finally made our way downstairs in the morning, Elliot was long gone, but he’d left me a croissant on a plate on the counter, along with a note and his garage door opener.
Catherine,
There’s fruit in the refrigerator and groceries will be delivered at 2 p.m. I didn’t know what you like to have on hand, so I ordered some of everything. In the future, you can make a list. It was my mistake not asking for your requests.
Please make yourself at home. I left you the remote to the garage. The alarm code is 052106.
I have a dinner to attend tonight, so unfortunately, I won’t be able to eat with you. I left a list of restaurants where I have a tab if you’d like to order out.
Yours,
Elliot
P.S. You’re welcome here as long as you like.
I opened the fridge, and not only was there a cup of fruit salad, but right beside it was an iced coffee from my favorite café. How early must he have ordered this for it to have arrived before he left for the office?
“Look at us, Joey-Girl. We’re living the high life now, aren’t we?” Joey gurgled and nuzzled my chest like she was looking for a third breakfast when her tummy was still round from her second one. “Okay, lady. You have to let me eat some of this delicious-looking food Elliot left for me before you get breakfast number three.”
Her brow crinkled like she was insulted. I kissed her wrinkly little forehead and started plating my food one-handed while we chatted.
“I swear I’m not body shaming you, honey. You’re a growing girl who needs lots and lots of milk. I get you. But Mommy’s hungry too, you know? And as Elliot pointed out last night, your milk will be richer when I eat all this fancy food. I’m not sure that’s a scientific fact, but honestly, it sounds true.”
Movement to my left startled me. I whirled around to find Elliot with his shoulder leaning against the kitchen archway. His amused smirk told me he’d heard at least most of what I’d been saying.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I squeaked in alarm.
He uncrossed his arms, his smirk turning into a full-on grin. “Well, I live here.”
I clutched my thrashing heart. “I nearly dropped my baby, Elliot. You scared the shit out of me.”
He chuckled, which made me scowl at him. Motherclucker. I’d give him something to chuckle about. This called for a postscript. Really called for one.
With his hands raised, he took a couple tentative steps into the room. “I’m not laughing because I scared you. It’s you cussing like a sailor that struck me as funny. I’m sorry I surprised you. It wasn’t my intention, I swear.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. I guessed me having a potty mouth was a revelation to him since I was in full-on Kit mode and he’d only just become acquainted with this side of me.
“I’m trying to stop,” I said defensively.
“I hope not on my account. I enjoy salty language from time to time.”
“Obviously not for you, Elliot. For Joey.” I resisted rolling my eyes at him, but he must have sensed it because he smirked harder.
Postscripts out the wazoo for this man.
“You didn’t say why you’re here.”
He tucked his hands into his pockets and strolled over to Joey and me. “I was on my way out the door, but the news reported bumper-to-bumper traffic due to a massive pileup on my normal route. I decided to avoid that mess and work from home for a bit. I heard you moving around, so I came to say hello, not scare the shit out of you.”
“And you eavesdropped on a private conversation, huh?”
His grin was wide enough to crinkle the corner of his eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it was top secret.”
“Pfft. Babies are the best people to tell secrets to. It’s not like they can repeat them.”
“Very true.” He held his hands out. “I have a few minutes before I need to leave. Hand her over and eat your breakfast.”
Elliot absolutely did not wait for me to give him Joey. He slid her out of my hold like this was old hat for him. Joey had no trouble going to him, cooing when he secured her against his chest.
The rebel in me needed to protest though. “I’m not sure you can boss me around like that out of the office.”
“I’m letting you eat breakfast unencumbered. Is that really so bad, Catherine?”
“Still.” I crossed my arms over my chest, then quickly remembered I only had my nursing tank on, and it didn’t cover much of me. I really had to stop walking around half-naked in front of him. This was beginning to become a habit. “I was going to eat. Since you eavesdropped on our conversation, you know that.”
“Still calling it eavesdropping?”
“If the shoe fits.”
Chuckling, he whirled away with my daughter in his arms, calling back to me. “Eat, Catherine. We’ll be waiting for you.”
It seemed like I should have been panicked that he’d taken Joey out of my sight. I searched within myself but couldn’t find more than the shred of worry that was my constant companion these days. In this, I trusted Elliot. He was the last person I would have thought of volunteering for baby duty, but Joey had that way about her. She was irresistible.
I tried to make fast work of my breakfast despite Elliot urging me to take my time. He wouldn’t understand that five or ten minutes of alone time was a luxury at this point in my life.
That came to a tragic end when the sounds of Joey’s cry hit me in the gut. They were soft, but she was revving up.
Shit. I’d taken too long sipping my coffee and scrolling through social media. She really only cried when she was hungry, so she must have run out of patience.
“I’m coming,” I called.
I placed my plate in the sink, rushing now as her cries got louder. My breasts started tingling like they did when she was upset. I mentally flipped through my morning to recall whether I’d put pads inside my tank this morning.
Elliot rounded the corner with a red-faced Joey. “I tried. I’m sorry,” he said over her cries. “Did you eat?”
“I did, it’s fine.”
I reached for her, and his gaze drifted down to my chest as he was handing her over. I didn’t want to look because I already knew what was happening from previous experience.
His wide eyes returned to mine after seeing two big, wet circles on the front of my gray tank. “You’re—”
“Leaking. Yes, her cries turn the tap on. It’s nuts how my body responds automatically.” I swayed with Joey and patted her bottom, pissing her off even further. She wanted one thing and one thing only. Girlfriend would not be satisfied until she was fed. “I’m going to nurse her now.”
Averting his gaze, he nodded. “I should go. I’ll be home late, but text if you need anything.”
Elliot made a hasty exit without a backward glance. Poor guy had obviously never seen a leaky boob. Then again, neither had I before Joey. Bodies were weird yet incredibly beautiful.
I had to giggle at how quickly he’d gotten out of here, though. Elliot Levy, who intimidated some of the most powerful men in the world, squicked out by a little breast milk.
I grinned down at Joey as she latched on to me.
“I guess we know Elliot’s kryptonite, Joey-Girl.”
The next few days were quiet in a good way.
I rarely saw Elliot after our first morning in his house, but he left me notes every morning along with a prepared breakfast.
To be honest, I was somewhat relieved he wasn’t around much. I had no idea how to react to the little ways he was taking care of me because, to him, that was probably what they were—small, insignificant. But to a girl like me, who’d been kicked out of her house and family when I was barely more than an adult, it was massive.
The note he left me this morning said my reprieve was coming to an end.
Catherine,
Coffee’s in the refrigerator. I left the last pear for you. Eat it. It’s the perfect ripeness.
Do you like Thai food? Text me when you’re up to let me know. If yes, I’ll bring it home tonight. It’s time we talked about what’s going on with your house.
Can we also talk about when you’re coming back to the office? Daniel has been at peak vibration all week. I’m not certain either of us can sustain much more of this.
Yours,
Elliot
P.S. Tell Josephine good morning for me.
How in the hell was I supposed to not melt when he wanted me to say hi to my baby for him?
“Elliot says hi, Joey-Girl. He likes postscripts as much as Mommy, it seems.”
Her arms flailed like she was waving.
I understood that flailing feeling. I’d been doing a lot of it lately.
“We’re going to be productive today.” I showed her my phone. “I have a list of day cares. I’m going to call all of them and convince them they want to take care of you. It’s that, or into the drawer you go. And I promise, as cozy as a drawer might sound, it probably gets boring quickly. Plus, there would be lots of grown-ups around, talking about serious grown-up things you wouldn’t be interested in. Although Daddy Ray’s there, so there’s that…”
Thankfully, Elliot didn’t walk in on this conversation. That was the only high point of my morning. The rest was akin to banging my head against the wall.
No decent day care had openings. The wait lists were miles long.
Elliot was being kind and understanding now, but I doubted he would stay that way when I had to bring my baby to work.
I groaned as I slurped up another scoop of Pad Thai. As usual these days, I was fighting starvation, and Elliot had brought home a Thai feast. He’d loaded my plate with all of my favorites, then taken my baby from me so I could enjoy all of it.
Elliot chuckled. “That good?”
My face heated, and I wiped my mouth with my napkin. I’d been in a slight daze, shoveling food in my mouth as fast as I could, definitely not like a lady, as my mother had taught me.
“It’s incredible,” I answered once I’d swallowed. “You should really join me. I hate that you’re letting your food get cold.”
“Not a problem, Catherine.” Joey’s body was extended along his forearm, her head nestled in his palm. She was content hanging out with him, and for his part, he seemed perfectly fine holding her while I ate. “Have you ever known me not to voice when I’m not pleased?”
“No.” I breathed a laugh. “You have no problem expressing your displeasure.”
“Then trust that I would tell you if I have an issue with our current circumstances.”
I nodded. “Okay. I’ll try to remember that. I guess it’s a mom thing, feeling guilty about not taking care of her every second of every day.”
“Hmm. How are you going to handle day care?”
Puffing up my cheeks, I blew out a long, heavy breath. “That might not be a problem since I can’t get her in anywhere. My current plan is keeping her in my bottom drawer.”
His brow winged. “No. That’ll never work.”
My shoulders slumped. “Yeah, I know. I—”
“Your bottom drawer is far too narrow. The rate she eats, she’ll outgrow it within a month.”
I stared at him, blinking. To my utter surprise, he cocked a small grin.
He was teasing me.
Elliot Levy was teasing me.
What in the freaking world?
“Damn. Since the drawer’s out, I’ll have to come up with a Plan B,” I played along. “Maybe one of your drawers will do.”
“Have you thought about a nanny? One-on-one attention would be ideal anyway.”
I chuffed. “Sure, I’ve thought of it, and it would be great. But I’ve checked, and a nanny isn’t anywhere close to within my budget.”
His brow dropped. “Admittedly, nannies are one thing I haven’t researched—”
“Let me figure it out. It’s my job.”
This was sticky territory. If I explained why I couldn’t afford a nanny, I’d have to tell him about my contractor’s salary. And that would be a slippery slope to the whole truth about Liam and my résumé.
“All right. If you want to handle it on your own, I won’t interfere. Just know that I’ll do what I can to help.”
“Why?”
Joey made little sounds of discontent, so he lifted her to his shoulder and gently patted her back.
“Why?” he repeated.
“Why do you want to help me, Elliot?”
He cocked his head. “I would think it’s obvious, Catherine.”
I waited with bated breath for him to continue because it certainly wasn’t obvious to me.
He finally went on. “You’ve managed to make yourself vital to me. I want you back at work as soon as your leave is over, and I’d rather you not be worried about Josephine all day. If I can do anything to ease that path, I will.”
Ah, there it was. That made perfect sense.
And yet, I felt oddly disappointed by his answer for reasons I didn’t care to closely examine.
“I’ll let you know if there’s anything you can do,” I replied. “Thank you.”
“Of course.” He tipped his chin at my plate. “Eat up. Your daughter is trying to find milk on my shoulder, and I suspect she will soon run out of patience when she discovers the well is dry.”
He was letting me out of this conversation for now, but I knew it wasn’t over. He had more questions for me that I would have to answer.
But that was later. For now, I had a plate full of delicious Thai food to finish.
