"I don't have the whole day."
"Figure it out." She glanced at Maddie fast asleep on her couch. "I'll keep her tonight because it seems cruel to wake her, but you don't pay me for nights. Anything over forty hours, I get time and a half."
"I pay you enough at your hourly rate to have you twenty-four seven."
"That would cost you far more than you seem willing to invest."
Chapter Eight
At nine o'clock, Alex pulled in front of Mercy's bungalow. He hadn't taken the time to look at her home yesterday, but in the morning light, he noticed the paint peeling and a missing shutter.
By the looks of things, her neighborhood was one that hadn't been reclaimed yet. Despite the state her house was in, the manicured yard and lush flowers made it bright and homey—a stark contrast to his bungalow with a yard as austere as the interior. He had cement and dirt and a metal chain-link fence. There was nothing soft and inviting, but wasn't that what he wanted?
Something like Mercy's yard would only attract trouble. He could see it now … women offering to be his hoe, weed his garden and be happy to let him fertilize theirs.
He climbed out of his car and checked the back seat to make sure he installed the booster chair correctly. When he was confident it was all right, he walked up the flower-lined walkway and knocked on the door.
Mercy opened it with a smile on her face and a cup of coffee in her hand. "Good morning, Alex." She stepped aside.
He entered a living room filled with the scent of pancakes and bacon, and his stomach growled. As a bachelor, he kept little sustenance in the house, but soda and Pringles didn't hold him over for long.
"You hungry?" She waved him forward. "You can join Maddie in the kitchen for a plate of cakes and bacon."
She led him through the living room to a small kitchen where white curtains framed the windows and looked out into another garden filled with what looked like vegetables.
"I could use a bite to eat." He took a seat next to Maddie, who didn't take her eyes off her plate. Then again, who wouldn't stare at several tiny pancakes with smiling faces made from chocolate chips?
Maddie looked content or at least put together with her hair in a fancy braid down her back. The kind of twist that started at the crown and laid flat all the way to the end.
"Two or three?"
At the sound of the question, he turned his head toward the stove where Mercy held up a spatula with a pancake hanging over the edge.
"Probably three. I imagine I'll need fuel for our shopping trip."
Light laughter filled the air, sounding like soft music coming from Mercy.
"You're probably right. I'll give you extra bacon too." She plated several pancakes and slices of bacon and set it in front of him. "Coffee?"
"Yes, please."
"Good manners are important," Maddie said with her mouth half-full.
"Yes, they are, and that means no talking with a full mouth, young lady." Mercy patted her back before taking the seat across from him and pushing his coffee forward. "Cream and sugar are right there."
He picked up the tiny cow pitcher and laughed. "Where did you get this?"
"It came with the house. I was digging in the garden one day, and it popped out of the ground. It was too sweet to toss away, so I cleaned it up, and it's been holding my moo juice ever since."
Maddie giggled. "Moo juice. That's funny."
He took his first bite and hummed. Most of his meals were taken at Maisey's, which was as close to home cooking as he got, but this meal was different. He was sitting with a little girl that very well might be his daughter, and that would mean family meals like this could be a regular thing.
He eyed Mercy, who somehow looked softer and sweeter today. Maybe it was because they weren't arguing, which was all they'd done since they had met.
He picked up a piece of bacon and took a bite. It was perfectly crispy, the way he liked it. He could get used to this. That realization scared the hell out of him. He was not a family man, but a musician who traveled the world.
"Doesn't Maddie look pretty today?"
"She does." He glanced at Mercy, who dressed in jeans and a white T-shirt that fell off her shoulder. Would her skin be as soft as it looked?
"Time to go." He had to get out of there, or before he knew it, he'd be planning birthday parties and kitchen remodels. He gobbled down the last few bites, drank the coffee, and stood.
"Pwait in the sink, mister." Maddie pointed to where suds rose above the rim.
"Bossy thing, aren't you?"
She climbed down from her chair and put her plate in the sink.
"Go wash your hands and meet us by the door."
Sending Maddie away could only mean he was in for a stern talking to.
"What did I do now?" He asked as soon as they were alone.
Her smile threw him off-kilter. No one beamed like that before they scolded someone.
"Nothing. I wanted to say thank you for understanding that she has needs that aren't met."
He moved a step closer to her. Close enough to smell the floral perfume she wore. It was soft and smelled like garden roses. He knew the scent well because they grew wild at his childhood home.
"Thank you for helping."
She nodded toward a stack of envelopes several inches high. "It's a pleasure as well as a necessity."
"Took on more than you could afford?"
"You have no idea."
Maddie raced back and pushed him out of the way to hug Mercy. "Wets go."
"Yes," Mercy said with a giggle in her voice. "Wets go."
Alex put one hand on Maddie's head and the other at the small of Mercy's back. "What are we waiting for?" He led them through the living room, and in the short distance, the heat from touching them coursed through his veins to his heart. He swore he heard the ice inside him crack.
They walked down the path to his car, where he helped Maddie into her booster seat.
"When did you get that?" Mercy asked.
"I ordered it, and it came last night." He buckled Maddie in and reached over the seat to the passenger side to grab the bear. "Someone is missing you." He moved the bear like a puppet. "Maddie, I love you." He felt silly making a voice for the bear, but she liked it and hugged her stuffed animal close to her heart. Was that a gift from her mom?
"You're earning points today, Alex. You're two for two."
He opened the passenger door so Mercy could enter. "It's early yet, and I'm sure I'll mess it up somewhere."
She buckled up and turned toward him. "No doubt. You're a man, and it's inevitable."
And the Mercy Meyer with the sharp tongue was back. He rounded the corner and took a seat behind the wheel.
"Where do we go to get what we need?"
"Copper Creek will do."
He hadn't been there long enough to know his way around, so he plugged the town into his GPS, and they were off.
"Tell me about yourself, Mercy."
She turned as far as the seat belt allowed. "It's a bit late to want my resume now, isn't it? I mean, you left your kid with me overnight. I could have been a child molester."
He gripped the steering wheel so tightly his fingertips numbed. He hadn't considered any of that.
"You came recommended by someone I trust. Katie wouldn't steer me wrong."
She huffed. "Katie doesn't know me. She knows of me."
"I'm obviously unsuited to care for a child, but I'm trying."
"That's all anyone can expect."
"Educate me."
"About what?"
He had no idea what he didn't know. "First, tell me about yourself, and then tell me what you learned from spending the night with Maddie."
"Is this a post-hire interview?"
"No, I'd like to know you better."
She let out a sigh.
"I'm a first-grade teacher who works at Creek Elementary School. I've been there for a year but have been teaching for eight. I like the grade I teach because the kids
are fun, still have respect for their elders, and they are like sponges."
She seemed to perk up while talking about her job. She obviously liked it.
"Where were you before Creek?"
"I worked in Silver Springs." Her words lost their lilt of happiness.
"Why did you leave there?"
Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her scrub her face with her hand. It was what he did when he was up against something tough.
"My husband died, and staying there was too painful."
His foot tapped the brake, and the car jolted like his heart. "I'm so sorry. That must be hard."
"More than you'll ever know."
"Maybe it's fate that Katie recommended you. I mean … you and Maddie have something in common."
"Oh … I'm certain that Maddie feels sad while my pain still sits in the rage phase."
He wasn't sure what the phases of grief were, but he knew anger was one of them.
"Everyone moves from shock to acceptance at a different pace."
She looked toward the window. "I'm pretty sure I'll stay exactly where I am for a while."
That seems odd, but what do I know? His life was different from everyone's in that he had already come to terms with his parents' loss well before they passed.
"It sounds like you love teaching."
"It's the best thing about my life. I love kids. What we teach them now will make a difference in the world later. Everyone that Maddie comes into contact with will influence her life and mold her into the woman she'll become. What kind of woman do you want your daughter to be?"
She kept referring to Maddie as his daughter, even though it wasn't confirmed. He wasn't sure how he felt about that because he'd be a terrible role model. Hell, he was a man who used the women that used him. Not one of his concert hookups asked anything about his life or journey. All they wanted was a night of passion to write about in their journals.
"I haven't come to terms with having a little girl," he whispered. "There's no way I can imagine her as a woman."
"Keep in mind that she's going to see how you treat the ladies in your life, and that will be how she'll expect men to treat her."
"Do they still accept girls at convents?"
"You are kidding, right?"
"Well, do they?" He wouldn't want his daughter dating a musician who was never there and never faithful. Life on the road was hard, but not as lonely as others made it sound. There was always a willing woman to relieve the stress of the day. The only thing he didn't have was a confidant—someone to share his worries and wishes with. And from what he'd seen over the years, relationships were far too complicated. All he had to think about was Gray, his divorce and the settlement, to steer clear of that type of commitment.
"I'm sure they do in some places, but Maddie isn't going to be a nun. She's got so much to offer."
"I wouldn't know at this point. I don't know how to talk to kids."
"You talk to them like you would an adult. People make the mistake of baby talking to children. I find that children will rise to expectations as long as they are reasonable. No one is perfect. We all make mistakes, so expecting her to be flawless is misguided. Your first and foremost goal for her should be that she's happy."
They entered Copper Creek, and he drove down the main road where the lion's share of restaurants and shops were. "Where too?"
"Walmart is fine." She pointed to the right, where the store sat at the far side of the parking lot. "It's a one-stop shopping experience. Have you ever been in one?"
"I'm not a label snob. While I've got money, I'm not what you'd call rich."
"Rich is relative to what you have. A man who has a dollar is rich compared to the man whose pockets are empty."
He parked the SUV and helped Maddie out of the car. When she slipped her hand in his, the iciness inside him continued to thaw. It wasn't her fault that her mother was irresponsible and her father, whoever that might be, was an idiot. She'd been brought into the world, and she needed someone to acknowledge her existence.
A lump caught in his throat because, in that second, he realized that he and Maddie were more alike then different.
He swung her up and put her on his shoulders, where she held her bear with one hand and gripped his hair with the other.
"Are you ready to shop, Maddie? I hear your shoes hurt your feet."
She squealed as he spun around. Once inside, he lowered her to the cart, where she managed to squeeze her legs through the holes of the child seat. There had to be an age limit or size restriction, but he didn't care because the kid was happy and that, according to Mercy, was his goal for the day—every day for that matter.
"Let's start at shoes and work our way around," Mercy suggested. "If Maddie is a good girl, maybe Daddy will buy you a toy."
"We talked about this. Do you think it's wise to tell her something that's not necessarily true?"
She walked ahead but called over her shoulder. “Have you seen her? I mean, really looked at her?"
He had and was mostly convinced she was his too, but until he got confirmation, he didn't want to put a title to what he was to Maddie.
"Until we know, she can call me Alex." He looked into the eyes that had watched him since they entered the store. "Okay, Maddie. You can call me Alex."
"Awex," she repeated.
It took over three hours for them to get everything Mercy thought Maddie would need, including several books, a few toys, and more hair ornaments than a show poodle, but the smiles on both of their faces were worth it.
At the checkout, the cashier gave him the total, which was less than he spent on skins for his drums.
"You've got a beautiful family," the woman with a nametag that read, Linda said.
He looked at Mercy and Maddie and realized they appeared to be a family unit. He could spend ten minutes explaining how they weren't together, but that meant ten more minutes before they could have lunch.
"Thank you."
"Your daughter favors you."
He slid his card into the machine. "She does." He decided to play with Mercy since she watched him closely, no doubt wondering how he'd respond. "But she's got her mother's disposition. It's half angel and half capuchin monkey. They're the troublemakers of the primate family."
"I'll give you trouble." Mercy took the receipt from Linda, and they moved forward. "You haven't seen trouble yet."
"I'm scared."
"Scared isn't enough, you should be terrified." Mercy raced forward with the full cart and Maddie. Once she got to a speed she liked, she stepped onto the bar of the cart and rode it with a giggling Maddie to the car.
"How about pizza?" Mercy asked as soon as they were in the car.
"Pizza," Maddie called from the back seat. "I wuv pizza."
“You love pizza. Not wuv it.” Mercy turned in her seat to face Maddie. She placed her tongue to the edge of her upper front teeth and said, “La la love.”
"I love pizza too.” Alex said, making sure to put emphasis on the L. “Lead the way, Ms. Meyer."
She gave him directions to Piper's, and in less than ten minutes, they were in a booth waiting for lunch while Maddie played in the ball pit.
"You know those things are disgusting and full of germs, right?" Mercy pulled napkins from the dispenser and folded them in half before placing them on the paper placemats.
"But, they're fun." He glanced over to watch Maddie dive from the side into the center and pop back up laughing.
"You'll need to bathe her when you get her home."
His heart stopped entirely and restarted with an explosion that caused the blood to pump through his veins at record speed.
"I can't bathe her. I mean … she's a girl, and that seems wrong."
"She's your dau … your responsibility right now, and cleanliness is important."
He shook his head. "Nope. Can't do it. I'll pay you more if you take care of that."
Mercy laughed. "You already pay me a fortune, so I'll do it now
, but when she becomes a permanent fixture in your life, you'll have to figure it out. I'll see how she does in both the shower and the bath. Maybe all you'll need to do is get them ready and sit close by while she washes."
Just as his heart settled, he heard a loud cry come from the ball pit. It was a duet of unhappy kids. He took off toward Maddie to see what happened. She stood in the center next to a boy, and both were rubbing their foreheads.
He stuck his head inside the opening to the net. "Come here, Maddie. Let me see you."
She trudged through the balls, tears running down her cheeks, and an egg forming on her forehead.
"I hit my head."
He pulled her out and held her close. "I'm sorry about that. It looks like you crashed into each other." She buried her head into his chest and bawled while he rocked her and consoled her.
Mercy stood in front of him, smiling.
"You know, anyone can make a baby. Anyone can be a father, but it takes a special man to be a daddy."
Maddie was stealing his heart while Mercy was messing with his mind. He was screwed.
Chapter Nine
Fridays were one of Mercy's favorite days of the week. She recharged over the weekend and was fresh for her students on Monday. Today wasn't the same as most Fridays. Once Maddie went home with her father, she'd have forty-eight hours of loneliness and no purpose.
Her phone rang, shocking her from her doldrums. Alex's name popped up on the screen. It was just after seven o'clock. Waking with the sun was the norm for her, but for a man who stayed up until the wee hours of the morning, this was odd.
Her heart skipped a beat and then another. A rush of panic crawled up her spine and squeezed her throat. Something was wrong with Maddie.
"What's wrong?" It was a rude way to answer the phone, but she'd grown fond of the little girl and didn't want anything to happen to her. No, that wasn't right. She'd fallen head over heels in love with Maddie, and if something happened to her, it would be devastating.
"Nothing is wrong."
"Then why are you calling me at seven in the morning?"
"Because I'm tired."
Her heart pumped so hard and fast she was sure she'd keel over if she didn't get it to calm down. Air, she needed air. A fresh mountain breeze to cool the heat rushing to her face. The fragrance of lavender in bloom.
One Hundred Lessons (An Aspen Cove Small Town Romance Book 15) Page 6
