Chapter 2 #2
Monica gave the operator her policy info and the details of her predicament.
“Sorry you’ve had trouble this morning. May I put you on a brief hold?”
“Sure.” Five minutes later, she began to wonder what brief meant to the woman on the other side of the connection. The clock on the dash told her that church started in fifteen minutes, and she was dead in the water.
Asking for help when you can do it yourself is lazy.
That would be Dad’s voice. He’d been gone for years but he still had the power to motivate her.
She glanced out the window. Was it wishful thinking, or was the rain slowing? The answer didn’t matter. She’d always been a doer. It was the thing her father had appreciated most about her. No way could she sit here on hold, feeling sorry for herself when she knew how to fix the problem.
With a nod of determination, she disconnected the call.
Just as she reached for the door handle a second time, movement in the rearview mirror caught her attention.
She was relieved when a police cruiser glided to a stop behind her.
Her relief took a nosedive into hot embarrassment when she recognized the man getting out of the car.
Not just any cop, but Nicolas Black, Garfield’s Chief of Police.
..and co-owner of the center she worked for.
She leaned her head against the seat back and bounced it a time or two. Great, just great. She rolled her window down before he reached it.
Nicolas wore his yellow slicker, water dripping from the brim of his cap as he stooped down and leaned an arm on the windowsill. “Monica, I thought this was your car. What’s the problem?”
“Flat tire. I was about to dig out the spare.”
“Figured it was something like that. Which tire?”
When she pointed, he said, “Pop the trunk. I’ll take care of it for you.”
“That’s really not necessary, Chief. I know how—”
“Of course you do.” He raised his hand to silence her. “You’re capable of changing a tire, but if you think I’m going to drive off and leave you to it, think again.”
The two stared at each other for a handful of seconds. Monica blinked first. She reached for the key fob and pressed the trunk button.
Nicolas moved away from the window and got to work.
While he took care of that, Monica called Mackenzie Cooper, the other nursery volunteer for this morning. After the hellos, she said, “Please tell me that you’re at the church.”
“Yes, ma’am. Hang on a second.”
Monica listened to Mac’s muffled words. “Sean, come give me a hug. Who’s this little guy?” The response was an indistinct murmur. “You go enjoy service. We’ll take good care of him.”
Another moment passed before Mac said, “Sorry. I’m back. What’s up?”
Monica told her about her mishap. “I’ll be there, but I’m going to be late. I wanted to make sure the nursery was staffed.
“All present and accounted for. At this moment we have six rug rats checked in for the morning. Take your time. If I need help before you get here, I’ll grab Randy or Jesse.”
Monica looked up when she felt the small bounce as the jack was lowered. In the time it had taken Nicolas to change her tire, the rain had stopped and the sun was trying to break through the cloud cover. Typical crazy Oklahoma weather.
On the other side of the car, Nicolas stood and carried the jack back to the trunk. A few seconds later, he was at her window.
“You picked up a doozy of a nail somewhere, but I’m pretty sure it can be patched. Take some time in the morning before work and take care of that.”
“But—”
“Do you argue with everyone, or is it just me?” His grin took any sting out of his words.
“I’ll do that, thanks.”
He patted the side of the car. “You’re good to go. See you tomorrow.”
Monica thanked him. After he was in the cruiser, she headed to the church.
Ten minutes later she rushed into the nursery. Mac and Randy each had a baby on their lap while five older toddlers enjoyed crackers and juice boxes around a bright red table. Soft music came from the TV, where animated characters danced and sang.
“Sorry I’m so late.” She crossed to Randy and held out her arms for a little boy she didn’t recognize. “Thanks for filling in. Let me take him so you can go enjoy the service.”
Randy surrendered the baby. “No problem. Mac told me about your tire. Were you really going to change it by yourself?”
“Well, yeah.”
“Do you have my number in your phone?”
“I think so.”
“Next time, use it. Eli would have been glad to come to your rescue.”
“Dane too,” Mac added.
“Thanks. I’ve been reminded this morning that I can be too stubborn for my own good sometimes.”
Randy’s eyebrow lifted. “Sometimes?”
She laughed and bid her friend goodbye. Once Randy left for service, Monica sat with the baby. “Who’s this little guy?”
“Jace Conklin, Alex and Hunter’s grandson. Their son Sean just got back into town last night.”
Monica snuggled the boy closer. “He’s a cutie. I can’t wait to meet Sean and his wife.”
“Just Sean,” Mac said. “His wife died the night Jace was born. Such a sad story, but it looks like Sean is doing a great job with the baby.”
“Oh, how horrible.” The baby squirmed, and Monica realized that she’d tightened her arms around him in a reflexive action. She forced them to loosen. “It’s OK, baby, it’s OK.”
“Yeah.” Mac crossed the room and plucked Jace out of Monica’s arms. “Some things don’t make any sense.”
The rest of the morning was a steady round of diaper changes, toy arguments, spilled juice, and cookie crumbs. Monica’d had her fix of babies for the day and wasn’t at all sad when parents began to trickle in after service.
She had Jace on her lap again when a handsome man with a neatly trimmed beard and solemn brown eyes stopped in the doorway. He nodded to the little boy. “Was he good?”
“A perfect angel.” Monica met him at the door and held out a hand. “You must be Sean. I’m Monica Jenson. I’m in charge of our little operation. You’ll see me in here a lot.”
Sean took her hand in his. “Good to meet you.” He let go and turned his attention to his son. “Let’s go, buddy.”
The baby lunged for his father, and Monica stepped back, watching while Sean gathered Jace’s belongings.
Her hand tingled where he’d held it, and her heart was lodged in her throat.
The reaction was so abrupt and unexpected that she could only nod when Sean lifted a hand in a parting gesture and walked out the door.
Monica’s gaze followed the duo until they turned the corner while she shook the hand that still tingled from the contact.
Girl, get a hold of yourself. He just lost his wife. Arizona’s on the horizon. You need to keep your eye on the prize.
But despite her internal scolding, her heart continued to pound.