This Baby Business

by Heatherly Bell

  She cut into the dress, ripping seams and removing sleeves. Found a piece of a soft white cotton with a flowery print that she’d bought at the fabric shop in town the last time she’d been in there. Seemed like ages ago. She could replace a velvet sleeve with a cotton one. Carly went to work cutting out pieces and holding them up. Okay, weird. But somehow it worked. She held it up and admired the juxtaposition of solid red velvet and flowery cotton print. It still needed...something. Maybe ribbon or lace.

  She’d always loved this part of fashion. Seeing something in a brand-new light. Satin and denim...leather and lace. She had no doubt it was what she’d be doing right now if she had a choice. She could do it all right here from her sewing machine. One thing for sure—she didn’t want to run RockYourBaby.com. That was her mother’s dream, and Carly couldn’t hang on much longer.

  Finally, Carly finished and forced herself away from her sewing machine to trudge to the computer screen. She leafed through the baby bible for almost an hour but found nothing inspiring to give to her readers. Nothing to turn their boring, mundane lives into something interesting, or even to remind them that what they were doing was important. She imagined that when it came down to it, raising a baby was all about routine and not much about fun.

  What was that saying about a picture being worth a thousand words? A thousand words were really all she needed for this post. Grabbing her high-resolution camera, Carly took photos of the baby outfit she’d just sewn together. Not bad. She downloaded them to her laptop and uploaded them to her blog. It looked okay, frankly, even without any words. She hit Publish.

  Grace wailed, awake from her nap. When Carly reached the crib, Grace had rolled over onto her stomach from her back. What’s more, she looked immensely pleased with herself, her chubby little legs kicking.

  “Daahh...dah,” Grace said, then blew a raspberry. “Bff.”

  At least Carly had the diaper changing routine down. It hadn’t taken long to figure out as it wasn't exactly rocket science. She’d done her share of babysitting younger cousins years ago. And some baby care, she had come to realize, was so routine that it could be a little mind-numbing at times.

  Maybe they needed a change of scenery. She could take Grace for a walk. Not exciting, but at least it got her outside the house after months of nearly hibernating. Jill and Zoey, her two best friends, had tried to get her to go out more, but Carly hadn’t much wanted to go out and celebrate being young and alive when she’d still been grieving.

  But today, she needed a diversion. Carly rummaged through her closet and pulled out her distressed short overalls. She rolled them farther up at the hem and paired them with a white T-shirt and her broken-in flat brown leather boots. A long-brimmed black fedora completed the look.

  “There.” She felt like a new woman, or more like her old self.

  Carly then spent the next two hours taking Grace for a stroll around the neighborhood and to the nearby park in the lightweight umbrella stroller rated as the most portable and functional by Baby Today. They were the standard in the industry, and Carly hoped they would consider buying RockYourBaby for top dollar. Time was running out.

  Last night, she’d checked in with Kirk and asked to speak with Dad.

  “He’s having a bad day,” Kirk had warned.

  That was always code for “He’s not talking to anyone and being a pain in the ass. He won’t do his exercises.”

  “I’ll try back tomorrow.”

  Mom’s death had hit them all hard, sure, but none harder than their father. He regularly fought with the therapists who were trying to get him to rehabilitate his hip and wasn’t the man Carly remembered anymore. He’d always been her biggest supporter. Her protector. When Carly had wanted to go to New York City and study design, instead of something far more practical as her mother had suggested, it was Daddy who had supported Carly’s decision. He’d smoothed things out with Pearl. And he’d smoothed again, double time, when Carly had returned from the Big Apple a big fat failure.

  Grace squealed. She seemed happiest outside, distracted by the outdoors. Entranced by flowers, trees, dogs and children playing. Carly stopped to pull out her phone and take several photos of her. She was a cute baby. Long dark lashes and blue-gray eyes. Toothless smile. Maybe Carly could ask Levi for permission to use Grace as a baby model for the website. Holy cow, she was totally rocking the great ideas today. She could dress Grace up in cute outfits she created and post photos of her on the blog. Another way to avoid actual words.

  Grace fell asleep on the way home, and she was still asleep when five thirty rolled around and Levi pulled up outside. A person could set a clock by the guy.

  She met him at the door. “She’s still sleeping. Want to come in and wait?”

  “Yeah.” He stepped inside. “Might as well let her sleep.”

  How exactly did he manage to look like sex on a stick at the end of a long day? He had this whole badass look going on, late-afternoon scruffiness over his jawline, making her want to rub against him like a cat.

  Bad, bad Carly. “I wanted to talk to you about something anyway.”

  “Oh, yeah. I haven’t had a whole lot of luck finding another sitter. I’ll make a few calls tonight.” He followed her into the family room.

  “That’s not it. I need a favor.”

  “Done.”

  “You don’t even know what it is yet.”

  He gave her an easy smile. “Doesn’t matter.”

  “Be careful, Levi Lambert. You never know what I might ask.”

  “Bring it on.” His eyes filled with obvious male appreciation.

  She was reminded of her bare legs. The look he slid her was so full of heat that she thought her panties might spontaneously burst into flames. Focus, Carly, focus.

  “I want to put photos of Grace on my website. I took some cute ones today.” She took her phone out and showed them to him. Shots of Grace staring with delight at a tree as if she’d just discovered them. Smiling as she watched a child playing ball, staring wide-eyed at a woman walking her poodle down the street.

  “You took her to the park. She loves it there.” Levi didn’t take the phone from her but instead held her wrist and brought the phone up closer.

  Her stupid wrist tingled as if it thought it might be about to have a good time. She cleared her throat. “I know. Just look at this one. I think she noticed a cloud for the first time.”

  He grinned, still holding her wrist. “Nah, she saw one last week.”

  “Right. So...is it okay if I put her photos up? She’s an adorable baby.”

  “Fine with me.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll never share her real name with my readers. And no one has any idea that the company is based in Fortune. My mother took great precautions to protect our privacy.”

  “I trust you.” His big, rough hand slid from her wrist to her elbow, and the tingle traveled.

  “Thank you.” She stared at his lips, willing him to kiss her. “The trust is...important.”

  “Extremely.”

  That talented hand now settled on her waist and pulled her closer. And somehow her hands were squeezing his biceps and she went up on the balls of her feet to get closer still. He kissed her long and deep, his hot, wet tongue insistent. It got wild and crazy as her hands fisted his shirt and his hands palmed her ass.

  “Levi.” She broke off from the kiss, breathless. “We probably shouldn’t do this. It’s not...a good idea.”

  He pressed his forehead to hers. “You’re right.”

  Great. He agreed with her. “It’s stupid.”

  “Yeah.” He tugged her in tighter and kissed her again. And again.

  She threaded her fingers through his hair and moaned into his mouth.

  And they continued to be crazy stupid for the next hour.

  CHAPTER
SEVEN

  A FEW DAYS LATER, the blog post with the photos of the outfit Carly had created went viral.

  It had been reblogged over a thousand times. Someone, possibly one of her readers, had created a Pinterest board named Fashionista Baby. The hashtag #fashionistababy was trending on Twitter, with mothers posting photos of their own favorite baby outfits. All wanted to know where they might find similar clothes to the one Carly had made.

  Patsy, her mother’s accountant, phoned to tell Carly that whatever she’d been doing, she should keep it up. They’d received renewed interest from some of their lost sponsors. Companies were calling and asking questions. She didn’t think it would be long now. They’d get an offer, Carly would sell the company and Daddy would have the money he needed for the extensive physical therapy ahead of him. And Carly would finally find...something to do with the rest of her life.

  Definitely not this baby business.

  While Grace took a nap, Carly finished her latest blog post—“How to Handle a Teething Baby”—then dialed her father to give him the good news. This time Kirk gladly handed him the phone.

  “Hi, Daddy. How’s the hip?”

  “Still hurts like hell, honey. But that’s hardly your problem. These physical therapists out here don’t know shit.”

  “Are you doing your exercises?”

  “Yeah, yeah. It’s like I told my PT guy—I spent half my life on my feet. Climbing, lifting. Never had a fall or a broken bone. Not one. Come out east to visit with Kirk, and a piece of ice does me in. But now that I have a new hip, those people won’t let me take it easy for a minute. I tell them to let me rest the hip, but no one listens to me. I’m just an old man, so what the hell do I know?”

  Dad was a retired PG&E lineman and had worked physically hard all his life. At sixty-five, he didn’t like anyone telling him how to spend his time. When he’d once been asked what he’d planned to do in his retirement, Daddy said he had plans to surf. From his couch.

  “Well, I’m glad I called, because I’ve got great news,” Carly said.

  “Could always use some of that.”

  “RockYourBaby is doing much better. I had a blog post go viral, and now we’re getting all of our sponsors back.”

  “What’s viral? That’s a good thing? Let me get Kirk back on the phone. I don’t want to talk about that company.”

  Daddy still sounded bitter, even if “that company” could be a part of his retirement if they played their cards right. If Carly could get any real help from her family, it would be so much better, but she had long ago realized she was in this alone.

  “No, that’s okay. We don’t have to talk about the company. Just know that soon I’ll be able to sell it and send you and Kirk some money to help with the physical therapy bills.”

  Too late, Carly forgot it had been the wrong thing to say to Dad.

  “No, I don’t want any of that money coming to me. I told you and your brothers. Your mother meant that to be for our children. Not me. I’m an old man.”

  “But Da—”

  “I want you to take your part of the money and go back to New York City, honey. Finish school. I know your mother could have been more supportive, but she was worried about you. She liked having you nearby, you know that.”

  But if she hadn’t been home, she would have missed out on the last year of Mom’s life. It had all worked out for the best. “I sometimes think I’d like to go back.”

  “Maybe the timing was off. You can’t give up.”

  “Okay, Dad, you’re right. I’ll think about it.”

  It was the only way she’d get him off the subject. Agree. It wasn’t like she didn’t think about it every single day. It would be nice to get a second shot at her dream of life in the Garment District. But that wasn’t likely to happen until she grew a little more confidence in herself. In her own abilities. They’d taken a hit, and even if she was pissed that she’d let one person derail her dreams, she couldn’t go back until she felt sure he was dead wrong.

  * * *

  LEVI WOKE IN a good mood. To put a real stamp of approval on the morning, Grace had gone to bed at ten o’clock the previous night and had woken him up only once. A record.

  While he waited for his coffee to brew and Grace to wake up, he checked email on his phone. There was a new email from Sandy’s father stating that he’d asked for an emergency child custody screening in California family court because he now feared for Grace’s safety.

  Feared for her safety.

  Levi was her father and would sooner light himself on fire than hurt a single hair on her head. Not much fazed him anymore, but that lone email managed to piss him off royally. Sandy’s parents were methodically chipping away at him. It took everything in him not to throw his cell phone across the room. They were never going to give up—he should have realized. Should have dealt with the situation early on and maybe he wouldn’t be in this mess.

  He woke Grace, changed her diaper and put her into one of the many outfits Carly had given him. No sooner had he turned his back to lob the diaper in the trash can than Grace spit up all over and he had to change her again.

  Monday went FUBAR fast after that.

  He’d dropped Grace off at Carly’s, where even seeing her open the door in her Tasmanian Devil slippers didn’t manage to cheer him up.

  Later in the day, two delayed and entitled Silicon Valley VIP passengers did not help his piss-poor mood. He was still exhausted. Hell, he’d been tired for weeks. Now, seeing Carly day in and day out—and playing tonsil hockey with her—had him horny as all get-out, too. If anyone so much as looked at him the wrong way today, he might have to kill them. Matt and Stone were avoiding him, because they were the only two people who would sense he was on the edge and ready to snap. They were both smart enough to know he could kick their collective asses with one hand tied behind his back. If the past was any indication, they were going to avoid him for a while and let him simmer. Then they’d stage a sneak attack.

  If they could find him.

  The fact was he couldn’t risk losing Grace. Ever. He’d been taught to make decisions first with his brain, not his heart. This one required little thought. She was his daughter, not theirs. All he wanted was to be left alone to raise his daughter in peace, but that clearly wasn’t going to happen. Another serious talk with Sandy’s parents would be his next logical move. Actually, it was long overdue. It would be even better to meet face-to-face, and since he figured they’d be in California to attend the sham hearing, maybe he could meet with them first. He couldn’t afford a lawyer, so he guessed he’d represent himself.

  An emergency screening. This had to stop. Worse, they almost had him doubting himself.

  Was he being selfish in raising Grace on his own? Maybe she’d be better off with a grandmother to raise her and a female influence in her life. It was logical, his left brain said. A woman’s touch for a little girl. But in this one instance, his brain wouldn’t cooperate. The idea couldn’t take root. Because even if he’d never had much of a sense of family other than summers with his grandfather, he wanted that kind of stability for Grace. His friends had become a sort of family for him—getting up in his business all the time for one thing—but he wasn’t sure that would be enough. They would soon have their own children to raise. Their own families.

  He finished two flying lessons and a chartered flight to LAX, then in the afternoon he walked into the Magnum Aviation hangar, where he found Cassie waiting for him. Her face was dialed to Angry Mama.

  “You’ve got Emily hiding in Stone’s office. I know everyone’s afraid of you today, but I’m an old lady and I don’t scare easily.”

  He loved Cassie like a second, far less distant mom, but he kept walking without saying a word. He’d done his best to mask his anger, but apparently it had seeped out. The problems he had weren’t anything tha
t his friends could help him with. No point in bothering them.

  Cassie followed him as he strode across the hangar. Sarah Mcallister, who still occasionally worked at the Short Stop Snack Shack, was working today.

  He sat on an empty stool. “Give me a coffee. Black.”

  “Like your mood?” Sarah poured coffee into a mug.

  He fixed her with a look he hoped choreographed that even beautiful and sweet brunette fiancées of best friends weren’t safe today.

  “Hand it to me and I’ll pour it all over his head.” Cassie had finally caught up to him.

  “Uh-oh,” Sarah said, holding the mug out as if unsure of whom to hand the coffee to. “What did he do?”

  “He’s being ornery.” Cassie took a seat on a stool next to him.

  “I don’t want to talk about it.” He grabbed the coffee from Sarah and took a long gulp.

  “Oh, boy,” Sarah said and exchanged a look with Cassie.

  “What?” Levi said.

  “It’s a woman,” they both said at once.

  But they were wrong. Carly wasn’t the problem. She was his happy place right now. A happy place he didn’t want to share with anyone. She was driving him crazy, but in all the good ways. Who would have known a good girl could kiss him like his hottest wet dream? When she’d had her tongue halfway down his throat, his favorite organ had wanted to RSVP to the party. He didn’t know if it was the somewhat forbidden nature of their nanny/boss relationship, but he couldn’t stop thinking about her. She was right, though. The whole idea was stupid, and this confrontation with Cassie and Sarah was only one reason why. He didn’t need to drag all this drama into Carly’s life when she was still dealing with her own. And he could clearly see it in those lost eyes of hers. She was still hurting. Still reeling from her mother’s death and the business mess she’d left in her wake.

  “Said I’m not talking about it.”