Chapter 7
Calloway Grady had been sent on his way, and life had gone on just fine.
Until today. It was Monday and that meant back to the routine. Or else.
Food. She had to feed them all and then get to Gil’s within the next two hours.
Somehow. She’d forgotten to grab the girls’ lunches that morning.
Tobi had been having a meltdown, and every bit of her attention had gone to that, and finding the report she needed for Gil and juggling two calls about a commercial property Gil owned that he didn’t know he owned, and Em had been called in to the diner at the worst possible time.
It had just been one of those mornings. So…
now, she had to figure out lunch for herself, Jules and Markie, and even the baby.
But that was doable.
This parenting thing just took finding routines and sticking to them. No matter what. She told herself that repeatedly. But for now…diner. Food.
She was going to make this work, and if she was lucky, Em would be on break, and she could give her sister cash to stop by the store on her way home and grab more baby shampoo and laundry soap.
She slipped Maeya into the carrier on her chest and grabbed Markie by the hand. Jules was pretty good about staying close when crossing the roads now—she hadn’t always been, and Auggie was still extra watchful. Then they were pushing open the doors and stepping inside.
She turned toward Jules—and slammed straight into a tall man’s chest.
“Whoa, honey. I know you’ve bowled me over before, but you should give a man a bit more warning.” She looked straight up—into Kameron Neilson’s blue eyes. He helped steady her, one hand on the baby’s back. “Looks like you have your hands full there.”
“No surprise, I always do. Hello, Kameron, how are you?” She hadn’t known him well—he was almost a decade older than she was—except through the diner.
He’d been one of those “sports legends” high schools seemed to have everywhere.
Kameron Neilson could run. He’d had a real future in track, she thought.
And he’d used it to pay for college. Everyone “talked” about that when his name was mentioned.
Small towns were like that. He had track star in his biography, she had Bruce Tyler’s daughter.
He was good friends with Claudia’s brothers, too.
Including the one right next to him.
Her stomach dropped. She still had to figure out what she was going to do about this man.
He had kissed her for less than ten seconds—she thought, she hadn’t exactly been timing him—and she hadn’t been able to forget about it in days.
Markie marched right up to him and lifted her arms. “Hello, Mister Cow-way. Baby Mae-Mae is hungee again.”
“Is she?” He just scooped Markie right off her feet and held her on his hip. “And is Miss Markie hungry, too?”
“Yes. Lots.” Markie’s little arms were around his neck. She didn’t seem shy with him at all. “Jules is too. Mommy Aug really hungee. She no eat breakfast. She was on the phone with Cousin Gil.”
“I see.” Cal looked at Auggie. “We were just waiting for a table. It’s a bit packed in here now—movie crew is in town—but, if Kam doesn’t mind, we would be happy to share our table.”
“Yes, of course,” Kameron said, sending her a wicked smile. “We’re also waiting for Quinn. She’s running a bit late; she had to drop her twin off at the hospital for a shift.”
Auggie almost said no—there was no way two men like this pair wanted to voluntarily share a table with three feral children like hers—but there weren’t any tables. And Em looked beyond frazzled right where she was. “Thanks, I think. You two are brave, brave men.”
Cal smirked at her. He leaned closer. “Maybe I’m just determined. And…Mini-Auggie has done it again.”
She looked down. She’d missed it. Her shirt was clinging in all the wrong places. And of course he would be the one to point it out.
Okay, she could handle this. She just took a deep breath. “Okay, as soon as I get these two settled, I have spares—for both of us—in the bag. I am prepared. I can handle this.”
“Why don’t I take Markie and Jules? Get them set up at the table. They’ll be fine with me; I promise. If not…Claudia can arrest me. Deal?”
“Deal.”
She was halfway to the restroom before she realized the truth—she’d left two of her babies with that man and hadn’t hesitated at all.
A part of her subconsciously trusted that man.
With her babies. No question.
With her virtue, such that it was…that was a different story.
Calloway Ellis Grady was a man on the prowl. And Auggie was the prey.
Well, now he was on his own. Markie was clinging to him like a baby monkey. Jules was eyeing him and Kameron with all the distrust she could muster. Em was the one who showed them to their table—the grown-up version of Jules, right down to the tilt of the head.
“Well, this is a surprise,” Em said. “You up to something, Grady?”
“Trying to…” he looked at the little girl watching him now.
“I suspect I know what you are trying to do…Auggie shares everything with me and Junie, you know. I know what you did.”
It was just one little kiss. He didn’t regret it at all.
“I am merely trying to help your sister. That’s all. Being a good best friend’s older brother?”
“Sure you are, pal.”
“Cal is always so helpful,” Kameron had to add. He’d somehow ended up with Markie’s ever-present baby doll. “What is this one’s name, may I ask?”
“Baby Miss Missy,” Markie told him, very seriously. “Auntie Claudie gaved her to me to take care of for her while she is busy catching the bad guys.”
“It was one of Claudia’s when she was a little girl, she said,” Em said.
Cal looked at the doll more closely. He’d thought that was the doll he remembered when he’d babysat a few days ago.
“That is Baby Miss Missy. I gave Baby Miss Missy to Claudia when I was thirteen, I think. I even went down the scary doll aisle and picked it out myself. She was around seven or so. That was the Christmas Mom first got sick. She had just had Clancy a month before—and Claudia and Cloe and Cadell were upset about Mom missing Christmas. I was more upset about them being so upset.”
“You were a good big brother back then, you know. I have heard the stories,” Em said, quietly.
“He was,” Kameron added. He’d been there. Cal’s best friend from kindergarten, too. Kameron had stuck, for years. Cal would always remember that. Kameron had been the first person he’d told about his mom being so sick. Kameron had been beside him the day they’d lost her, too.
Cal’s mom had lingered for years. She’d been diagnosed and gone into remission four times before the last was too far gone for her to fight. “Claudia carried Baby Miss Missy everywhere for a few years. During Mom’s first…go-round. Then Clancy took care of her for Claudia.”
“Now it Markie’s turn,” Markie told Kameron. “Me feedz her in a minute. She is hungee. She likes chicken nuggies.”
“I see. I like nuggets very much. She is very pretty. Just like you.”
Markie just nodded. “I know. Who you?”
“My name is Kameron. Calloway is my best friend.”
Jules slipped into the booth across from them when Em nudged her. She was staring at Kameron suspiciously.
“I’ll grab drinks for everyone,” Em said, adjusting a booster seat for her preschool-aged sister. “I am not sure why Auggie is here, though.”
“Mom forgot everybody’s lunches, Em. We were in a hurry. I even forgot my school bag.”
“Sure you did. How many books did you bring with you to read today?”
“Just four.”
“Just…not your math book, right?”
The kid gave her a guilty look. Looking like Em at her…guiltiest.
“Gotcha. We do math together tonight, okay?”
“You’ll help me?”
“Of course I will. We’ll go up to my room and do it together. Just the two of us.”
Jules smiled—Em all over again. Cal got the feeling the math book had been left at home on purpose. He had to wonder how Auggie juggled them all. The woman was amazing, no denying that. “Thanks Em, you get to be my favorite sister today.”
“I am the favorite every day, remember. So, is this everybody in your little party?” Em asked.
“Quinn will be joining us in a few,” Kameron said. His assistant usually wasn’t that far from his side, Cal had noticed many times before. He had his theories, but his friend played it close to his chest where that woman was concerned.
“Great. I’ll grab a highchair and get the drinks.” She shot a narrow-eyed look at Cal. “You—behave yourself. I know you are up to something.”
“He usually is.” Kameron had to add—holding Baby Miss Missy lovingly and taking the bottle Markie gave him. “I’m just here to keep him in line.”
“Good luck with that.” Auggie and her mini-version were back. Cal stood and reached for the baby in her arms. Maeya came right to him. “I am on to you, Calloway Grady.”
“I hope so, I seriously hope so.”
She just gave him a look. One that said he wasn’t going to get away with anything where she was concerned. He hoped he did. He truly did.
This woman…fascinated him completely.