CHAPTER ONE WEST #3
I stretch my arms away from my body, holding her as far away as I can while still maintaining a grasp on her.
My eyes fly over to Marisa who’s standing as still as I am, both of us afraid I might drop the wiggling child in my hands.
She makes no move to help me out, no action to take the baby from me.
Thoughts swirl around my mind, the loudest one something about making sure not to drop the kid followed closely behind by where the hell is Nellie?
As the baby wiggles in my hands, I look toward her other parent. He will know what to do with her, right? I should get her to him. Yet, the moment he senses what’s about to happen, he pulls his phone out of his pocket and turns away from me.
Asshole, my brain supplies for me when oral words seem to fail me.
The baby’s wails get louder, shriller even.
It takes everything inside me not to join her, even going so far as clamping my mouth shut so no sounds can escape.
In my head, it’s anything but quiet as I frantically look around for Nellie again.
Where the hell did she go? Why the hell did she give me her kid?
How the hell do I always end up in these crazy situations?
Amid the craziness that has been the last few minutes of my life, I spy a beacon of light and hope.
“Everly!” I yell at the top of my lungs, afraid she might miss the seriousness in my voice if I don’t.
At the sound and volume of my voice, she seeks me out, her eyes going wide as saucers.
Most likely matching mine if I had to guess.
Without hesitation, she hightails it over to me and seizes the hysterical infant from my clutches.
Wrapping her up in her arms, she instinctively starts bouncing the baby, trying to calm her.
In an effort to calm myself down now that I have use of both arms, I first wipe the sweat off my brow.
I ignore the still screaming thoughts ravaging my mind and focus my attention on controlling my erratic breathing, inhaling a little easier now without the pressure of a screaming child unnerving me.
Well, she’s still screaming, but as I turn my attention inward, her screams become muffled.
The minutes I held her in my arms felt like hours. Exhausted, I stumble toward the nearest spot I can sit and let Everly do her thing with the baby, knowing she’s in capable hands. If anyone can get the baby to calm down, it’s Everly.
When I finally feel like I can breathe normally again, I return my attention to the situation playing out in front of me.
Everly’s still got the baby in her arms, whispering words into her ear.
She’s not calm, but she’s calmer. The baby, that is.
Everly’s cool as a cucumber, not one to let a tiny human rile her up, no matter how feisty she is.
The asshole, Martin, seems to have disappeared.
It’s then I decide how completely appropriate that moniker is.
Before I can process what I’m doing, I jump up off the ground as I see Nellie slowly emerging from a row of trees. When I reach her, I grab her by the elbow, dragging her away from Everly and Marisa who are no doubt watching my every move.
“Are you freaking kidding me, Nellie?” Her name practically leaves my mouth in repulsion. “Did you not get the ‘he doesn’t do kids’ memo?” My voice sounds heated to my ears so I dial it back a bit, not really angry as much as traumatized.
Surprisingly, Nellie holds her own, not cowering at my questions and accusation. With a shrug of her shoulders, she quips, “You couldn’t do any worse than her father.”
Her words cause me to step back, flabbergasted by her nonchalant attitude toward the entire situation.
As I study her face, a fleeting moment of a foreign emotion crosses it.
Sadness? Regret? Envy? I can’t state with certainty, but whatever it is, it softens her facial features even after it passes.
“Look, I’m sorry, okay? I needed a timeout.
What better place to kick and scream than a forest filled with trees?
I didn’t think, I just acted, which is the running theme in my life.
But I’m sorry I caused you any stress. My husband will compensate you for your troubles.
” At that she turns around, presumably looking for Martin.
“Tell me he didn’t leave.” The look on her face is one I fully recognize: anger.
“Tell me the asshole didn’t leave,” she seethes, stomping over toward Marisa, Everly and her baby.
Again like a dog, I follow behind her, more out of curiosity than anything else. But well, now that I’ve been relieved of “baby duty,” I need to know how this all ends.
Nellie’s on a tirade, but before she speaks again, she lifts her face to the sky, closing her eyes, taking a deep breath.
After centering herself, she looks first at Marisa.
“I owe you an apology. I’ll come back to that if that’s okay?
” Ballsy, I think to myself, but Marisa simply nods her agreement.
Next, she turns to Everly. “Thank you for calming down my baby. I promise you I’m not a horrible mother.
Things just got…hairy,” she finally supplies to describe the earlier situation.
Not quite the word I would have chosen, but it will do.
Nellie reaches her arms out for the baby, who as I totally predicted, is as calm as can be.
More like “charmed” as can be. It takes Nellie all of five seconds to notice how quiet and still she is before adding, “Um, maybe you can hold on to her for a few more minutes while I take care of something? If you don’t mind, of course.
” She offers my sister a sad smile with a hint of admiration.
Everly returns it with one of her own, one that lacks any traces of judgment. “Take your time. I’ve got her under control.” My sister looks down at the baby in her arms like it’s the most natural thing in the world. She will make the best mom someday.
Nellie says nothing else before taking off toward where Marisa points Martin went. “Dude, I can’t believe you didn’t drop her. How the hell did you manage to not drop this kid?” Marisa questions me, bringing back the shock of earlier.
“I honestly have no clue. And no help you were, just standing there watching me flounder.” I swat at her arm, upset at how she left me on my own.
“I was in shock,” she says excitedly, mimicking our expressions from before.
“Right, ’cause it was a walk in the park for me,” I retort back, the tension beginning to mount again just thinking about it. “I need a beer. Or ten.”
“You can’t leave now. You have to see how this plays out. I didn’t get this crazy vibe when we communicated through emails and on the phone. I can usually tell what I’m in for, but wowza. This one is throwing me for a loop.”
Everly clears her throat, effectively ending all conversation.
Nellie approaches us, sans husband. Her confident demeanor has been replaced with one of embarrassment.
“Um, at the risk of sounding even crazier, I still need one decent photo of Gaby. I know I’m quickly running out of time, but I’m happy to pay for more time.
If you have another session to offer me today, that is.
” She bites the inside of her right cheek, her gaze floating from Marisa to Everly and landing on me.
“Don’t look at me. I just work here.”
Marisa takes a look at her watch. “I’ve got another client at 10:30, but let’s see what we can do between now and then.” She looks at me. “Get me the basket and the white blanket,” she directs. Turning to Everly, she demands, “You’ll stay and keep this girl entertained.”
“And me?” Nellie asks sheepishly, a look that seems foreign to her despite knowing her all of sixty minutes.
“Stay out of my way and let me work my magic.” Marisa’s harsh tone does nothing to upset Nellie. Instead, a smirk creeps up onto her face as she steps over to the side and allows Marisa to work a miracle.
After retrieving the props, I stand on the opposite side of Nellie, both of us watching Marisa and Everly work their magic. I can’t even imagine what this is costing Nellie, or Martin I should say. Whatever the amount is, I’m highly certain no amount of money is worth this much crazy.