Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
The mornings without Logan working in my backyard are unusual. I’ve gotten used to the background noise of his tools and the eye candy whenever I glanced outside.
The afternoons, though, are even weirder.
Each day after school, my moody, mostly antisocial pre-teen changes into old clothes and joins Logan.
They work together in harmony, like she’s an experienced construction worker.
Liv focuses fully as she follows him, no trace of her typical withdrawal.
He doesn’t coddle her. No, he gives her age-appropriate but important tasks, making her feel like she’s contributing.
I could watch them for hours, fascinated by the scene in front of me. Even Asher tries to join, but his focus is short-lived, so he’s soon back to playing with his sword.
“I’ll be back Monday morning,” Logan informs us on Friday before he leaves.
Liv’s shoulders slump, her disappointment obvious.
“You enjoyed working with Logan?” I put my arm around her shoulders.
“Yeah. I’ve learned to do so much. I don’t want it to end.” Her words squeeze a tight fist around my heart.
“I know, baby. I’m sure you’ll have the opportunity to work with him more.
” The words coming out of my mouth are not something I fully believe.
After all, there’s no way to tell if he’ll come in the afternoon again, and I doubt that making a ten-year-old girl happy is at the top of his list of priorities.
Sandy visits me on Monday with Stella strapped to her chest.
“How’s your book coming along?” she asks, gently bouncing on her feet. Black circles underneath her eyes tell me all about her last few days.
“Good, actually. I’ve been on a roll this past week, even surpassed my writing goal.”
“Great. Walk with me.” She turns right around and walks out of my driveway.
“What?”
“We’ll take a walk. Stella just fell asleep. If I sit down, she will wake up.”
“Ok. Give me a sec,” I call after her.
Quickly, I grab my phone. I’m already out on the street when I glance at my clothes. Hole-less leggings—check. Tits covered—check. Well, I shrug . I guess it’s good enough.
I speed walk to catch up to Sandy. We’ve been getting more and more sunny days, and each day reminds me of how glad I am to have moved here.
The street is peaceful, only a few houses close to us.
The front yards are well-maintained but not with fresh-cut lawns.
They’re decorated with flowers, bushes and even some fruits and veggies growing.
The sun is already roasting hot, but I welcome its glow, as well as the gorgeous blue expanse of the sky and the sea in the distance.
Sandy pulls her huge, dark sunglasses over her eyes and I remember the dark circles underneath.
“Rough few nights?” I ask.
“Rough few weeks,” she responds. “She hasn’t been sleeping well, night or day. And I’m starting to lose my mind.” Her voice falters, but her steps are strong and determined.
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Please, like you don’t have enough on your plate.” She waves me off.
“Sandy.” I gently pull her wrist, stopping us. “Talk to me. You know I’m here for you.”
She releases her hand from mine and continues walking.
“Of course, I know that. But Sadie, I’m a happily married mom of a gorgeous, healthy little girl.
Lucky enough to be home with her.” She shoots me a sad smile.
“You’re a working, single mom of two, trying to clean up the aftermaths of the divorce.
I feel silly complaining about it.” Her voice almost breaks and I’m pretty sure her eyes are glossy underneath the glasses.
“First, I doubt I could have survived it without you. And second, only because I’m going through something doesn’t mean your struggles are any less valid.” I stop once again. “Having a baby kicks your ass. I remember. You need your village.”
“I’m just,” she sighs loudly, “so tired.”
A lump forms in my throat seeing my sister suffering, but I swallow it down. “Come on. I have an idea.” I turn around and begin walking back toward the house.
She follows me in silence until we’re inside of my living room.
“Give me Stella.” I say, putting my arms out.
“What?”
“You’ll give me Stella and you’ll go to bed. I don’t want you up until you’re feeling rested. And tomorrow, you will come here and do the same thing.”
She opens her mouth to protest, but I level her with a glare. “It’s non-negotiable.”
Slowly, she dips her chin and unbuckles the baby carrier. She hands me Stella, and I press my lips to her forehead, inhaling that intoxicating baby scent.
“Now scoot,” I say to Sandy, and she starts upstairs .
Carefully, I pull my ass down onto the couch, making myself comfortable. But a wail quickly interrupts Stella’s peaceful sleep. Her face contorts with disgust, and I get up from the couch and start bouncing.
Wow, Sandy really wasn’t kidding about not sitting down.
Stella settles after a minute of bouncing, so I guess my destiny is sealed. I strap her back into the carrier and wander around the house as she naps peacefully on my chest.
Walking into the kitchen, I realize I could do lunch prep while she sleeps, so I cut up the veggies, make some guac, and prepare veggie wraps for Sandy, Logan, and me.
The lunch is ready before you know it, so I use the time to bring it to Logan. There’s not much more to do with a baby on me. I grab two plates, feeling hungry myself, and head outside.
Logan is in another tank top today, gray this time. He’s carrying a huge beam to finish putting together the structure of the deck. As soon as he notices me, his face transforms into a smile. One that, joined by the protruding muscles from carrying a heavy load, makes for a deadly combination.
He takes the plate from my hand, whispering, “Thank you.”
“Oh, it’s ok. You don’t have to whisper. She’s not sensitive to noise.” I tell him. “Only sitting down, apparently.”
“Thank you for lunch. Want to eat with me?” He eyes the other plate in my hand.
“Umm, sure.” We approach the two lounge chairs, the only available furniture, and he holds my plate while I sit down.
As soon as my ass hits the chair, Stella’s shriek pierces the air. Logan’s eyes widen, and I wince before getting back up.
“It was worth a shot,” I huff.
“Want me to hold her while you eat?” he asks.
“It’s ok, thank you. I’ll eat it on the kitchen island.” I shoot him a smile.
“Come on, stay. I’ll keep standing, out of solidarity with you.”
I raise my eyebrow, but he looks earnest. “Fine. ”
He shoots me a smile, reaching my plate out to me. I take the wrap, and he places the empty plate on the lounge chair.
“Where’s your sister?”
“Oh, I sent her to bed.” He eyes me questioningly, so I continue, “Stella here hasn’t been sleeping well, meaning Sandy is pretty much a walking zombie.”
“That’s nice of you.”
“It’s what sisters are for. Do you have any siblings?”
“No, I’m an only child.”
“I’m sorry,” I respond after swallowing a bite of my food.
“That’s ok.” He chuckles. “Thanks for lunch, by the way.” He shows the empty plate in his hand.
“Don’t worry about it. You should get back to work, don’t let me get in the way.”
“I don’t mind keeping you company.”
“I’m good, thanks. Sandy will probably wake up soon, too. Go.” I wave him off.
He eyes me for a second before leaving back to his station, measuring those monstrous beams and lifting them up on the circular saw. After scarfing the wrap, my legs start to hurt. I’m a writer, after all. It’s not like I’m used to standing for longer periods of time.
“Let’s try this one more time, ok?” Moving the plates form the lounge chair, I’m walking on eggshells as I lower myself onto it.
“Waaah!” A scream tears out of Stella.
“For fu…” I say, but then Logan turns on the saw, and Stella calms down.
My eyes are wide and cautious, staring down at her, waiting for another scream. But it doesn’t come. She sleeps peacefully. I exhale a relieved breath and get cocky enough to make myself comfortable on the chair.
My eyes roll to the back of my head as my back hits the cushioned backrest.
Fuck, this feels good .
Guess I’m more out of shape than I thought if carrying a baby for half an hour almost broke me.
Logan’s lips pull up when he notices me. He turns off the saw, but I wave my arms frantically to make him stop.
“ It helps her sleep ,” I mouth, pointing to Stella.
He chuckles under his breath.
Shit, could this be bad for her ears?
Five minutes and a Google search later, I determine that from this distance; the decibels aren’t damaging to sensitive baby ears. Still, I place a hat on her head, hoping to cancel it out some more.
I continue scrolling my phone, but I can barely see anything with the sun burning down at me, so I give up, focusing on watching Logan work.
His movements hypnotize me. Stretching out the measuring tape.
Drawing a line with the pencil. Placing the pencil between his lips.
Positioning the beam on the saw. Holding the beam tightly as he saws it in half, his biceps flexing.
“How did you do that?” Sandy’s voice snaps me out of my trance.
“What?”
“You’re sitting down. She’s sleeping.” She stares at the two of us like she can’t compute what is happening.
“Oh, turns out your baby just needed some white noise.”
“White noise? I’ve tried every app there is.
There was the night when she cried through the sound of the hairdryer,” she lists off on her fingers, “the night she cried through the sound of the vacuum cleaner. And let’s not forget the night when she cried through something called ‘the soothing sounds of the womb’. ”
“Have you ever tried with a circular saw?”
Her eyes land on Logan. “Can’t say that I did. But this is a game changer. If it’s not a one-time-fluke.”
“We’ll see tomorrow.” I wink at her. “Did you get some rest?”
“Not a bunch. But I had a micro nap. And I took a shower, not rushing to get out.”
“Maybe tomorrow you can prepare some milk for her, and you can sleep longer? ”
“Come on, Sadie. You have work to do. I can’t take up all your time.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You were helping me only a few days after you gave birth. This is the least I can do.”
She sighs but nods in agreement. Relief floods me. I need to make sure she’s ok.