Swallowing the lump of tears that were threatening, she nodded and looked up at Lou. “I’ll pick up my check on Monday.”
Lou’s face softened. “Maybe you can find somebody else to watch your boy? Or maybe he can get along on his own? If there’s a neighbor close by—”
“He’s only nine.” She tugged at the towel at her waist. “But thanks, anyway. I’ll just get my things and—”
The door opened again, and Garrett walked out. “What’s going on?” he asked, looking from Libby to Lou.
Lou studied him with narrowed eyes. “You playin’ lawyer tonight?”
Garrett shook his head. “No, just trying to find out what’s going on.”
Lou jerked a thumb in the direction of Noah. “I can’t have the kid here, that’s what’s going on. And I can’t have Libby leaving to take him home when I need her here.”
Libby quickly explained that Janet had been the only person who even considered babysitting Noah, thanks to the hours Libby worked.
Lou grunted, shrugged his shoulders and walked away as Garrett pulled his car keys from his pocket. “You don’t need to leave,” he told her quickly, “because I’ll take him to my house. You can pick him up when you get off work.” When Libby started to protest, he held up his hand. “No arguments. I’ll see you when you get off work at your regular time.”
She didn’t even have a chance to argue before he and her son were walking to his car. It made her uncomfortable when he came to her rescue the way he just did. The more she was around Garrett, the more she wondered if leaving Desperation might be a wise idea.
“THIS IS SO COOL,” NOAH SAID from the backseat of Garrett’s sports car.
“Glad you like it,” Garrett replied. “Sorry it’s so cramped.”
“Oh, it isn’t,” Noah said, his voice filled with awe.
Garrett was barely listening. He hadn’t imagined how difficult Libby’s life must be, juggling all that she did. He wasn’t about to let her lose her job, and if that meant not allowing her to turn down his offer to help, so be it.
It didn’t bother him that he wasn’t spending time at Lou’s, although he had been a bit stir-crazy when Paige had offered to take care of Sophie for the evening. But that had passed when he walked into Lou’s and saw Libby. Even more so, now that he had something positive to do.
Noah broke into his thoughts, asking about Sophie.
“She’s good,” Garrett answered, remembering the hug she’d given him when he left for Lou’s. She might not have spoken, but she knew exactly how to melt his heart. If it hadn’t been for his sister’s insistence that he go out, he’d have stayed home with his daughter.
As he pulled into his driveway, Garrett realized that his offer to take Noah home with him might turn out to be an even better idea than he’d imagined. Noah would be great company for Sophie.
But when he opened the front door and stepped inside, he discovered that Sophie was sound asleep in bed. Even Noah looked disappointed as Garrett chatted with Paige and Tucker, and then thanked them as they left.
The rest of the evening wasn’t a waste, though, and he enjoyed the time with Noah as they shared soft drinks and watched a late season baseball game on TV. By the time Libby arrived to pick up her son, Garrett had been formulating an idea that might work well for both him and Libby.
“I’ve been thinking,” he said, after Libby had passed on a soft drink, iced tea and a glass of water.
“So have I,” she said, before he could continue. “Maybe Noah and I should move to Oklahoma City or Tulsa.”
Garrett instantly noted that she appeared to be unable to look him in the eye. Neither did she seem to be enjoying her idea. He didn’t blame her. In spite of the usual negatives of small towns, Desperation was a good place to live and raise a child. Even he’d figured that out.
“That’s the worst idea I’ve heard in a long time,” he told her, determined to keep her from leaving when she didn’t need to.
For the briefest moment, before she ducked her head, he thought he saw the glimmer of tears in her eyes. His heart ached with the need to help her. “It isn’t easy, is it?” he asked softly.
She lifted her head and sighed. “No, it isn’t.”
But Garrett wasn’t going to give up. Not yet. He glanced at Noah, who seemed to be involved in what was on television, before turning his attention fully to Libby. “You asked me earlier how I was. To be honest, it hasn’t been as easy as I thought it would be. I can now say I completely understand how difficult being a parent can be. Especially a single parent with a job.”
Her smile was understanding. “It can be painful to learn things the hard way, but experience is the best teacher. I’m sorry you have to go through it, but it’ll probably make you a better person.”
“Learning from our mistakes?”
She smiled. “Always. But being a parent is never a mistake. A surprise at times, maybe, but never a mistake.”
He wondered about her past, but he didn’t feel comfortable asking. “I’ve come up empty-handed on finding someone to watch Sophie,” he admitted. “We’re both in the same boat, Libby.”
“Along with others, I’m sure.”
He didn’t doubt it. “Very possible. But there isn’t time to start a movement here in Desperation for more and better child care.” He hoped she saw the humor in what he was saying and would at least consider the proposition he was ready to offer her. “I can’t work and take care of Sophie, Libby, any more than you can with Noah. And neither one of us seems to be able to find someone we can trust with our kids.”
“Good child care is hard to find.”
Garrett nodded. He hadn’t expected that his role as a father would involve all that it had already. But even though the past couple of weeks hadn’t been storybook perfect, he’d continued working toward making it that way someday. He realized that not only did he have a lot to learn, but that he wouldn’t give up having his daughter with him for anything.
“So here’s the deal,” he said, hoping what he was about to suggest wouldn’t sound completely crazy. “We share child care. I work days. You work nights. We’ll be comfortable that our kids are safe.”
Her eyebrows shot up, arching over her amber eyes.
“Don’t say no, Libby,” he hurried to say, before she had a chance to turn him down without giving it some thought. “Think about it, at least, for a few days.”
“I don’t know…” She closed her eyes and pressed her lips together.
“Noah and I had a great evening, didn’t we, Noah?” He turned to look at Noah, who had forgone watching TV and was listening intently to their conversation. “Mom?”
Libby opened her eyes and looked at her son. “What?”
“He has a good point.”
She shook her head and then turned to Garrett. “There’s at least one problem. I work six nights a week.”
“Six?”
“Monday through Saturday,” she said, nodding. “I doubt that fits your lifestyle, but Lou needs the help, and I need the money. Raising a child doesn’t come cheap.”
The financial aspect wasn’t something Garrett had even given a thought to, not when it came to himself. Money—or more precisely the lack of it—had never been a problem for him. “You could save money by not having to pay for babysitting,” he pointed out, hoping it would sway her to accept.
“But what about your time? I mean, you have a life and—”
“To tell the truth, I don’t have much of a social life. You can ask my sister. So there’s no problem there.”
“What about those times when you might have to leave town?” she asked. “I mean, I’ve heard you sometimes go into Oklahoma City on city business.”
He didn’t have a ready answer, but that didn’t stop him. “We’ll work something out. It doesn’t happen all that often.”
He could tell he was gaining ground when she glanced again at Noah, but he knew he hadn’t convinced her yet. What else could he say that would win her
over to his idea?
Seconds ticked by before she let out a long sigh. “I suppose we could try it. For a little while, anyway. If it doesn’t work out—”
“Then I’ll find us both child care somewhere else.”
She hesitated and then nodded. “I guess that’s fair.”
It was. He knew it was. And he was convinced that it wasn’t just the only answer, but the perfect one. As long as he kept things on a friendly basis and nothing more, everything would be fine.
“MOM, I’M HOME!”
Libby looked up from the laundry she was sorting, just as Noah closed the front door behind him. “I see that. How was football practice?”
“Good.” Tossing his book bag to the sofa, he hurried to the corner of the room where Sophie was playing with a small dollhouse Garrett had bought to keep at Libby’s. When Noah sat down next to her, she turned to look at him and smiled, then nodded to the tiny family that had come with the dollhouse.
He picked up the small father figure that lay off to the side. “It’s almost time for the dad to come home from work,” he told Sophie. “He’s probably hungry, and so am I.”
She giggled and picked up one of the other dolls, but she said nothing.
Sighing, Libby wondered how long it would take the little girl to be comfortable enough to speak. She knew Garrett worried even more about Sophie’s silence, and Libby had tried her best to ease his fears, even as her own began to grow. All she could do was hope and pray that in time Sophie would understand that no one was going to leave her or send her away.
Libby set aside the laundry and walked to the small kitchen. “There’s a few doughnuts left from the ones Garrett brought this morning,” she called to the children. “Anybody want one?”
“I do!” Noah shouted.
“Wash your hands first,” Libby reminded him. “And take your backpack to your room.”
Minutes later, Noah and Sophie pulled out chairs and settled at the table. “Sophie washed her hands, too,” Noah told his mother.
Placing a paper plate with a doughnut in front of Sophie, Libby smiled. “Good for you!”
Sophie returned the smile and nodded, her eyes sparkling, and then she attacked her doughnut.
Kids will be kids, Libby thought, silently laughing to herself. Sitting at the table with them, she took a bite of her own doughnut. Garrett had brought them for breakfast, but pastries weren’t her idea of a nutritious meal. She even tried to stay away from sugary cereals. But now that they were sharing child care, Garrett had brought something every morning that week for breakfast or for snacks. She appreciated his gesture and had decided not to mention her concerns. Yet. None of which meant she wasn’t enjoying the goodies he brought.
He had a lot to learn about being a parent. She didn’t doubt he knew that. In fact, doubting himself when it came to his parenting skills was probably his biggest fault. He needed to have more faith in himself. He was doing much better than many men she’d known.
Her ex-husband’s face popped into her mind. He was one man who hadn’t had a clue about being a father, and he didn’t care that he didn’t. But that was the past, she reminded herself quickly and shoved the thought of him from her mind.
After finishing her doughnut, she reminded Noah and Sophie to wash the sticky from their hands when they finished. Of course the reminder brought a groan from her son. She ignored it. He was a good kid but also a normal one, therefore he was far from perfect. She understood and accepted that, and didn’t want it any other way.
“Can we watch TV?” he asked after the two of them had cleaned up again.
Libby glanced at the clock. It was getting close to time for Garrett to pick up Sophie, which also meant it was time to start getting ready for work. “Sure, but keep the volume down, okay?”
Thirty minutes later, she was changed and almost ready to leave, but Garrett still hadn’t arrived. The fact that he was late had her worried. The last she’d heard, he planned to take Sophie and Noah to the Chick-a-Lick Café for their supper. He was usually punctual, so they’d made no contingency plans if he was held up at the office.
When she heard a light knock on the door, she was relieved to find Garrett on the other side. There was enough to worry about besides him being late, and she decided that they needed to at least talk about a backup plan for the future. He might not want to think about it, but anything could happen to upset their schedule.
As he walked to the dollhouse where Sophie was playing, Libby wasn’t sure how to let him know that she was upset. Experience had taught her that everything that went wrong was her fault. She’d thought that she’d finally convinced herself that wasn’t true, but the lesson had obviously ingrained itself in her.
She looked at her watch. If she didn’t leave in the next ten minutes, she’d be late for her shift. Lou expected his employees to be prompt.
“I’m late, aren’t I?” Garrett asked.
Her head snapped up and she stared at him. “Well, um, just a little,” she answered, her old fear returning. “But it’s okay,” she hurried to tell him. She knew she shouldn’t be reacting this way, but she couldn’t stop.
He glanced at his watch, too, and sighed. “You’d better get going, hadn’t you? I promise this won’t happen again.”
Out of habit that even time hadn’t broken, her body stiffened at the words he’d just spoken, and she waited for something to happen. Clasping her hands tightly in front of her, all she could do was nod. “It’s—it’s all right.”
It didn’t help when Garrett stood watching her, studying her, as if he could see inside her head and know everything.
“Go on to work,” he said, taking her by surprise. “We’ll lock up.” He looked around the room. “Is there anything else I should do?”
Somehow she regained some control of herself and was able to move toward the door. “No, everything is good. Just lock the door and turn off all the lights except that lamp in the corner. Noah knows.” She smiled at her son and hated that she’d reverted to her old ways. “I’ll pick you up later, honey, and you be good for Garrett, okay?”
He hurried to her as she opened the door and slipped his arms around her waist, hugging her. When she looked down at him, he was looking up at her. “It’s okay, Mom. I can take care of it.”
Tears stung her eyes, and all she could do was nod. Running her fingers through his dark, curly hair, she did her best to smile, and then slipped out the door.
A busy night at the tavern usually kept her mind off her troubles, but Libby discovered it didn’t always work. While she took orders, served beer, wiped tables and walked what seemed like miles, she couldn’t stop thinking of how she’d slipped back into her past behavior. By the time work ended for the night, she was certain Garrett had noticed that something was wrong with her and would call off their child care agreement when she picked up Noah.
With her pockets full of tip change after a night that was at least productive in the world of work, she stood on the broad porch of Garrett’s home and listened to the quiet drone of the TV inside. She felt badly because Garrett was getting the worst part of their deal. While she only watched over Sophie on Monday through Friday, Garrett had to curtail his social life on Saturdays to keep an eye on Noah. If she wasn’t so tired and worried, she’d remind him that the child care they shared should be divided more equally.
Lifting her hand, she rapped on the door and within seconds it opened. A golden glow from a lamp lit the inside of the house and welcomed her. She stepped inside and Garrett closed the door behind her.
“You look tired,” he said.
“Only a little,” she answered, not wanting to admit it. Moving farther into the room, she noticed that Noah wasn’t present and must be sleeping. She hated to have to wake him to drive home, but he never complained. That was how it had been for the past eight months since they’d moved to Desperation, and they’d both adjusted to it.
The large, comfortable sofa tempted her to sit and relax, but she ig
nored the lure, knowing she might not get up again until morning. Instead, she gathered the courage she’d fought for and won six years ago when she divorced her abusive husband. She and Garrett needed to discuss a backup plan in case either of them discovered they would be late or had to have a day off.
She turned to Garrett and reminded herself that she was no longer a woman who wasn’t allowed to speak her mind. “I wanted you to know that I was worried today that you were going to be late.”
He nodded, his expression solemn. “I know, and I’m sorry I made you worry.”
She tried not to focus on how easy it was for him to say it. His sincerity seemed natural and surprised her. “It’s all right,” she managed to say. “I’m only thinking of the future. We need to come up with a backup plan, just in case. There must be someone we could call in a pinch, but I don’t know of anyone.”
Garrett perched on the arm of the sofa. “I’m the one who is more likely to be late. Or there’s always that possibility that I’d have to be gone, although I want to keep that at a minimum for Sophie’s sake. Let me see if I can find someone who could take over at the last minute.”
Libby was relieved she didn’t have to handle this alone. “All right. I won’t worry about it unless I have to.” She knew this was her chance to bring up the imbalance of time they each had the children, but she decided not to, until they had the other solved. “Noah’s asleep?” she asked.
“About nine-thirty,” Garrett answered. “And we did homework as soon as we got home from the café. You do know how smart he is, don’t you?”
She laughed. “I guess I’m so accustomed to it, I take it for granted. Thank you for helping him with the homework. He’ll try to skip doing it if he thinks he can.”
“Most kids do,” Garrett said, getting to his feet.
She forced herself to move. “I’d better get him home.”
He followed her as she walked down the hallway to his bedroom, where Noah slept on the bed, covered with a blanket. “Noah,” she whispered. “It’s time to go home.”
The boy slowly opened his eyes and sat up, reaching for his jacket beside him. “Okay,” he mumbled.
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