“Thanks. I do my best.” She felt her cheeks heat slightly, knowing he was being generous. The apartment was comfortable, but not fancy. The neighborhood was safe and the building in good repair, but her income wasn’t very big, and after paying off the most pressing bills, the remaining life insurance had been socked away into a college savings account for her daughters. If it weren’t for the government social security payments in Lee’s name for the girls, they would never make it financially.
“Mommy, who’s there?” Samantha’s voice entered the room only an instant before she did. Her face brightened when she saw Danny and she ran to him, opening her arms for a hug as he scooped her up. “Danny!”
“Hey, kiddo.” He held her only for a moment, then set her down and crouched to her level. “You haven’t come by the ambulance shed so I can show you around.”
“I keep asking Mom, but she always says there’s no time.” She pulled a face. “There’s never any time.”
Danny looked up at Tia, who fought the urge to look away even as she made her lame excuse, “We’ve been busy. We’ll make it before too much longer.” When his brows lifted slightly, she felt a funny twist in her stomach, wondering if she were as transparent as she felt.
He just nodded, then turned his attention back to Samantha, who was already chattering about school and her friends. Danny listened attentively for several minutes, letting her wind down before giving her a pat on the shoulder and standing again. “Good. Sounds like you’re having fun. Hey, can you do me a favor?”
“Sure!”
“I need to talk to your mom for a little bit. Could you give us a minute?”
Samantha’s face fell. “You’re sending me to my room?”
Amusement tugged at his face. “Isn’t that where you were before I got here?’
“Well, yes.” Samantha scuffed her shoes across the carpet. “Do you want to stay for dinner? ‘Cause if you do, maybe she won’t make me eat Brussels sprouts.”
Danny’s lips quirked, but he managed to hold back the smile that made his eyes glitter. “I’ll see what I can do about it.”
Samantha’s face brightened and she waved goodbye, rushing to her room. When the door slammed behind her, Tia winced. It was time for Tristi to get up from her nap, but slamming doors didn’t usually result in happy awakenings.
“You don’t have to invite me to dinner, if you don’t want to,” Danny said, studying Tia.
She instantly felt bad that he’d misinterpreted her expression. “Sorry, the face wasn’t for you. I’m listening for the wails of an angry toddler.” When a few seconds passed and none came, she let out a breath of relief and put it out of her mind. “Now, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?” She led him to the sofa set and took a chair for herself. Asking him to stay for dinner was tempting, but she hesitated, afraid acting on her attraction would be a mistake.
“Have you ever heard of burn camp?” Danny sat, leaning forward and placing his elbows on his knees, all of his attention riveted on her.
“Is that where firefighters go learn how to burn things more efficiently?”
He chuckled. “No, that’s called Boy Scout camp. Don’t tell the leaders though, they generally discourage it. No, in this case it’s a camp for youngsters who’ve been badly burned in fires. They usually have extensive skin grafts or serious disfigurements. It gives them a chance to be with other kids who’ve been through the same difficulties and creates bonds. I helped out at the camp last summer for a couple of days. It’s incredible what they’re doing there. These kids just need a place where others don’t stare, or treat them different. And a lot of the kids stay in touch, forming lasting friendships.”
Tia felt her heart melt. “It sounds great. I bet the kids and their families really appreciate it.”
“Yes.” He swallowed, but didn’t look away as he plunged ahead. “Well, there are lots of kids who need to go, and too many families who can’t afford the cost of sending their child. Because of this, the fire department is raising money to send children to burn camp.”
Tia marveled at the light of excitement in his eyes. “Are you looking for donations, because I’ve got to tell you, I don’t have a lot left over in my budget.” She might be able to scrounge something, though.
He chuckled. “No, I’m not looking for a donation—we’d never turn one down if you felt so inclined—but what I want from you is your help. If you’re willing.”
That intrigued her. “What can I do?”
“Each of the departments in the area is putting together fund raisers for the burn camp, and my shift decided to do a chili cook off. The thing is, we need to get some celebrity judges, and since you’re pretty well known around here, and food is kind of your thing . . . ” His lifted his brows, his face hopeful.
“That’s like saying fire and bloody accidents are kind of your thing,” she pointed out, unable to help being amused.
He grinned. “Yeah, so I’m good at understatement.”
Tia couldn’t help herself, his smile was infectious. “All right, so you’re looking for a judge. It sounds like a great cause. When’s the event?” She tried to figure how far out they would need to plan to get the word out, and wondered if he was looking at Christmas or early January.
“Saturday the twenty-seventh.”
She goggled. “That’s less than a month away. You’re going to have your hands full to pull it off so fast.”
“I know, but we’ll handle it. I have a lot of free time I can devote to it on my days off, and we’ll all work together. Firefighters are good at teamwork, and the other guys at our station will help.”
“You’re like a family.” She’d noticed the camaraderie between him and the other firemen when she’d seen them all together.
“Of course.”
Tristi started crying from the other room and Tia stood. “Hold on a moment while I get her.”
Danny nodded and she hurried to check on her toddler. The event and benefitting program were good, very laudable, and she’d be happy to be involved, but she needed a moment away from his mesmerizing blue eyes and captivating smile to think clearly. She could not let herself be sucked in by him, so some time to reflect was definitely required.
Her racing heart attested to how susceptible she was to his charm. And when she thought about spending more time with him, she had to admit the thought appealed. Tia wasn’t sure she could handle the ups and downs of a relationship with everything else going on, though. She scooped Tristi from the crib and snuggled her close. “Hey, babycakes. It’s okay, settled down. Shhhh.” She bounced slightly and pressed Tristi’s soft hair back from her face and skimmed a kiss to her forehead. “You hungry, sweetie?”
“Yes.” She sniffled and wiped her face with a fist.
“All right. Let’s go get you a little snack. We’ll have dinner soon.”
“K.” Tristi burrowed her head under Tia’s chin, a warm bundle of love.
Tia smiled, unable to help enjoying the complete trust of her little girl. It was truly sweet being a mother at times like this. She returned to the living room and found Danny with a picture in his hand. It was of Lee holding Samantha on the day she was born. Love and joy radiated from his face as he looked at his daughter. The memory brought an ache to Tia’s chest, a sweet warmth at how much he’d loved their daughter. Over two years after his death and she still missed him every day. She wondered what he would think of how their girls were growing.
Danny looked over his shoulder at her and their eyes met, lingering before she glanced away. He set the picture frame down. “Is this your husband?”
“Yes, with Samantha. He was deployed before we found out I was pregnant with Tristi. He never saw her.” That thought always made a lump rise to her throat. Seeing Danny with Lee’s picture in his hand made her feel guilty. Lee was gone, and though he’d told her that if something happened to him, that he wanted her to remarry, discussing him with another man was awkward. Though she’d had a couple of dates
in the past year, she hadn’t been really interested in either of the guys. Danny was another story entirely.
She knew it was stupid and forced the thought away for the time being.
“I’m sorry. It must have been horrible for you.” He watched her, studying her reaction, but didn’t move closer—which she appreciated.
She nodded, unable to form words about how difficult it had been to finish her pregnancy with Tristi after burying her husband. Danny didn’t need to know everything, anyway. “It wasn’t exactly a high point in my life.”
“If you ever want to talk about it . . . ” He left it open ended, obviously sensing that she didn’t want to at the moment.
“Thanks. I’ll remember that.” I won’t talk to you about it, though. How could she? She decided to change the subject. “You’re welcome to join us for dinner. I’m testing out a new pasta dish tonight.”
“But with no pine nuts, I’d guess,” he teased.
“Right,” she nodded. “There are no pine nuts in this house. Peanut butter on the other hand—we go through tons of that. But not tonight.”
“Sounds great. Could you use an extra pair of hands in the kitchen?”
Tia released the tension in her shoulders and put him to work. Everything was going to be okay.
Ten
It was so not okay. She had already swabbed her own cheeks and gotten her father to do the same. Now she waited impatiently for her mother to show up and do the test. In the morning Tia would send the test kit back and within a week she could have an answer to everyone’s questions.
If her mother would show up.
Mona had insisted she would come over to do the test, there was no reason for Tia to make the drive, and besides, it would give her a chance to spend time with her grandbabies. Of course she hadn’t had time to stop and chat when she arrived to get the girls.
Tia appreciated her mother’s willingness to take Samantha and Tristi out for a couple of hours. It was amazing how much she’d managed to get done without the constant distractions, but it was long past time for her mother to get back so Tia could tuck the girls into bed. What was keeping them?
She stalked across the living room again and tried not to look at the clock—it would only irritate her. Had they been in an accident? Tia wanted to call, but last time her mother had taken the girls, she’d thrown a fit about Tia checking up on them. A glance at the clock urged Tia to pull out her cell phone anyway. She waited impatiently for the ringing, then gritted her teeth when it went to voice mail.
What was going on? Tia sighed in relief as the doorbell rang, then nearly growled when she opened the door to find Nichole standing there instead of Mona.
“Wow, what’s wrong?” Nichole asked.
“My mom has the girls. Still. And she should have been home half an hour ago. And she isn’t answering her phone.” She led Nichole into the room and they sat on the sofa.
“Odd.”
“Not for my mother, it isn’t.”
“Yet you’re still upset.”
“Irritated, yes.” It finally occurred to her to wonder what Nichole was doing there so late. “Sorry. What’s going on?”
“I could see you pacing and thought maybe you could use a sympathetic ear.”
Nichole lived across the street, and when both had their drapes open, they could look right into each other’s homes.
“Thanks. She was supposed to do the DNA swab tonight, then offered to make it grandma time, and she rushed the girls out so fast we didn’t get the swab done. Now she’s late coming back and it feels like she’s dragging her feet. I want this over and done with. I wish she’d come last night instead. Then they’d already be in the mail.” The tension of not knowing made a hard ball of worry tighten in her stomach.
“Yes, but then she would have given you the third degree about Danny stopping by for dinner.” Nichole’s eyes twinkled at her.
“How did you know?” A ridiculous hint of embarrassment slid into her, even as she felt herself blush with the memory of their time together. She liked Danny more every time she spoke with him.
“I live across the street, remember? Besides, Casey mentioned Samantha went on and on about it.”
Tia blushed. “He came to ask me to judge a chili-cook off his department is holding for a fund-raiser. He didn’t come with the intention of joining us for dinner.”
“Sure he didn’t.” Nichole chuckled. “That’s why he waited until nearly six to pop by. He had the whole day off, you’d been home for hours . . . ”
“You’re delusional if you think I’m going to get involved with a guy right now when everything else is up in the air.” She only had so much room for change in her life before she went on overload.
Nichole sent her a piercing stare. “It’s been nearly two years since Lee died. You deserve to be involved with a nice guy who cares about you. It would be a shame to miss out because you’re scared.”
The words made Tia’s throat ache. She was about to change the subject when there was another knock at the door. “That better be my mom, or she’s so dead.”
Samantha’s excited voice from the other side of the door put Tia at ease before she got close enough to unlock it. There was a flurry of excited hugs and chatter as the girls told her about what they’d done, and Mona made small talk with Nichole.
As Tia took her yawning toddler from her mother’s arms, she looked at Nichole and mouthed, “Don’t let her get away.”
Nichole nodded and gave her the thumbs up signal.
Glad for the backup, Tia made her excuses and whisked the girls off to put them into pajamas. The bedtime routine lasted longer than usual; Samantha couldn’t keep the toothbrush in her mouth for more than five seconds without thinking of something else she wanted to say.
Finally Tia tucked them into bed and returned to the living room. Nichole stood firmly in front of the door, talking about something that had happened at a school activity. Mona looked mutinous at the blockade. “I really do have to go,” she said.
“Oh, but here’s Tia. Now you can say a proper goodbye.” Nichole peeked over Mona’s shoulder. “It was good chatting with you again, Tia. Play date tomorrow afternoon?”
“Yes, thanks.” Tia hoped her smile conveyed her appreciation as she took her mother by the elbow and led her to the sofa. “Don’t you have a few minutes, Mom? We need to talk.”
“It’s pretty late, much later than I’d planned on staying,” Mona protested.
“Well this won’t take long.” Tia heard the front door close behind Nichole and was grateful again she’d popped by. If Mona had gotten away tonight without swabbing her cheeks, Tia would have had to chase her down the next day and she didn’t need the aggravation.
“I’m already running behind.”
“That’s because you stayed out late. Don’t worry. The swabs don’t hurt and it’ll be done in a few minutes.” Tia grabbed the package with the swabs and pulled it open.
“Sweetheart, are you sure about this? I mean, there’s no real reason to have me tested. I know my own daughter!”
“Mom, I thought we already covered this. It’s just for form’s sake. Besides, the test kit came with swabs for both parents, and it’s better to clear away any questions before they arise, don’t you think?” She handed the first cotton swab to her mom. “Now, rub this pretty firmly against the inside of your cheek, remembering to get along the gumline as well. It has to get skin cells in it, not just saliva, so twist it as you go to ensure plenty of skin cells are all over it.”
“But honey—”
Tia wanted to scream. Couldn’t anything about this be easy? “Mom, please do it for me, okay? Please? This is such a simple thing and Dad’s already paid for the test kit.”
Her comment seemed to have the desired effect because Mona started swabbing like mad. “I could have paid for the kit. I’m perfectly capable on my own. I don’t know why you insist on letting him pay for everything.”
Tia held back a smile and t
imed her mom, then switched swabs and put the used one in the provided pouch.
“This is so unnecessary,” Mona said as she handed the second swab back after finishing with it.
“Thanks for humoring me.” Tia passed over the final test and sighed in relief as her mother took care of it.
“I don’t understand why you’re making such a big deal about this,” Mona protested.
“You’re the one making a big production out of it.” Tia took the final specimen and sealed it in the package. “If everything comes back on this like you expect, then there’s no harm done. The only reason you should be upset is if you believe the results will be negative.” She eyed her mother, wondering again if there was more going on than she would admit. But if Mona had suspected something, she would never have opened this can of worms by insisting the blood type was wrong.
“My heavens, a mother knows her own baby! The problem is you don’t trust me. If you did, you wouldn’t have put us through this ordeal.”
Tia decided it was too late to argue now. She was tired and had another full day ahead of her. “Thanks for taking the girls tonight, Mom. They had fun and I appreciated the break. I got a lot done.”
“I remember what it was like to have young ones at home and how hard it was to get anything accomplished.” Mona kissed her cheek. “Take care, and make sure you let me know when the results get back.”
“I will.” Tia was grateful for the momentary reprieve from hostility. All she could do now was wait for the results.
Eleven
The next week passed entirely too slowly. Tia had spoken with Danny on the phone a couple of times about the chili cook-off, and they had submitted info about the event to her supervisor at work. The station manager thought it a great publicity opportunity for Tia and the station, as well as good for the charity. Samantha was still poking at her to go to the fire shed to see Danny and the ambulance, and Mona had started calling, asking about updates on the DNA test before the envelope could have even arrived at the company that would run the tests.
The Switch Page 6
