Chapter 7
Seven
Another billboard chaser, and this one right down the road. Bella’s email had been flooded with them. Hundreds of emails.
How, Miles had no idea. The ads were only up for a week and a half.
Maybe it ended up online somehow, because despite taking everything down, they were still getting emails with pictures and pitches with long, sad stories.
Bella was particularly enchanted by a pediatrician who lived in Seattle – or at least, that’s who she claimed to be.
“There’s no way to tell if these women are telling the truth,” Miles told Bella. She’d spent the entirety of dinner one night reading him email after email and showing him pictures.
“Why can’t you just find out for yourself?” Bella argued.
“Because, as I told you,” he said, keeping his voice steady, “It’s not fair for me to lead someone on, especially if they’re as nice as you say they are.”
Somehow, this satisfied her. Or maybe she thought she just needed to find the right person.
That was more likely.
And now, this neighbor. Annie. She’d gaped at him like he was a celebrity. It was embarrassing.
Had she concocted this whole thing to throw her hat in the ring?
No, that seemed unlikely. The request for help had come from Margie, so it was most likely legitimate. Or at least, he hoped it was.
“You’ll stay for dinner, right, Miles?” asked Margie.
It was best not to get too friendly regardless.
“It depends what Bella is up to this evening,” he said.
“She’s on her way over,” Margie said matter-of-factly. “She already said she’d stay.”
Oh well. “Sure, why not? I’m going to get started on this list.”
Annie popped out of the kitchen, then led him down the hallway, talking over the list she’d made for her mom’s return.
It wasn’t much, but Annie’s tone sounded as though she was asking him to remodel the kitchen.
“I don’t know if this is possible,” she’d start. Or, “If you think you could…”
He finally had to cut her off. “It’s really not a problem. This is a tiny house, and it’s nice of you to let your mom live with you.”
She responded with a hesitant smile. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”
He hoped he hadn’t insulted her, but it was too late. After all, it was a small house. Only two bedrooms, the first with two cribs jammed against a wall, and the second with a single queen bed.
Did she have to share a bed with her mom? Or did she sleep on the couch?
“I’m worried that all the toys are going to make her trip, and I’m worried about this bed, too. I don’t know how she’ll get out of it. It’s too tall.”
Miles shook his head. “This is a good height. She just needs a pull bar to steady herself.”
“Oh.” Annie frowned. “How does that work?”
“It slides under the mattress. It’s easy, so don’t worry about that one.”
She took a deep breath and nodded, eyes scanning the room. “Do you think we should move the dresser out to give her more room to walk?”
He shrugged. “We can, but where would you want to put it?”
“Good point.” She frowned. “Okay, now the bathroom.”
It was down the hall, a cramped space with a pedestal sink, a short toilet, and an old, high-sided tub with colorful bath toys spilling out of a hanging basket.
“I can get some pull bars in here, and a shower seat,” Miles said.
Annie nodded. “A shower seat, right. The physical therapist said that would be helpful.”
He made notes on the supplies he needed for the rest of the house. None of this was much trouble. The biggest project was the railing on the concrete stairs leading up to the house.
“I’ll go outside and measure now,” he said. “Do you want to pick out the railing?”
“Whatever you have is perfect,” Annie said quickly.
He nodded. Margie had already told Annie they had supplies at the fire station, as well as a fund to do these sorts of improvements.
There was no fund at the fire department for this stuff. Margie was paying for all of it. She had made Miles swear he wouldn’t say a word.
“What if someone else hears about it and wants the same service?” he asked her.
Margie stared him in the eyes. “Then I will pay for theirs, too. I am not joking around here, Miles. If you let a word of this slip, it will be the end of you.”
Her intensity had forced a laugh out of him. “You have my utmost discretion.”
He was looking at the stairs when Bella arrived.
“Hey Dad! Are you here to supervise my first babysitting job?”
He smiled at her. “Pretend like I’m not here. Act like I’m maintenance.”
She gave a curt nod. “Hurry it up, would ya?”
He laughed and she walked past him, nose high in the air.
How had she managed to get her mom’s sense of humor without ever having met her?
That wasn’t technically true; they’d met, of course. He just didn’t like to think about the circumstances.
When he came back inside, the house smelled of garlic and butter. Was he really going to turn down a Margie meal out of stubbornness?
Of course not. Instead, he posted himself at the dining table and searched the online home improvement stores for the right sized handrail.
He had a perfect view of Annie, Bella, and the twins from where he sat, but he had to pretend he wasn’t watching.
“Up until they start walking it’s generally pretty easy to entertain them,” Annie said.
Bella shook her head. “They’re so cute, but babies scare me the most. They’re so floppy and small.”
“That’s understandable,” Annie said, “but I have a friend at daycare who has a six-month-old. Nice and sturdy, holds her head up by herself. I’m sure she’d be happy to teach you about babies.”
Her eyes brightened. “Really?”
Annie pulled out her phone. “It doesn’t hurt that she’s the cutest baby in the world.”
They both leaned in, looking at a picture on Annie’s phone. Bella let out a loud, “Aww!”
Miles smiled and cast his eyes down. He really shouldn’t be eavesdropping, but it was impossible.
“With two-year-olds, you’ve got to keep your wits about you,” Annie said.
At that moment, Leon climbed onto the couch and threw himself back, falling to the ground while letting out a primal scream. The muscles in Mile’s chest tensed.
Bella gasped. “I should have caught him. I’m so sorry.”
Annie shook her head, gathering him in her arms and planting a kiss on his head. “Are you okay, honey?”
The crying stopped and he batted his eyes at her. She kissed him again. He got up and ran off.
“Not your fault at all. They’re always doing things like that; falls happen a couple of times a day. Stay calm, and if they stop crying, you’re generally good.”
Bella’s eyes widened. “A couple of times a day?”
Miles couldn’t help it. He was staring at them, grinning. Neither noticed.
“Yeah!” Annie laughed. “It’s chaos!”
He hadn’t really looked at Annie before. She had kind, blue-grey eyes, her laugh reaching the corners. Wisps of brown hair escaped her ponytail and framed the soft features of her face. She had delicate, smooth skin and full, red lips. She was pretty, in a very real, no-frills sort of way.
Her hands worked quickly and gently, physically showing Bella everything: how to change a diaper, how to deal with the kicking legs of a two-year-old, how to change the shirt of a feisty toddler.
Bella dutifully followed her lead, stopping suddenly at the sound of toddler shrieks, the relief on her face palpable when Annie stepped in to guide her.
Bella was doing her best, and she was doing it well. She was lucky to have found such a kind teacher.
Maybe Miles had judged Annie too harshly. She didn’t seem like a billboard chaser. She hadn’t thrust any headshots at him. She hadn’t told him any strange puns.
She was a woman living with her two kids and elderly mom, treating Bella with the utmost respect.
He looked up and saw Margie staring at him.
“Thanks for introducing us,” Miles said. “This is exactly what Bella needed.”
“It’s exactly what Annie and Clara needed, too,” Margie said. “Do you think you’ll be able to get it all done in time?”
He nodded. “I’ll make a trip to the mainland to get the handrail, but otherwise, yeah, everything else I can get locally.”
“Wonderful. Now, help me set the table.”
Enough time gazing at his daughter. No matter how long he stared, she kept growing up.
He stood, startled by his own rudeness. “Of course.”