Chapter Thirteen
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Caleb looked at the clock on the kitchen wall and ran a hand over his face. How was it possible that it was only ten a.m.? He had shown up at Sophia’s house at the crack of dawn so she could catch her flight to Anchorage. Even at that early hour, Lily had been awake and eager to see him. He had been relieved that the little girl hadn’t shed any tears at her mother’s departure.
He’d already fed Lily, watched Bluey cartoons with her, gotten her dressed, and fixed her hair. Now what? Despite his boasting to Sophia, he was stumped.
Why had he thought that he’d be fine? Lily was running him ragged, and he was coming up empty with ideas on how to keep her entertained. She had so much… energy, like the Energizer Bunny. When was she going to run out of steam? He would make lunch for her, then desperately pray she went down for a nap.
Frankly, he was the one who absolutely needed a nap.
Why had he thought this would be a cakewalk? He had wanted so badly for Sophia to have the chance to do the photo shoot with Malina that he may have slightly exaggerated his babysitting skills.
By the time twelve-thirty rolled around, he was feeling a bit desperate. He had fixed a nice lunch of chicken nuggets and steamed broccoli with apple sauce and pita bread. Lily had devoured her entire plate, then asked for seconds. But the meal had been like fuel for her. Instead of settling down for nap time, she was revved up and ready to take on the world. Caleb was running after her as she zipped around the house like a roadrunner.
When she finally slumped over on the couch and fell fast asleep, Caleb pulled out his phone and called his brothers. Xavier picked up the call first, then Caleb patched Landon in.
“Hey, what’s going on?” Landon asked. “What’s with the three-way call?”
“I have an emergency,” Caleb said, not wasting any time getting to the heart of the matter.
“Seriously?” Xavier asked, sounding stunned.
“As a heart attack,” Caleb answered.
“Aren’t you… babysitting?” Landon pressed.
“Yes. Yes, I am,” Caleb said in a strangled voice.
“Did you call 911? Is it Lily?” Xavier asked, sounding slightly panicked.
“No, no, it’s nothing like that,” Caleb said, trying his best to reassure them. He didn’t want a full-blown panic on his hands.
“Then what is it?” Xavier pressed, sounding impatient.
“Double-oh-seven,” Caleb said, pulling out the big guns.
“What’s the address?” Landon asked.
Caleb quickly gave Sophia’s address and hung up. The bargain he had with his brothers stipulated that no explanation was necessary once you invoked the numbers 007. It was tried and true. They had only pulled it out a handful of times in moments of dire emergencies. Caleb figured this situation qualified, since he was over his head and drowning fast. He had no idea what he was going to do with Lily for the next six hours. She was sleeping a bit fitfully, and he sensed she would soon be waking up from her mini nap.
Not ten minutes later, the doorbell buzzed, and he let out a sigh of relief.
“Reinforcements,” Caleb said as he wrenched the door open. He had never been so happy to see Xavier and Landon in his life. “I’m so stoked to see you, I could almost cry.”
They didn’t waste any time stepping inside Sophia’s house. Both of them were looking around, as they weren’t quite sure what to expect.
“So, what’s the emergency?” Xavier was looking at him with a good deal of suspicion on his face.
“Shh. Lily is sleeping,” Caleb said, raising a finger to his lips. The last thing he wanted was for Lily to pop up and start running him ragged again. She was a great kid, but having a few moments of peace and quiet was pretty awesome.
“Is she sick or something? Because you do realize neither one of us is a doctor.” Landon threw up his hands. “Start talking, Caleb. Tell us what’s wrong.”
All of a sudden he felt pretty sheepish. Maybe he was overreacting.
“I think I’m in over my head if I’m being completely honest,” Caleb admitted. “Lily is an amazing little girl, but I literally am already exhausted. And I promised Sophia I would be a rock star sitter for her daughter, so I need your help.”
Both of his brothers were frowning and shaking their heads.
“I can’t believe you invoked double-oh-seven for a babysitting situation,” Xavier said, letting out a hissing sound like air escaping tires. “You’re definitely getting soft in your old age.”
“Taken down by a four-year-old,” Landon said, letting out a snort. “Who would’ve thunk it?”
He should have known that his brothers wouldn’t understand. When was the last time either one of them had babysat a small child? The answer was never.
“You guys have no idea of how much stamina a four-year-old has or everything I’ve done to keep her entertained,” he said huffily. Humph. They had no business judging him when they had no experience of their own with little ones.
All of a sudden Lily was standing in the hallway, stretching her arms over her head.
“Caleb! Let’s play dollies,” she cried out. The nap must have done her a world of good, because she was totally reinvigorated.
“Oh, no,” Caleb said, groaning. “She’s awake!” He was speaking in a hushed tone so Lily wouldn’t overhear him. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her little feelings.
Xavier poked him in the side with his elbow. “Don’t be such a wuss.” He went over and bent down in front of Lily. “Hi, I’m Xavier, Caleb’s older brother. And this guy here,” he said, pointing at Landon, “is our baby brother, Landon.”
“Hi there,” Landon said, waving in her direction.
“Hi,” Lily said, moving toward Caleb and tugging on his hand. “Come on, Caleb. It’s playtime.” She turned toward Xavier and Landon. “Let’s play dress-up.”
Caleb shot his brothers an imploring look. “Yeah, let’s all play,” he said. “Please.”
The next thing he knew, Lily was pulling him toward the playroom with his brothers in tow. Within minutes she had dressed them all in her fancy dress-up clothes. Big straw hats, flouncy skirts, tiaras, dresses, and lacy shawls. He was grateful that there was no one present taking pictures of them on their cell phones. If he looked half as ridiculous as his brothers did, the photos could be used as blackmail pics.
When his cell phone buzzed, Caleb wondered if it was Sophia calling to check in on Lily.
“Hey, Sophia,” he said once he saw her name pop up on the caller ID. “How’s Anchorage?”
“Everything’s going well, but my flight has been delayed, so I won’t be getting home by dinner. I hope that’s not a problem,” she said. He could hear the uncertainty in her voice, and all he wanted to do was reassure her, even though he was still doubting his babysitting skills.
“Sophia, I’ve got this,” he told her. “Lily is playing and smiling and well fed. We’re good here.”
He could hear Sophia let out a sigh of relief on the other end. “That’s great to hear. I can’t wait to tell you all about the photo shoot.”
“Me too. Safe travels, Sophia,” Caleb said before ending the call.
He could feel Landon’s eyes on him.
“You’re good with Lily,” Landon said in a low voice as he moved closer. “You’ll make a great father one day.”
So many emotions washed over him upon hearing Landon’s comment. A part of him had always figured he wouldn’t be any good at being a dad, since he was still a bit broken by his own experiences with Red. Even though he had worked hard to convince himself that he had moved past the issues of parental neglect, at times like this Caleb knew he hadn’t. Maybe it wasn’t possible to heal certain wounds.
“Nah, I don’t think so,” he said. He wished he felt different, but it was always hard for him to imagine himself in that role.
“Why not? Because of Dad?” Landon’s brown eyes were full of questions.
Caleb shrugged. “You know how it is. It’s one of my biggest insecurities, thinking that I’m not going to be any good at fatherhood because of our absentee dad.”
“You’re forgetting something,” Landon said, the corners of his mouth lifting in the hint of a smile. “Our badass mom. She was both mother and father to us. And she taught us well.”
“You’re right,” Caleb admitted. Daisy Stone had played both roles for him and his brothers. And she had shown them everything they would ever need to know about parenthood. Landon’s reminder served to buoy his spirits. It wasn’t inevitable that he was going to be a flop at fatherhood.
“I know I am,” Landon said, just as Lily came over and pulled them back toward her play area.
“Do you know how to make a French braid?” Lily asked, looking around at the three of them.
“Definitely not,” Caleb said. “Sorry, Lily. I wish that I did.”
“Sorry. I don’t think so,” Landon said.
They all turned to look at Xavier. He looked slightly uncomfortable. “I may know how to make a French braid.” He sounded incredibly sheepish.
“You do?” Caleb asked. He shouldn’t be surprised at all. It seemed as if there wasn’t a single thing his big brother couldn’t do. But a French braid? That was news to him.
He shrugged. “My ex-fiancée taught me.”
It totally made sense since Xavier’s ex, Heather, was a supermodel who had cared a lot about hair, makeup, and clothes.
“Okay, it’s time to play hair salon,” Lily said, reaching for Xavier’s hand and tugging on it. The excited expression stamped on her face caused a squeezing sensation in the center of Caleb’s chest.
“She never slows down, does she?” Xavier asked as he allowed himself to be led away.
“Told ya,” Caleb said, grinning. Thankfully, he’d been vindicated.
By five o’clock, both Xavier and Landon were exhausted and in need of a break.
“Thanks for the help, guys,” Caleb said, “but I can take it from here. I appreciate the rescue.”
“You didn’t even need it,” Landon said. “As I said before, you’re great with Lily. She clearly adores you.”
“The feeling is mutual. She’s one amazing kiddo,” Caleb gushed. As much as he had felt overwhelmed earlier, being with Lily had actually been fun. Having Xavier and Landon present had given him a boost of confidence.
“And Lily’s mother?” Xavier asked. “You must think a lot of her if you agreed to watch her daughter like this.”
Caleb nodded. “I do. She’s everything I never knew I needed or wanted at this point in my life. So far it’s pretty casual, but I like being around her. I miss her when she’s not with me. Like now,” he said, running a hand over his face. “I can’t wait to see her tonight.”
“Sounds pretty serious to me,” Xavier said, locking eyes with Caleb.
“I’m not looking for serious. We’re just having fun hanging out,” Caleb said, holding up his hands. He wasn’t sure who he was trying to convince, himself or Xavier. Even as he said the words out loud, his heart was telling him something different. “Just meeting someone like Sophia is enough for me. A great Moose Falls surprise.”
“Yep,” Xavier said, grinning so wide it seemed as if his face might crack wide open. “That’s what I thought when I met True.” Xavier and Landon exchanged a pointed look.
Caleb scoffed. “Not everything has to result in falling in love and an engagement.” Even as he said the words, he experienced a funny feeling in the pit of his stomach.
“So, are you kicking us out?” Landon asked. “I thought you would at least feed us.” He rubbed his stomach and looked around the kitchen.
“Good point,” Xavier said. “You’re the best cook out of the three of us. What are you making?”
“You’re welcome to stay, guys. I’ll start on dinner right now,” Caleb suggested. He loved that they both wanted to stay for supper. Now he wouldn’t have to feel so guilty about dragging them away from home.
“And we’ll hang out with Lily,” Landon said. “I don’t know about the two of you, but I love Bluey . I’m hooked.”
“As long as we don’t have to do another round of makeup, I’m good,” Xavier added. Caleb didn’t think this was the time to tell him that he still had traces of glitter on his face.
“I’m baaaack from the potty,” Lily said, spreading her arms wide as if she was expecting a standing ovation.
“Good girl,” Caleb said, leaning down and patting Lily on the shoulder. He couldn’t believe how well Lily was behaving around him and his brothers. Although she and Caleb had been building a friendship, she hadn’t known Xavier or Landon at all. And now they were all getting along like a house on fire. Sophia had done a marvelous job in raising this sweet and spunky child. Being with Lily had been a blast, although challenging. He admired Sophia more than ever for parenting so successfully as a single mother. Next time he would have to eat his Wheaties to keep up with her.
Whoa! He was starting to think about next times. Maybe he was getting a little ahead of himself. Becoming a part of Sophia and Lily’s world was serious business. For all he knew, this was a one-off.
Caleb made dinner for all of them while Landon, Xavier, and Lily chilled out in the playroom watching television. Beef stir-fry with rice and veggies, a big Caesar salad, and cornbread. The meal was a hit, especially with Lily, who said it was like going out to eat. Bless her little heart. She was a bona fide sweetheart. After they ate, Xavier and Landon said their good nights, with Caleb thanking them profusely for hanging out with him and Lily.
It didn’t take Lily long to drift off to sleep after Caleb read her two books— The Little Mermaid and Brown Sugar Baby . As he tucked the blanket over her and made sure her night-light was glowing, he stepped back into the hallway, leaving the door open a crack.
Caleb grabbed a Coke and settled in the den with the television on. A little after eight he heard the jingling of keys as Sophia let herself in the house.
“I’m in the den,” he called out, standing up and greeting her in the entryway.
She let out a beleaguered sigh. “Home sweet home.”
“It’s good to see you,” Caleb said, encircling her waist with his arms and pulling her into a kiss. Caleb was so excited to have her back in Moose Falls, back in his arms. He wasn’t used to missing anyone or having a little ache in his soul.
“Why don’t you sit down and put your feet up?” Caleb suggested, gently leading her toward the oatmeal-colored couch. “I’ll make you a cup of tea so you can tell me all about your amazing day.”
“Sounds like heaven,” Sophia said, sinking into the couch and putting her feet up on the coffee table.
A few minutes later Caleb was back with a mug of chamomile tea. Sophia was sitting back with her eyes closed, and for a moment he wasn’t sure if she had dozed off. Sensing his presence, she opened her eyes and reached out for the mug. Caleb made himself comfortable next to her, watching her as she took a big sip of her tea. She let out a blissful sound and placed the mug down on a coaster.
“So, don’t keep me in suspense. How was it?” he asked, impatient to hear details from Sophia’s day.
“It was pretty epic,” she confirmed. “Malina was amazing. Down to earth. Funny. Magnetic. The pictures turned out so well I can hardly believe it.” She ran a hand through her dark, wavy hair. “She was so kind to me and said some really complimentary things. When I showed her some of the images, she was truly moved by them. Tears and all.”
“Of course,” Caleb said. “She was probably blown away by your skills.”
Sophia chuckled and swatted at him. “I can’t tell if you’re being serious or not, but I’ll take the compliment.”
“That’s how it was intended, Sophia.” He grazed the side of her face with his knuckles. “Face it. Your talent speaks for itself. That’s why Malina wanted you for this assignment.”
“Pretty soon you’re going to give me a swollen head,” Sophia said, chuckling. She motioned with her hands. “Keep the compliments coming.”
Her lids were closing, and her words sounded a bit jumbled. She was exhausted from her whirlwind trip.
“Hey, why don’t you get some shut-eye?” he suggested. “It’s been quite a day for you.”
She let out a yawn and covered her mouth. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I really am beat, and this upcoming week is important. We need to do our on-location shoot and wrap up this campaign.”
Caleb was a bit surprised. The campaign was rolling along like a freight train. “It’s going at warp speed. I’m no expert, but this is fast, isn’t it?” He had a bit of a perspective since he’d been a cast member on Love Him or Leave Him , although he knew marketing a product was different from promoting a reality show.
Sophia bit her lip. “I know. I have a hunch that Hattie is trying to wrap things up before her health declines even further. She wants to see this come to fruition before she goes. Most of all, Hattie wants to see you repping Yukon Cider.”
Caleb was a bit speechless. He hadn’t even considered that possibility. Hattie had lots of life in her yet.
“Hattie’s not going anywhere. That lady is the toughest woman I’ve ever known,” Caleb said. He could hear the defensive tone in his voice.
Honestly, it gutted him to think that his grandmother was trying to get her affairs in order before she passed on. Feeling this way was ridiculous, since Hattie’s impending death was the very reason he was here in Moose Falls. Sometimes he felt as if he were operating in reverse. Instead of leaning toward accepting the inevitable, Caleb was chafing against the reality that Hattie wouldn’t be around a year from now. His chest was suddenly tight, and he was feeling a bit panicky. What was going on with him? None of this was new information, but all of a sudden it was hitting him like a ton of bricks.
“Caleb, are you okay?” Sophia asked in a soft voice. “I’m sorry if I spoke out of turn. The situation with Hattie must be agonizing, especially since you two are so close.”
“I’m fine,” he said, standing up from his seat. He wasn’t really feeling fine, but it wasn’t Sophia’s fault. “But it’s getting late and you need some sleep.”
“If you like, I can make lunch for you tomorrow. It’s the least I could do after you saved my bacon. How about it?” she asked.
“I’m not one to turn down a lunch invitation from a pretty girl,” Caleb said, flashing her a smile. “Mama didn’t raise no fools.”
Sophia made a move to get up, and he stopped her with a gentle hand on her shoulder. “I can see myself out, Sophia. You get some rest. I’ll see you soon.” He pressed a kiss on her forehead and beat a fast path toward the door.
Caleb knew that he hadn’t done a good job at hiding his feelings about Hattie. There was something so sobering about the fact that Hattie might be trying to put finishing touches on her legacy before her illness worsened. Would it be weeks? Months? It hurt his heart to think about losing his grandmother. Slowly but surely he was putting things in perspective. He thought back to how heartbroken he had been after losing Abby, and although it was a different type of love, it paled in comparison to what he was feeling now.
Caleb inhaled a deep breath as he stepped outside into the chilly night air. It was so cold he could see his breath in front of his face. As he drove back to Hattie’s house, his mind was racing. He was starting to experience a sense of belonging here in Moose Falls. He was no longer a stranger getting reacquainted with his childhood hometown. He enjoyed his work at Yukon Cider and the many friendships he’d developed with his colleagues. Living with his brothers under Hattie’s roof took him all the way back to his younger years, when he woke up in the morning and looked out of his bedroom window to the sight of majestic snowcapped mountains. Words couldn’t describe the way that northern lights shimmered and pulsed in the skies. While his relationship with Red was far from close, they were on solid ground. And Hattie—feisty, irrepressible Hattie—easy to love and tattooed on his heart for all time.
And now, he was establishing a bond with Sophia and her daughter. It was nothing like anything he had ever known. He hadn’t expected this thunderstruck feeling, this desire to spend every waking moment with her. In actuality, he’d been running from the mere prospect of catching feelings for anyone. But now he knew with a deep certainty that he wasn’t in love with Abby anymore.
Up to this point he hadn’t allowed himself to admit the depth of his feelings for Sophia. He was falling for the gorgeous single mom, and it scared him to death.