Chapter 39
Lindsey
After a late night keeping Dani occupied with a movie and snuggles, we'd fallen asleep on the couch. I woke up around two and had to use the bathroom, so I tucked Dani in and checked my phone on the way.
I did have a text from Kace, but it was only to say they were still looking and wouldn't be home anytime soon.
I slept fitfully the rest of the night. Exhausted and yet too wired and worried to sleep.
I must have dozed off though, because I feel Dani shifting beside me on the couch. "You awake, Dani-banani?"
I hear a giggle and a, "You're not. Your eyes are closed."
I make a show of blinking and fluttering my lashes, earning another giggle. There's my happy girl. "Good morning. How'd you sleep?"
"Good. Did Daddy find Madi? Did she come home? When are we going home?"
And she's off, I muse, having missed Dani's morning round of a thousand questions before breakfast. "Last I checked, Madi hadn't come back, but I'm sure she's okay."
"Can I talk to Daddy?"
Knowing how well Kace is able to calm Dani down on a bad day, I nod. "Let's get up and get ready to open up the bookstore, and we'll call. I'm going to need your help today with Madi gone. Okay?"
"Okay."
Dani scrambles off the couch and heads to the bathroom while I stretch and reach for my phone. The moment I see Kace's latest text, I sit up.
Pam is back. Madi ran away when they stopped for gas. Still looking for Mads. Police involved.
I swear my heart stops beating for a moment. Madi, where are you?
I say a prayer for her safety and shove myself to my feet.
I text back. Are you okay?
I will be once we find her.
My heart breaks for Kace and all he's been through, and my admiration grows that he's remained so strong through it all.
Some good news tho. Pam has agreed to sign guardianship to me.
I suck in a breath and clamp a hand over my mouth in surprise. I'm so happy to hear the news and only wish it had come before Madi felt so desperate she'd run away.
"Lindsey! Help!"
"What's up, Dani?" I call out.
"The toilet's getting big!"
The toilet's getting big? What did that mean?
I hurry to type out a text and hit Send before my typed words even register.
Dani and I will be at the bookstore. I'll keep a close watch on her. She's my helper today. Please be safe and find Madi. I love you.
I love you.
I said—texted—I love you.
To Kace.
Oh.
My.
"Lindsey, help!"
Alarmed by Dani's tone, I run to the bathroom and gasp when I see the water approaching the top of the bowl.
I open the closet and exhale in relief when I spot a plunger, all thoughts of love and trigger-finger-sent texts forgotten in light of emergency plumbing issues. "Watch out, baby girl. I'm going in."
It's just before ten when Dani and I pull in behind the bookstore to park.
I'd plunged my shocked, I-can't-believe-I-texted-I-love-you frustrations out earlier and managed to undo the toilet-paper disaster caused by a seven-year-old enthusiast. After a talk about the appropriate amount of tissue to use, we'd washed up and headed downstairs to London's Lattes for breakfast since I didn't exactly have groceries in my apartment yet.
My mind hasn't stopped racing from my unbelievably bad mistake, either.
Because who does that? Who says I love you for the first time—like that?
As I consider eating my weight in pastries to offset the anxiety roiling through me, I decide there are definite advantages to living above a coffeeshop. And eating for two because—convenient much?
Dani immediately fell in love with London's dog, Rosie, and it reminds me of the fact Madi is supposed to feed Dexter, Bronwyn's cat, and scoop his litter box.
Being pregnant, I'm not supposed to be around that type of thing, but without Madi there to do it…
I'm not about to ask Kace to stop looking for Madi to scoop cat litter.
And while it won't have to be done right away, it will need to happen soon.
While Dani eats and talks to Rosie, I try to come up with an excuse for my text foible. My worry about Madi. My lack of sleep. Both are true. But what if he asks if I mean it?
I can't deny it because…I do.
Oh, how am I in this mess?
I'm still in a mental maelstrom during the drive.
Before opening the bookstore, Dani and I go upstairs to feed Dexter.
I frown when I see his food dish upside down in the sink because I could've sworn it was on the floor when I moved out yesterday after the wedding.
Maybe it wasn't and I just thought it was?
It's not like I was really paying attention to the cat dish at the time.
I shrug it off and grab a can of tuna for Dexter's breakfast. The fat cat jumps down from his perch at the pop of the lid, and I dump the stinky stuff into his bowl and place it on the floor. "Bon appétit."
"What's that mean?" Dani asks, on her knees by Dexter to pet him.
"It basically means enjoy your meal."
"Bon appet— What is it again?"
Dani and I practice the phrase a few times before leaving the Dexter to his breakfast and making our way back downstairs.
The day starts off slow. Which is perfectly fine by me as I've never been left completely alone in the bookstore.
Dani is my shadow and stays by my side, per our rule, any time I have to leave the desk area which is by the kid's play area Dani loves so much.
It isn't until midafternoon that she gets bored and asks if she can go play with Dexter upstairs.
I hate telling her no, but I don't like the thought of her being alone after Pamela's threats, even though they're a nonissue now.
Dani isn't my child, but if I put myself in Kace's shoes and someone is watching my child, I certainly wouldn't want him or her left to their own devices at such a young age.
I assist customers while Dani plays, and when it's quiet, we work on a cat puzzle together.
I leave Dani to the puzzle to help a customer find a popular romance.
Another customer is ready to check out, and I wave my okay to Dani when she says she's going to the bathroom.
"Don't forget what I said this morning," I remind her, not wanting a toilet-bowl disaster here.
"I won't!"
The steady flow of customers keeps me at the register, but I frown when I hear a noise above my head. "Dani…" I mutter with a shake of my head.
"What? Did I do something wrong?"
I turn and see Dani frowning at me, looking hurt by my tone. "Oh, I thought you were— No, honey, sorry. You didn't. I must've heard Dexter. I thought you'd gone upstairs when you weren't supposed to. Bronwyn's going to have to put that cat on a diet."
Dani's sweet giggle leaves me and the customer smiling as she sits back down at the table.
Four o'clock rolls around, and I allow Dani to go upstairs while I lock up. Mondays are short days in the bookstore, and as the week progresses, Bronwyn keeps longer hours.
I've just double checked the backdoor when I hear Dani shriek. "Dani? Dani, are you okay?" She's probably playing with Dexter and overly excited but— I head to the stairs and jog up them. "Dani? Dani!"
"I'm okay," she says before I reach the top.
I walk in and see her looking wide-eyed with a guilty expression on her face. "What's going on?"
"Nothing."
I give my best tell-me stare, practicing for the future. "What is going on? Why did you scream?"
"I didn't mean to."
"So why did you? Did something happen with Dexter?" Dani's gaze shifts toward the hallway before darting back. I look over my shoulder, but I don't see anything. Still, I know something's up. "Dani, tell me what happened, or we'll have to find someone else you can stay with tomorrow while I work."
"Nooo, I like coming here with you."
"Then tell me. Why did you scream?" I ask again.
"Because of me," Madi says softly.
I turn to face her, my heart bursting with love. But just like that, every loose thread from the last few weeks knots into something scary and real.
She's here. Safe.
But how do we keep her that way?