Chapter Ten – Liam #3
After I cleaned up, I headed upstairs. I could hear Winnie and Aurora laughing, warming my entire body. What I wouldn’t give to listen to that every morning.
I stopped and leaned against the doorframe, watching them search through Winnie’s toy box. Aurora was taking toys and making silly sounds, which caused the laughter.
“Sounds like you two are having fun.”
Aurora glanced over to me. “Have you seen Perry the Moose? The one I got Winnie a couple of years ago?”
“It should be on her bed.”
Shaking her head, Aurora stood. “Winnie said it’s gone.”
Winnie walked up to me and handed me another Moose. “Perwey’s fwiend.”
I bent down on my haunches and took the stuffed moose Winnie held out for me. “Where did this come from?”
“Ms. Kim,” Winnie said. Then she pouted. “Couldn’t find Perwey, so she bought him a fwiend.”
I stood. “Winnie always has Perry with her. If he’s not tucked into bed, he’s with her.”
“I’ve looked all over the room, Liam. He isn’t anywhere.”
Pulling out my phone, I hit Kim’s number.
“Well, hello there! It’s your day off! Were you missing me?”
Her question surprised me, and I was at a loss for words for a moment. “Um, no. Sorry to bother you on your day off, Kim. Aurora and I are trying to find Perry the Moose. Do you know where it is?”
She cleared her throat. “Aurora is there?”
Taken aback again, I replied, “Yes, she is. We can’t find Perry anywhere.”
“Perry the Moose went missing last week.”
“How? He’s either in bed sleeping or Winnie has him. Did you take Winnie anywhere that she might have dropped him?”
“No, she carries that moose everywhere with her. He just disappeared one day, and she was throwing a fit, so I bought her a new one.”
I ignored the urge to lash out when she said Winnie threw a fit. She was two, I knew she could easily do that, but I had never witnessed her throwing a fit before. “You didn’t think to tell me that her favorite toy had gone missing?”
Kim let out a nervous laugh. “It’s a stuffed animal, Liam. A moose is a moose. Trust me when I say she will get used to the new one. It’s Perry’s friend.”
“That’s what she said, but I still don’t understand why you didn’t tell me. It’s not your place to decide whether a stuffed animal is simply a stuffed animal.”
I moved out of Winnie’s room and down the hall so Aurora couldn’t hear me. “Also, why are you not letting Aurora visit with Winnie?”
“I’m sorry?”
“Aurora said she stopped by multiple times and was told it wasn’t a good time.”
“Maybe Aurora needs to learn when Winnie goes down for a nap and not stop by then.”
Anger instantly raced through my body. “Aurora knows everything about Winnie, Kim. She was there for me and Hope when we needed her the most. There isn’t anything she doesn’t know about my daughter, and regardless of whether Winnie is sleeping or not, do not ever turn Aurora, or anyone else, away from visiting with my daughter. ”
“And that is the point, Liam. She is clingy and loves on Winnie simply to get to you. I’m only doing what I think is best for you and Winnie.
You can’t see it, but I can. Aurora wants what Hope had.
And she has put her friends up to getting close to you so that she can spend time with you.
I mean, who has a movie night with a bunch of grown-ups and watches a kid movie? ”
It felt like someone had slammed something against my chest, and I fought for breath for a moment. Hope’s words flooded back into my memory, and I quickly pushed them away when a thought occurred to me.
“How did you know what Hope said about Aurora?”
“You told me,” Kim quickly said.
“I never told you what Hope said. There are only two people I have shared that with: Aurora and her brother Nathan. So, I’ll ask you again. How did you know what Hope said about Aurora?”
Kim sighed, as if I were being utterly ridiculous. “Liam, on my third day of working, you came home and poured a drink because you said it had been a long night. I stayed and talked to you. Do you remember?”
Feeling uneasy, I replied, “Yes, I remember.”
Sighing, she said. “It wasn’t just the one drink you had.
You kept drinking and unburdened yourself on me.
You told me that night. You might have been a bit drunk.
No, you were drunk because I helped you up into your bed.
I didn’t want to say anything because I thought you might be embarrassed, but you told me Hope thought Aurora was trying to take her place.
That you had confronted Aurora about it. ”
Sickness rolled through my stomach. “I told you that?”
“Yes. So, I did what I thought you would want me to do.”
“No, I don’t want you to do that. I was wrong. Hope was wrong. She was very sick, and it was toward the end. She said a lot of things she wouldn’t have normally said. Aurora has been nothing but a friend to both Hope and me. She adores Winnie, and I want her in our lives.”
“Liam, are you sure this isn’t guilt speaking?”
My hand pushed through my hair in frustration. “Kim, you are hired to watch Winnie, not dictate who is in or out of our lives. Or be a therapist. Do you understand that?”
She remained silent for a moment before softly saying, “Of course. I overstepped. It won’t happen again.”
Closing my eyes, I slowly let out a breath. “I was out of place first of all for drinking too much, and second for sharing that bit of information. I would appreciate it if you kept this to yourself and did not mention it to Aurora.”
My mind was spinning. I did not remember getting drunk, and there is no way I would confide in Kim. I needed to get off the phone and think this over. It was clear to me, though, that I needed to find someone to replace Kim. The sooner the better.
“Of course I won’t.”
“Thank you. We’re going to have to talk about things moving forward.”
“What do you mean?”
I slowly walked back to Winnie’s room and saw Aurora putting Winnie’s hair up in ponytails. Turning away, I lowered my voice. “Perry the Moose is very important to Winnie, so if you think of a place she might have left it, please let me know.”
“Of course, I will.” Clearing her throat, she asked again, “What do you mean things moving forward?”
That was a conversation I wasn’t about to have over the phone. “It’s nothing that can’t wait until I see you. Enjoy your day off, Kim.”
“You, as well, Liam.”
I ended the call and watched Winnie turn and hug Aurora after looking at her hair in the mirror. When Aurora saw me, she smiled weakly.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
She looked at Winnie, then made her way over to me. In a lowered voice, she asked, “What happened to the picture of Hope?”
Confused, I asked, “What do you mean?”
She glanced back into the room and asked, “Where is it?”
My eyes went to the nightstand next to Winnie’s bed to see that the picture of Hope was gone.