn't been for Aunt Cate, Izzy would not have her little darling.
Her aunt had helped her with the legalities of adoption and she'd also given her financial support.
Izzy would never be able to thank her enough.
By that time Holly was sitting next to Piper on the floor. Patting the dog's head, she said, “Good dog. Good dog. Yummy.” And Holly pointed to the oatmeal.
Okay great, Holly was trying to convince the dog that oatmeal was good.
While her baby was talking to the dog, Izzy managed to slip the hoodie over her arms. Then she jammed her own arms into her jean jacket, picked Holly up and slung a stuffed baby tote over one shoulder.
“See you tonight. Wave goodbye to your grandmother,” she said.
Looking back over her shoulder, Holly gave her grandmother an angelic smile. “Bye, Gamma.” Of course Irene melted when Izzy waved her little hand. Gritting her teeth, Izzy managed to leave just as Ainsley wandered into the kitchen. “You guys are sure making a lot of noise down here today.”
“Yep. Well gotta run.” Holly in her arms, Izzy bolted for the door.
All the way to the daycare center, Holly chewed on her granola bar as if it were the best thing ever. If Izzy had put that bar on her little girl’s highchair, she probably would have called it garbage. Somedays Izzy just couldn’t win.
And she was still smarting from her mother-in-law’s words.