Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
MIA
Lifting up a pair of pants, I fold them over two separate times before tucking them away in my bag.
Caleb is leaving later this afternoon to head to the west coast for a week of away games.
I’ll be staying at his house with Tella while he’s gone, so I’m making sure I pack enough clothing that I don’t need to come home for anything.
“I wish you were coming with me,” Willow says as she comes in with her toiletry bag and drops down onto the bed, her shoulders sagging in disappointment. She’s packing to head to Sugar Hill Hollow today.
“I know,” I tell her, tucking another change of clothes into my bag. “I wish I were too, but I can always come visit.”
She looks up at me and gives a little nod. “Yeah, I know.” She lets out a sigh. “Will you let me know when you think you’ll have some free time?”
“Of course,” I assure her, giving her a small smile. “Caleb said he will only need me for when he’s working and when he’s away.”
Willow arches a brow. “Girl, you know damned well how insane those hockey schedules are.” She snorts, shaking her head.
“You might as well just move in with him for how much time you’ll be spending there.
” She pauses, both eyebrows shooting up to her hairline.
“Then again, he’s pretty hot, so that might not be such a bad thing. ”
I blow a breath out through my nose, rolling my eyes as I walk over to my best friend.
Stopping directly in front of her, I clasp both sides of her face in my hands and tilt her head back to look up at me.
“I love you but please do us all a favor and get laid when you get back home. Your sexual frustration is spilling into every part of your life.” I chuckle, patting her cheek as I release her and walk back to my bag.
“Is it that obvious?” she questions, tilting her head to the side.
“Yes,” I laugh, shaking my head as I finish packing my bag. “It’s blatantly obvious.”
“Well, shit,” she mutters, then chuckles. “Okay. I’ll find someone, but I don’t want anything more than a casual hookup.”
“I’ll be sending you all the good dick vibes.”
Willow lets out a breath and presses her palms and fingers together, holding them to her nose as she closes her eyes. “Dear Lord, she has spoken. Please send all the good dick.”
“Big ones too!” I giggle while zipping shut my bag.
“Only big ones. Amen.”
“Amen,” I concur. My shoulders shake with laughter as Willow opens her eyes and drops her hands. “You’re insane and I’m going to miss you.”
Willow climbs off the bed, walking over as she wraps her arms around me, pulling me in for a hug. “Okay, well I am only like an hour away, so we are still going to see each other.”
“I promise I will come visit as soon as I get my schedule coordinated with Caleb’s.”
Willow gives me a squeeze then releases me, taking a step back. “I can come visit too, ya know.”
“If you don’t text me as soon as you get there, we’re fighting.”
Willow’s head tips back, blonde hair falling down along her spine. “Girl, please,” she laughs, shaking her head as she looks back at me. “As if we ever go a day without talking.
“Okay, true.” I grab my bag and throw it over my shoulder as we both turn toward the door. Willow heads out first with me right behind her. After we drop our bags by the front door, we head into the kitchen where we find my father sitting at the counter.
He adjusts his glasses, tearing his gaze away from his notepad in front of him to look up at me. “Are you heading to Ford’s house?”
I clench my jaw and nod my head. I told my father about the arrangement after I came home from Caleb’s the other day and had to ask for his lawyer to draw up the contract.
He was extremely supportive. While I expected nothing less knowing my dad, I do think his supportiveness has everything to do with the soft spot he has for Caleb Ford.
“Yep. Willow is getting ready to head to Sugar Hill and then I’ll be on my way.”
My father looks between Willow and me, then he glances at his watch. “I’ll walk you both out.”
My father clears his throat as he closes the distance across the kitchen, his stride long.
He pauses in front of the two of us, towering above.
He’s well over a foot taller than both Willow and me.
He’s fit and always has been. He played hockey in his younger years and with the help of a village, he played professional hockey through his twenties before retiring at thirty.
“I’m planning on leaving within the next hour,” my father chimes in, his voice gruff. He looks at Willow. “Can you do me a favor and stop by our lake house and check to make sure it hasn’t burned down or something? Maybe bring in the mail? Mia can give you the code to get into the house.”
“Yeah, sure,” she says with a nod and a smile. “And I already have the code.”
“Okay, great.” My father steps over to me, pulling me in for a hug. “Thank you for doing this for Caleb. I’ll text you when we land.”
“Okay,” I say, hugging him back. “Safe travels.”
“Love you,” he says, kissing the top of my head before releasing me. “Thanks again, Willow,” he says to her, dipping his chin and looking down his nose at her. “Mia can give you my number so you can let me know if there are any issues while I’m gone.”
Willow’s lips pull into a grin. “Yes, Mr. Landry.”
The muscle in my father’s jaw twitches and he rolls his eyes. “Drive safe, both of you.” Without another word, he turns on his heel and heads up the stairs to the second floor.
I cut my eyes at Willow, and wait until my father’s footsteps are out of earshot.
“What?” she asks with a shrug, a coy look on her face.
“I have nothing to say,” I huff, rolling my eyes as I turn around and head through the foyer. “I’ll text you his number.”
“Hey, wait,” she calls out after me, grabbing her own suitcase as she follows me through the foyer and out the front door. The wheels of her suitcase clatter as it plunks down each step off the porch. “I’m just messing around, okay? I’m sorry.”
I let out a breath. “Yes, I know.” I stop at the side of my car and Willow walks over to hers. “Love you. Let me know when you get to the Hollow,” I say as I throw my bag across into the passenger seat.
“Love you too,” she says as she lifts her suitcase into her trunk.
Willow climbs into her car the same time I enter mine.
I unlock my phone, entering in Caleb’s address before putting my car in reverse.
Willow gives me a wave and blows a kiss in my direction before pulling out of the driveway first. I back out into the street, sliding the gear shifter into drive and head in the opposite direction of my best friend.
Caleb’s house is only a short drive from my father’s. A little over fifteen minutes. My stomach twists, knotting with anxiety as I get closer to Caleb’s house. I don’t know why I’m so nervous. I babysit all the time. But this feels different.
He gave me the run down and printed out sheets the other day of Tella’s activities, school hours, and typical schedule.
She has riding lessons twice a week, but she likes to go as often as possible to feed Sodapop carrots and apples.
She attends kindergarten in the mornings only, so she has to be picked up around lunchtime.
There isn’t anything unusual or out of the ordinary in her schedule. I feel prepared, like I know what to expect. I know Tella well enough and have babysat her a few times now. I’ve been in Caleb’s house enough to know the way he likes things.
None of that is what has the anxiety building in the pit of my stomach.
It’s the fact that Caleb Ford is trusting me to be the one to care for his daughter. He’s leaving her in my hands while he’s hundreds of miles away. I’m the one who’s responsible for her—the one he picked to keep her safe and out of harm's way.
And coming from a man who lost the woman he loved and the mother of his child, I can’t imagine how hard it must be to put that level of trust in another person.
It’s a trust I know I can’t break.