by Quinn, Taryn
I told him what I had in mind, giving him the freedom to sketch whatever he thought would work. As I talked, he nodded and sketched and erased and added more shading.
“I was thinking a vine.”
“Where do you want it?”
I rolled up my right sleeve. “I was thinking my forearm. Not too far down, because of work—” Hearing myself, I shook my head. “Nah, I’m going to be working more out of my house for a while. I can have the fucking ink on my hand if I want it there.”
Lance grinned. “You sure can. You can have it come right down like this.” He sketched out his drawing with a fingertip on the back of my hand. He had the ink climbing toward my fingers, which was definitely more than I’d planned on. But I didn’t want to hide the design. If anything, I wanted to be able to look down and see it anytime I needed the visual reaffirmation.
I had a family now, one that was anchored in the past and growing stronger by the day.
“Not a vine though. I’m seeing a tree. Lots of gnarled branches, thick roots. And the names can be woven in between the gaps.” He turned his sketch pad toward me. “Like that.”
“Oh, that’s awesome. Can you start it today?” I rolled my shirt up even higher. “You can do it mostly black, with the names maybe in—”
“Colors like leaves I’m thinking?”
“Yes. That’s good. Autumn.” I looked up again just as the bell jingled over the door. Hannah walked inside, holding Lily on her hip, her sunglasses propping back her long fall of hair. “Hey, babe, come look at this.”
I didn’t know why I called her babe. I also didn’t expect her eyes to widen at the sight of me as if she’d forgotten entirely who I was. Then she pressed her lips together and rushed off with Lily in the direction of the restrooms. Somehow she knew where to find them.
Women were geniuses.
“Yeah, she’s smokin’. Got some curves on her too.” At my narrow-eyed look, Lance cleared his throat. “Just saying. I could see tattooing her name on my branch too.”
I choked out a laugh. “Jesus. But yeah, let’s get it started today. If she won’t look at the sketch, she can at least see the outline.”
“She has a problem with ink?”
“Some needle phobia. Since she’s pregnant, hope she gets over it.”
“Oh.” Lance nodded knowingly. “Kids, huh? Don’t blame you. I’d want to get that one on lockdown too.”
I frowned. “It wasn’t like that. It was just a…” Dr. Ellis’s phrase came back to mind. “Happy accident.”
“Good for you, man. Let’s get this ink started then before we get swamped.”
I tried to shift to see Hannah and Lily emerge from the bathroom, but I was positioned wrong. In no time, Lance had a good bit of the main trunk done, with the climbing branches extending up my hand. Some of them were knottier, the ink dense and dark in spots. Other spots had room for the names. He put them down in thin black ink for now, with the idea to add highlights and color shading during the next visit.
Billy.
Gran.
Lily.
Hannah.
And the word Happy.
Just…happy.
“Oh my God. That’s—” I turned my head and glimpsed Hannah standing a few feet away, her hands up to her mouth. “Holy shit, that’s hot.”
Lance looked up from his work with a smirk. “Somebody’s getting lucky tonight.”
With effort, I tried to keep my face sober as I spoke over the noise of the tattoo gun. “You like it? Come closer. There’s—”
“I see.” She pointed at the sketch book that had fallen off the table and landed face up on the floor. “You have all of our names. And…happy?”
“Yeah, since we don’t know the gender yet, and we won’t for a while, we can’t pick a name. So, happy accident seems to fit, right?”
Hannah moved forward and cupped my cheek, leaning down to give me a hard kiss. “Yes, we can find out next month. No, you didn’t outwit me. Yes, I know you’re conning me. No, I don’t care.” She stepped back as my head revolved off my shoulders—not from the effect of the tattoo either—and smiled at the receptionist, currently carrying a giggling Lily. “Thanks for watching her for a minute.”
“Oh, no problem. Your baby is an angel.”
Hannah’s gaze met mine as she answered softly, “Yes, she is.”
Twenty-Four
“I hate when he’s right.” I juggled my phone with my iPad as I tried to keep my video call going with Gabby.
“No, you don’t.”
“I so do.”
I brought the phone up to meet her gaze. “Especially when I wasn’t prepared for the influx of orders.”
I tucked my phone into the stand I’d found in the pantry. No idea why it was in there, but then again, I often found weird things in the house. It was as if Asher had bought the house as is and forgot to finish filling all the rooms.
But the last owner had to have been a cook because the stand was the best thing on the planet. I was forever snatching my phone out of some puddle of sauce or pile of flour. With this thing? Well, it was official, I might actually marry it.
I quickly checked my site on my iPad and found seven more orders for this afternoon. I sent them to my label printer and for the first time since I’d opened Hannah’s Helping Hand Box, I had to turn off the delivery option.
“Don’t worry, we’ll get them all delivered.”
Since things had been going so well between myself and Asher, he’d felt comfortable enough to tell me what I was doing wrong in my business.
Looking at his gorgeous new tattoo had helped soothe my annoyance at his suggestions, I had to admit.
It had taken a few trips to the tattoo parlor, but now it was all done. Perhaps I spent a little more time than necessary making sure it was properly moisturized. Mostly because it was ridiculously thoughtful and hot in some crazy way I didn’t know how to explain. Ink had never been my thing, until my traditional, workaholic lover had gone ahead and done something so over the top and special.
Something for just us and our growing family.
That was Asher. He was so linear with certain things like business. Almost rigid enough to make me want to smack the crap out of him. Then he tossed me a sweet curve ball that left me confused and nursing a mushy heart that felt almost too full.
As my menu had been too full. I honestly hadn’t believed cutting it in half would help. In fact, Asher had told me to cut it down to five items.
I did it, simply to prove him wrong. And now—chaos.
Damn him.
“Thanks for helping me deliver. It’s going to be crazy, but I think if we both do it, we’ll be fine.”
The video shook a little and the sound of a slamming car door flooded me with relief. She was already on her way over, thank God. The vid righted itself. “I’ll be there in ten.”
“Bless you.”
Gabby gave me a thumbs up. “We’re good, mamacita.” Then the video went off.
I scooped up Lily and deposited her in the pack and play. She screeched her displeasure, and I gave in and gave her the puffed treats she loved. As well as her new favorite toys, a plastic bake set.
I couldn’t say I minded that she was taking after me in some regard, even if I wasn’t her mom. Though I felt like she was mine more every day. Asher too.
At least until lately.
Of course, he wasn’t around to help today. I probably should have called Bess, but if I was going to make this business a success, I needed to find my own balance. Then again if Asher had been around, I would have been happy to let him pitch in. I’d gotten way too used to him being home in the evenings, and that was on me. I only had myself to lean on—and Gabby. She never let me down.
Already, I was thinking about asking Gabby to become my partner, not just my helper with deliveries. That was if things kept on the same trajectory. I’d thought Asher might be interested in making my company a bit of a family business, but lately, he’d been
distant again. Working late hours like he had when I first started taking care of Lily.
Only this time, he continued to crawl into bed with me at night. No matter how exhausted we both were, there was no true sleep until he was curled around behind me in the deepest part of the night. It was the only thing I could hang onto at the moment.
Luckily, I was usually too busy to think about it most of the time.
Lily was walking now—not well, but just enough to get into trouble all the time. Between chasing after her and my slowly increasing customer base, I was in bed at almost the same time as Lily. Even if I wanted to stay up to have some adult conversations—or playtime—it just wasn’t happening.
“All right, baby girl. Let’s get this party started.” I flicked through the settings on my phone and found my packing playlist. It started with “Lay Your Hands on Me” by Bon Jovi and instantly clicked my brain into gear. By the time Gabby arrived, I’d packed up my beef stroganoff, spicy lemon shrimp, and half of the grilled veggie pasta.
She knocked on the back door to the mudroom and I let her in. “Hey.”
She swooped in and hugged me. “I can’t believe you ended up with that many orders in one day.”
“I’m convinced the universe likes to mess with me. I only changed the menu to show Asher he didn’t know what he was talking about.”
“We’ll give him the win since it tripled your sales.”
I laughed. “He’ll end up all strutting peacock with the knowledge.”
“You know how to bring him back down to human male levels.”
“All I have to do is read aloud from the baby book. Usually does the trick.”
“Would work for me. Between Mami’s labor stories and yours, I’m never having a kid.”
“You say that, but then your whole world changes.”
“If you say so.” She followed me in and took an appreciative deep breath. “Girl, it smells amazing in here.”
“Thank God, I’d made enough of the stroganoff that I could extend the recipe. Serves Asher right that he won’t get to have any.”
“You are a cruel woman.”
“Damn straight.”
As usual, we worked well together. Within thirty minutes, we had everything packed up, including Lily Patch, and we were both loading every soft-sided cooler I had into our cars. We double-checked the addresses and ensured that our GPS units could actually find them before splitting up.
“I have to head to my parents’ house after deliveries.”
“That’s fine. Tell Bonnie I said hello and that I want a cooking lesson. I’d love to add some of her Spanish Italian fusion recipes to my repertoire.”
“God, her head will be swollen, but I’ll tell her.” Gabby slammed the door and rolled down the window. “I’m so proud of you for making this happen, chica.”
I grinned at her. “Thanks. Couldn’t do it without you, babe.” I waved as she headed down the drive then turned to my little charge. “You ready to go for a ride?”
Lily blew kisses, her new favorite trick. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
“Asher!”
I shook my head. “Nope, just Hannah Banana today, kiddo.”
“Bnnaaa.”
Delighted, I blew raspberries into her neck. “Close!”
When she was a giggling ball of happiness, I locked her into her crazy harness. The baby seats were no joke. I turned on some more Bon Jovi for her, since the rockers were her favorite band as of late. I was a little more partial to current music, but nineties’ rock would do for this sunny afternoon.
The first six drop-offs were perfection. I even managed to get an applesauce squeeze pack into Lily without too much fanfare. Eating in the car was a trick sometimes. I ate one too for a little sugar boost.
I plugged the next three drop-offs into the GPS, and we sang our way through the Have a Nice Day album. At least we were finally heading into the 2000s with that album. We were clapping along to the songs so loud that I didn’t hear the grinding noise at first.
When the song changed over to the slower “Bells of Freedom”, I heard it.
It got even louder as I stepped on the brakes. I turned down the music and winced. It had been awhile since I had driven my car, but I’d definitely never heard that sound before. Suddenly, the grinding became a screech and Lily put her hands over her ears.
“Nahh.”
“Yeah, I know, kiddo. Hang on.” I pulled over to the side of the road. “Shit.” We were just outside of town on a country road.
I grabbed my phone out of my bag and quickly went for my contacts. My thumb hovered over Asher’s name. He was in meetings all day, according to our family Google calendar. This definitely wasn’t an emergency.
I was an independent woman with a roadside assistance subscription. I glanced at the time with a wince. I still had a half dozen deliveries to do, and it was already after four in the afternoon. Checking the rearview mirror to make sure Lily was still happy, I dialed the tow company.
A pleasant woman picked up. I explained where I was and that my car wasn’t drivable.
“Unfortunately, it’s rush hour, and I can’t get anyone out there for at least ninety minutes.”
“Ninety? I have a child with me.”
“Are you in immediate danger?” Her voice became clipped.
“No.”
“Can you turn the car on to keep it heated?”
“Well, yes.” Obviously, she had a checklist of some sort, and I had a feeling I was not getting any of the good checkmarks.
“Are you on the side of the road with high speed traffic?”
“Look, I get it. We’re not a priority, but ninety minutes? That seems excessive.”
“You are in a low tow area, ma’am.”
I rolled my eyes. “I have food in the car that will spoil.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll have a tow truck there as soon as possible.”
“Never mind.”
“Are you sure?”
“I can’t sit here for ninety minutes. I’ll find an alternative.”
The voice paused and the background noise went silent. Damn mute button. I hated when customer service people used that. Like we didn’t know they were doing it. She came back on the line. “We’ll leave the service call in. If you find an alternative, just try to call us back.”
“Fine, fine.”
I rummaged in my bag when Lily started to fuss. I took out one of her favorite teething rings and passed it back to her before I hung up.
Crap. Crap. Crap.
Again, my finger hovered over Asher’s number and I thumbed down to Gabby’s number instead. “Hey.”
“What’s up?” The air was whooshing in the background. Hands-free on a pretty spring day was no joke.
“How many deliveries do you have left?”
“I’m on the last one.”
“Great. Where are you?”
Gabby rattled off a street that was at least fifteen minutes away. I sighed. “I ran into a little trouble.”
Suddenly, the air noise lessened. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, we’re fine. Something sounded off with my brakes, so I pulled over.”
“Oh my God. Where are you?”
“The old country road near the Leonard house.”
“I’ll be right there.” Then the line went dead.
I sighed and bounced my head against my headrest. “Seriously, how is this my life?” I turned to check on Lily. She was gnawing on the ring, drool glistening from her chin and chubby hand. One tooth had finally come in, but she was already cutting another one. “You’re going to have a full set of chompers before you turn one, kiddo.”
She squeaked out a barrage of babble followed by a giggle. I couldn’t help but smile back at her. Even at our worst moments, this kid had a smile at all times.
I did a search for tow companies in the area, then remembered Kramer & Burns from Main Street in Crescent Cove. They did more detailing and design work than mechanics, but maybe h
e’d take pity on me since we were officially town residents.
“Yo.” Came a female voice. “Shit, I mean, Kramer and Burns Auto, how may I help you?”
“Hi, this is Hannah Jacobs. My car broke down, and I was wondering if you were available for a tow?”
“Call Triple A, sweetheart. We only do customs.”
“Wait! I live in Crescent Cove. I’ve heard that Dare will help out people in town.”
“You heard wrong.”
“Dammit, Tish.” I heard the muffled voice in the background, then the phone being fumbled. “This is Dare, how can I help you?”
Lily tossed the rings at me and suddenly started to wail. Perfect.
“Hi. This is Hannah Jacobs. I tried to call Triple A, but they can’t get to me for ninety—”
“Don’t give it a thought. We don’t leave moms stranded. Even if you weren’t a mom—besides, Kels would skin me. Sorry about Tish. God, I’m turning into my wife. Let’s start this again. Where are you?”
I laughed and turned in my seat to give Lily another applesauce pouch. That might buy me five minutes. “Thank you. I’m so sorry to bother you.”
“Not a bother. Just let’s get you situated.”
I sagged against my seat. “That would be wonderful. I’m on the old county road. Just not sure exactly where.”
“Can you see a marker?” I looked out my front window and saw one. Thank God, something going my way. I rattled off the number.
“Perfect. I’ll be there in less than twenty.”
“Thank you.”
I looked at my screen again. Maybe I should text Asher. But then I’d worry him for no reason. We’d be home and in bed before he got home anyway.
I huffed out a breath and plugged it into my car charger. At least I wouldn’t have a dead phone on top of all of this. I slapped my hazards on and got out to sit in the back with a whimpering Lily. By the third round of “Born to Be My Baby”, Gabby was pulling up behind me.
She got out. “Okay, let me get you and the baby into my car. We can get the baby seat going. Maybe we can even get it installed before dark.”
“It’s not going to be dark for at least an hour.”
