by Nan Dixon
Another muffled scream came from next door. His heart hammered against his ribs.
Rushing down the hall, he tried Cheryl’s door. Locked. He pounded on it. “Open up!”
His only answer was another scream.
He raced back to his apartment and grabbed his keys, searching for the carriage house master key. No wonder his brother labeled everything, not that letters would have made any sense right now.
He shoved key after key into the lock. Finally one turned. He pushed on the stubborn door, promising he would fix it if everyone was okay.
Another cry broke out. He honed in on the sound and sprinted down the hall.
“You’re safe. You’re all right,” he heard Cheryl murmuring. He burst into the kids’ bedroom.
Cheryl jumped, his daughter in her arms. “What?”
“I heard screaming.” He searched the room for an intruder.
Fear filled Cheryl’s eyes. Josh stared at him like he was the burglar. His daughter shrieked again.
Nathan drew in a breath. “I thought someone had broken in.”
“You did.” Cheryl glared at him, handing him the girl.
“What? No!” He held up his hands and stumbled back.
“Take her,” Cheryl whispered. “Comfort her.”
“Shush now.” He took the kid and ran his hand hesitantly down her back She trembled like a bird cornered by a cat. What had made her scream? “Hush.”
Jesus. Now what?
Cheryl tucked Josh back into bed. “Go back to sleep, honey.”
Nathan bounced Isabella a little. Didn’t people do that with babies? But his daughter was four.
Her arms wrapped around his neck and her muscles softened. How could she trust him? He was a screw-up.
“I think she’s asleep.” He tried to hand her to Cheryl.
She shifted away. “Put her in bed.”
The sheets were pulled back, so he set her in the middle of her pillow. Isabella curled into a ball and whimpered.
“Rub her back.” Irritation filled Cheryl’s voice.
He did and Isabella relaxed under his hand. His tension eased with each stroke. Pulling up the covers, he tucked the sheets into the edge of the bed. His mom had done that. As kids, he and Daniel pretended they were caterpillars, tucked in a cocoon.
After joining Cheryl in the hall, he whispered, “What the hell was that?”
“Night terrors.” Cheryl put her fists on her hips. “How did you get into my apartment?”
“I heard screaming. You didn’t answer the door,” he shot back. “I used the master key.”
Her lip trembled. “Don’t you ever—ever—use that key again.”
He backed away. “Got it.”
There went his idea that they could work together, that she’d take on the role of nanny. That idea had come with his third beer.
Cheryl sniffed. “You’ve been drinking.” She said it like he was a serial killer.
“A couple of beers.” No big deal.
“Get your act together. You have a daughter depending on you.” She stalked down the hall to the kitchen and then pointed at the open door. “You didn’t even close the door!”
“I was worried.” How could he have known about night terrors?
“Out. Pick up Isabella by eight.”
Damn. Who would watch the kid tomorrow?
* * *
CHERYL TAPPED ON the top bunk. “Last call for breakfast.”
Both kids were exhausted from Isabella’s nightmare. Cheryl was tired, too. But the day wouldn’t wait.
She pulled back Isabella’s bedding and caught a whiff of urine. Great. “Time to get up, Isabella.”
She tugged off the little girl’s wet bottoms and led her to the bathroom.
Last night she’d washed Isabella’s meager laundry. When the girl was finished in the bathroom, Cheryl helped her put on the least stained clothes she’d found.
“Josh.” She shook his shoulder. “Unless you want to miss the camp bus, you need to move.”
He pushed off the covers, hung over the railing and dropped to the floor. “What’s that smell?” He pretended to choke, then headed for the bathroom, still gagging.
“Come on, Isabella.” She headed to the kitchen and the silent girl followed. She would deal with the sheets later.
She set her in Josh’s old booster chair and poured a bowl of cereal. By the time she was buttering toast, Josh joined them.
“That’s my chair,” he complained.
“And you’re too big for it.”
He took his toast to the table and started eating.
Cheryl quickly pulled his lunch together. Sandwich, apple, carrot sticks and a cookie.
“Can I have three cookies?” He turned those big brown eyes at her.
“Three? That’s too many,” she said.
“My friends like your cookies.”
“You’re giving them away?”
“I share.”
Great. Did the other parents know the kids were trading food? It was only for another week, so she tucked two more cookies into the bag.
Sipping her tea, she watched the kids finish their breakfasts. Josh had forgotten his resentment and chatted on and on. He even gave Isabella the last piece of toast.
The girl didn’t speak but she nodded every now and then. What would Nathan do with Isabella today? Not Cheryl’s concern.
At exactly seven thirty, the construction crew arrived. They were better than an alarm clock. Low voices murmured on the ground floor. She could measure the restaurant’s progress with each hammer strike and screech of the saw.
She wanted to work in Abby’s new restaurant, but she hadn’t gathered the courage to ask her boss. She’d hoped to take more classes, but that would bury her in debt.
“Brush your teeth,” she told the kids. Nathan should be here soon.
Right on time, she heard someone climbing the outside steps followed by a knock on the door.
She threw the dead bolt.
Nathan hadn’t shaved. His eyes were bloodshot. Had he been drinking all night?
Crossing her arms, she stepped back as far as she could to let him in.
“Did she have any more problems sleeping?” he asked.
“She wet the bed. You should buy Pull-Ups.”
He shoved his hand through his hair. “What the hell is a Pull-Up?”
“They’re a nighttime diaper,” she explained with a sigh. “Maybe Isabella wasn’t used to the bed.” Or to her father.
“Crap. I don’t have a clue what I’m doing.” He held out a hand. “Did you think about taking care of her?”
“I can’t.” She wasn’t taking on his responsibilities when she had so many of her own. “You’ll learn.”
His shoulders slumped.
“Josh,” she called, “we have to go.”
Nathan caught her hand. At his touch, an unwanted zing went through her body. She tried to pull away, but he hung on.
“I need help. I need... I don’t even know.” He squeezed her fingers. “Can you at least help me shop? Please?”
His brown eyes were darker than her son’s. Darker than Brad’s. At the memory of Brad’s laughing eyes, she yanked her hand away. “Josh, hurry.”
The kids came to the door. Isabella wrapped her arm around Cheryl’s leg, hiding from Nathan. He reached down, but the girl scuttled back.
“It’s okay.” Cheryl picked her up and handed her to Nathan.
“Please help me shop for her. I’ll...pay you. Twenty bucks an hour. For...” His voice trailed off.
He couldn’t remember his own daughter’s name? “Isabella.” She didn’t have time to get involved, but her heart ached for the frightened girl.
“Fine. You don’t have to pay me,” she said. “Just...buy me and Josh dinner.”
* * *
NATHAN PULLED CHERYL’S car in front of his parents’ house. Begging to use her car again hadn’t been fun.
Mom had agreed to watch Isabella during the day. At least until he found day care or his parents left for Pop’s monthly cancer treatments in Texas. He wanted to turn the whole mess over to someone more capable than him, but no one volunteered.
“We’re at grandma’s.” He unbuckled Isabella. She held up her arms and latched onto him like a monkey. His heart stuttered. He stroked her hair. “You’ll have fun.”
He wasn’t sure if he believed his lies. Fake it until you make it, right? That had been his motto in school. That or “Screw it. I don’t understand, so why bother?”
This time not bothering wasn’t an option.
“Come on, kid.” He hoisted her higher onto his hip. “You remember grandma from yesterday?”
She nodded.
Mom met them at the door. “Here you are. We’re going to have fun today.”
Isabella clung to his neck. “I’ve got to work, kiddo.” He’d already checked in with Jed, but he needed to get back to the site.
“Come on, honey.” Mom pried Isabella off his shoulders and hugged her.
“You sure you won’t reconsider having her live here?” he asked.
Mom shot him a look. “What time will you be back?”
“Five thirty.” He took in a deep breath. “Cheryl’s helping me shop.”
Mom set Isabella down. “We’ll see you then.”
He ruffled the kid’s hair. “See you later.”
Isabella’s face crumpled.
He knelt down to her level. “Tonight we’ll shop for your bed.”
She nodded but didn’t smile. Hell, he couldn’t remember ever seeing her smile. Josh was always grinning or laughing. How did Cheryl do it? Could Cheryl get the little girl to smile?
He pushed his daughter out of his head as he drove back to Fitzgerald House. He needed to concentrate on Abby’s restaurant. He arrived in time to check the lumber order. The numbers didn’t dance and it looked like the right amount of wood. He signed off, then he and Jed carried it to the staging area. “Let’s build a staircase. My brother should be here soon.”
He could visualize the gorgeous, curved wood staircase winding up to the old hayloft.
“Are we ready?” Daniel walked in, strapping on his tool belt.
“Yeah.” He and Daniel tended to fight on job sites, but since they were building something this technical, he wanted his brother’s expertise.
“Why do women always want curved staircases?” Jed asked as they shaped the semicircular walls.
“To make us crazy.” Daniel hammered in another two-by-six.
“I told Abby it would cost more,” Nathan said.
“That’s never stops a Fitzgerald,” Jed drawled.
It was tough, exacting work. Nathan made the first calculation. Jed verified and Daniel would agree or disagree. There wasn’t much talk, just the screech of the saw, the pounding of a hammer and the creak of the wood. The morning flew by.
“I love the smell of freshly cut wood,” Cheryl announced from the doorway.
Nathan’s gaze snapped over to her.
“Abby was pulled away by a guest.” She held up a tray. “She wanted me to bring over lunch.”
She avoided Nathan’s gaze but a blush dusted her cheeks. A streak of flour decorated her shirt, just under her breast. Nathan wouldn’t mind tidying her up.
He froze. That wasn’t the way to think about the woman who was helping him with his daughter. He couldn’t screw this up.
“What is that?” Cheryl stopped next to the staircase framing.
“We’re building the beam that will anchor the risers.” She frowned, so Nathan added, “The staircase steps.”
“We’ll add the inner core and build in slots for each riser.” For once his words flowed smoothly. “But first we have layers of laminate to glue to ensure the stairs are stable.”
“That’s fascinating.” She reached out to touch the curved plywood.
He shook his head. “Don’t.”
“I can’t wait to see everything come together.” Green sparks gleamed in her brown eyes. She tapped her lip. “We never settled on a time for tonight.”
“Yeah.” He pushed his hat off and scratched his head.
Daniel watched them, glaring.
Nathan hadn’t figured out how to tell his brother about Isabella. It was embarrassing to find out he had a four-year-old kid. His perfect brother would never be in this situation.
Lowering his voice, Nathan asked, “What time are you off?”
“Five thirty.” Cheryl leaned in. She smelled of apples and...cookies.
“Around six then?” He didn’t want to shout that they were making plans.
“That works.” She chewed on her lip. “I’ll see you then.”
Cheryl waved to Daniel and Jed as she left. Daniel stalked up to him. “Got a date?”
Nathan shook his head. “She’s helping me...shop.”
Jed looked at him. “For your kid? Where is she?”
Daniel choked on the drink he’d just taken from his water bottle. “Kid?”
“Yeah.” Nathan rolled his shoulders.
“When did this happen?” Daniel’s voice cracked.
“Apparently four years ago.”
“Who’s the mom?” his brother asked. “Anyone I know?”
“A woman from Atlanta.”
“A kid?” Daniel shook his head. “Boy? Girl?”
“Isabella.” The words were running today. “Mom has her right now.”
“I’m an uncle?” Daniel punched Nathan’s arm. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I just found out.” He smacked his hat against his thigh. “The kid’s four and I just found out.”
“That’s screwed up.”
“Yeah.” Appropriate since Nathan was the family screw-up.
“What’s Cheryl helping you with?”
“Everything. Furniture, clothes, stuff.” He grabbed a sandwich and sat on an overturned bucket. “I’m not even sure what I need.”
“Just don’t mess with Cheryl.” Daniel crossed his arms, his muscles bulging. “She’s had a rough life.”
“I’m won’t.” Nathan’s teeth ground together. Of course Daniel would think the worst of him. “I don’t know squat about kids. That’s why she’s helping me.”
Daniel pointed with his sandwich. “Make sure you keep it that way.”
As if he didn’t have enough problems, now his brother was threatening him. He planned to keep his hands to himself.
Once Heather was out of treatment, Isabella would leave. His life would be normal again. Or as normal as his life could be.
* * *
“I’M HUNGRY,” JOSH SAID.
Cheryl checked the time. Just after five thirty. She peeled and sliced an apple, setting it in front of Josh. “This should tide you over.”
“I don’t want to go with him.”
“We offered to help.”
Shopping with Nathan wasn’t a good idea. She had to stop letting people take advantage of her.
But poor Isabella shouldn’t suffer because her dad was a rookie.
Cheryl took a deep breath. She would help Nathan make a home for his little girl. Then she and Nathan could stay away from each other.
Except that he lived next door.
She nibbled on an apple slice and worked on Nathan’s list. Maybe she could hand him the list and send him on his way.
Her thoughts were mean. When she’d arrived in Savannah, so many pe
ople had helped her. It was time to pay it forward.
“Why do we have to go with Mr. Nathan and Isabella?” Josh finished off the last apple slice and took the plate to the dishwasher.
“Because Mr. Nathan doesn’t know much about kids. He asked for our help.” She needed to remember this herself.
“But she’s four. How come he needs help?”
“I don’t know.” What mother wouldn’t tell the father of her child that she was pregnant? Maybe Nathan had done something that had stopped her from telling him? He drank a lot, like Levi.
There was a knock. Josh had the door open before she could ask him to wait.
Nathan held Isabella in his arms. His muscles were rigid. Isabella’s shoulders were stiff, too.
She picked up her purse. “Josh, let’s go.”
“Why do I have to come?” Her son pouted. “I’m not getting anything.”
“You’re getting dinner,” she reminded him.
They headed to her car. Josh climbed into his booster seat.
“Oh, shoot.” There was only one seat.
Nathan ran a hand through his hair. “I didn’t think.”
Based on the gossip about Nathan around the B and B, that wasn’t unusual. He’d sold drugs in high school; always in trouble but not enough to end up in juvie. He’d even been kicked out of the family business. Dolley, the youngest Fitzgerald sister, laughed about the number of women he’d dated.
“I can ride without a booster.” Josh puffed out his chest. “I don’t use a booster on the bus.”
“This isn’t a bus.” But her son had a point.
They weren’t going far. She chewed her lip. “This is the only time.”
She held out her hand for the keys. “If my son isn’t in a booster, I’ll drive.”
Nathan handed the keys over without arguing. They were warm from his pocket.
She buckled Josh in and moved to the driver’s seat. Nathan fought with Isabella’s buckles.
“You have to snap here.” Josh pulled on the seat belt and locked Isabella into the seat.
“Yeah.” Nathan sat in the front seat. “Where to first?”
Cheryl handed him the list she’d created.
He glanced at it then shoved it into his pocket. “Thanks.”
