June 13, 2010 by admin
Filed under Contemporary Romance, Looking for Home, Nan Donahue
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“Whacha doin’?”
M looked over at the little feet standing beside her head. Bare toes hugged the lush grass beneath them.
“Hi sweetie. Come lie beside me.”
“’Kay.”
Alicia plopped herself down on the lawn beside M and struck a similar pose. A softly rounded chin rested on chubby hands.
M’s heart squeezed. She could very easily fall in love with this little girl. Alicia still acted a little hesitant with her, but over the last few days the two of them had begun to develop a relationship.
“Whatcha doin’?”
“I’ve been thinking.”
“What about?”
“Well, for one thing, I think this garden looks kinda gloomy. All the other gardens here look very happy and bright, but not this one. I think the gardener forgot about it.”
“Nope. He didn’t forget. This was Johnny’s mommy’s garden. Daddy didn’t wet anyone touch it, ‘cause it made him sad.”
M looked at the overgrown tangle in front of her. Oh, fabulous. How did she manage to trip herself up like this?
“Was this an important place for Johnny’s mommy?”
“Uh huh. Daddy said this was her own specia’ spot.”
M bit chewed on her lip for a moment. “Do you think maybe we could make this a special spot again? Make it pretty? It could be your special spot to remember your daddy.”
Alicia palms cranked her head around, and her big brown eyes considered M.
“Do you have a specia’ spot somewhere?”
M shook her head.
“Do you need one?”
Oh baby, you have no idea.
“Let’s just worry about you right now, ‘kay? Maybe we can think about a special spot for me some other time. So, what do you think? You want to help me make this garden pretty again?”
Alicia looked at the mess in front of them, her feet kicking back and forth as she thought. “I don’t know how.”
M sat up and crossed her legs under her. “Hmm. You’ve got a point there, kiddo. I don’t know how either.”
Small shoulders slumped. “Oh.”
“Hey, don’t you worry. We’re girls. Girls can figure out how to do anything. Didn’t you know that?”
“We can?”
“Absolutely. And don’t you ever let anyone try to tell you different.”
M stood, and reached down to pick Alicia up. “Come on, sweetie. First of all, we need to ask Johnny if it’s okay to do some digging out here. If he says yes, the two of us can go to the library and get some books. It’s late in the season, but there must be something we can do. Does that sound like a plan, Stan?”
Alicia giggled as she wrapped her arms and legs around M. “You’re siwwy. My name’s not Stan, it’s ‘icia.”
Nearly overcome with emotion, M remained silent for a moment.
For the first time, Alicia was responding to her like a happy, trusting little girl, her reserve dissolved. M felt like she’d just been handed the greatest gift ever.
These Davenports were a dangerous lot. They’d both steal her heart if she wasn’t careful.
“Nope. I think I’m going to call you Stan.”
Alicia was still giggling over that when they reached Jonathan’s office. “Johnny, Em says she’s gonna call me Stan instead of ‘icia!”
M caught her breath at the power of his gaze as it swept over the two of them standing in the doorway.
His eyes settled on his sister and M relaxed. A tad. “Really? I think that’s a good idea. After all, you can say “Stan.”
Alicia wriggled away from M and ran to her brother, who swung her up into his arms. “So, scamp, where were you? I thought you were right across the hall from me in your playroom.”
She stilled, but didn’t answer.
“Alicia? Where were you, and why do I see grass between your toes?”
M heard quiet sobs, and watched as Alicia’s shoulders started to tremble. “Sorry, Jonny.”
“Okay, but that still doesn’t answer my question. Were you outside?”
She nodded against his shoulder.
“By the pool?”
M’s stomach dropped to her knees, and her heart wasn’t far behind. The thought hadn’t even crossed her mind that a young child shouldn’t be anywhere near a pool unattended. How long had she been out there wandering around?
“But Jonny, it’s not my fau’t. The door wasn’t wocked.”
“Alicia, are you supposed to go out back without me?”
Her sobs cranked up to a wail, and she shook her head.
M couldn’t stand it. This was her fault. She knew the windows of Alicia’s playroom looked out over the back of the property. Not only had she left the little latch on the outside of the door unlocked, her presence back there must have been like an invitation to the child.
“It’s not her fault. It’s mine. Please, don’t be mad at her.”
Energy fairly crackled from his green eyes as they lifted and speared her. “Stay out of this. I’ll deal with you in a minute.”
What? He’d deal with her?
“You…”
His eyes glinted, and she bit her tongue. He was right. She needed to stay out of this. But still, she couldn’t get past the feeling that this was her fault.
Who was she kidding, anyway? She was a loser. She might be able to cook, but other than that, forget it. What did she know? Nothing. She didn’t know how she’d ever be able to start her own business and she certainly didn’t know anything about caring for a child. Agreeing to help Jonathan with Alicia was wrong. She should just pack up and leave now—before he dealt with her and asked her to go.
But she wasn’t going to walk away from Alicia. Not right now.
Jonathan tried to set Alicia down, but she clung to him like a barnacle. “Come on, Allioop. Let go. I want you to go up to your room and think about why it’s wrong to be disobedient.”
He hesitated, cast an uncertain glance at M, then said, “On second thought, you can sit on a chair in the middle of your playroom where I can see you. No toys.”
As he carried his sister across the hall, M heard her gasp out between sobs, “Wuv you, Jonny. Forever and awways,” and realized it wasn’t just a statement of fact, it was also a plea for reassurance. Thanks to Summer, her brother was the only person she had left.
“I love you too, sweetie. Forever and always. I promise. But that doesn’t mean you don’t have to obey me.”
M wrapped her arms around her middle and waited for him to settle his sister on the chair he moved to the doorway of her playroom.
She spoke as soon as he returned. “I’m sorry. It was my fault. I’ll get my things together and go.”
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Thanks to Nan Donahue for sharing one of her manuscripts.
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