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Maisie’s a puzzle.
And I’ve always been good at figuring out puzzles.
Chapter 8
Maisie
Fridge stocked with the essentials plus some, Audra down for her mid-morning nap, and the slew of emails that were waiting for me in my inbox sorted, I’m at a loss for something to do until Jem shows up for her appointment.
Harlan knows everyone in this town, as evidenced by his job and the stroll through town square this morning. We couldn’t go more than ten feet without someone calling out some sort of greeting to the town sheriff. Making it into the grocery store should have been a reprieve, but if anything, the good mornings, hellos and small-town chitchat got more frequent with the people who were in the mostly empty place.
After ignoring the pain in my shoulder and snagging my own meager grocery bags along with my daughter’s car seat the second the car was parked, I ran like the hounds of hell were on my heels once we got back to the apartment after a hasty thank you and goodbye to Harlan. The blessed silence of the space a godsend. I’m not used to being in crowds, or having the attention on me, but I clocked more than one interested glance in my direction as we went through breakfast and grocery shopping.
When Harlan stopped by this morning to ask about the grocery store and then breakfast, I almost said no. But my grumbling stomach and the lack of food in the kitchen space all but assured that I’d have to venture into town at some point today.
My phone chimes with my calendar, giving me my five-minute warning until Jem is due to show up. I get up and start toward the small bathroom to tidy my hair and make sure I don’t have drool drying on my shoulder.
Tires crunching along gravel is the only warning that I have to brace myself for company. I pull open the door before Jem can knock, hoping that Audra will sleep a little bit longer while I meet with her.
“Hey,” I say quietly. “Audra’s napping.”
“Oh. Okay. We can be quiet, and if she wakes up, we can break so you can take care of her.” Jem looks like a million bucks, her hair waving lightly from her face, makeup expertly applied with a light touch. It’s one of those no-makeup makeup looks, and I’m envious that she looks like she does even after having to get up super early to open her store.
I move out of the way so Jem can step into the apartment space and follow her to the small living room. The slanted roof makes the situation for furniture a little awkward, but the couch is situated at the base of the short wall, with a TV and entertainment center across the way against the taller wall.
Jem unloads her shoulder bag at the base of the coffee table and pulls out her own laptop and opens it. We go over color schemes, her current branding for the shop and the details that she wants integrated into her site.
“About how long do you think it would take to get up and running? I wanted to have this done at the end of last year but kept hitting roadblocks and putting it off.”
I eye my notes and mentally calculate my current workload and the time it’ll take me to get what she wants done. “I have two current projects on deck for my existing clients, but I could probably get this started toward the end of the month. My normal turnaround time is two weeks, so you’d have it up and running the second week of next month?”
“That would be awesome. Yes please. Let’s make that happen.”
Jem’s excitement mirrors my own as I walk her through my fees and the options for maintenance on the website, omitting the discount that I’m giving her for buying my baby girl a car seat and being a nice human being. Yes, I need the money, but I want to repay her for her kindness somehow.
“That seems way cheaper than it should be.” She eyes me suspiciously.
I shrug. “Do you want me to go over the contract again?” I try to keep my tone innocent.
Jem opens her mouth to say something, but the piercing wail of Audra interrupts us.
“Excuse me one second.” I stand and set my laptop off to the side of the table before making my way back to the bedroom where I have Audra’s Pack ’n Play set up.
Scooping my girl into my arms, I give her a few seconds to settle into the curve of my shoulder before heading back out to the living room.
“Sorry about that. She’s always a little grumpy and fussy when she wakes up from her nap.”
Jem smiles at my girl, and Audra grins back at her. “That’s okay. I’m always grumpy when I wake up from a nap too.” She turns to me and asks, “Can I hold her?”
My belly clutches at the thought, and I hesitate just long enough for Jem to jump in. “You can say no. It’s okay.”
I shake my head, trying to get a grip on my panic. I’m the only one who’s ever held my daughter outside of Harlan’s brothers while I was in the hospital, and that was only because I was injured. The thought just highlights the loneliness of our existence.
“No. Sorry. My mind was wandering. Of course you can hold her.” I grab a burp cloth off the back of the couch and hand it to Jem. “The baby drool is a bit much after her naps, if you want to put that over your shirt so she doesn’t ruin it.”
Jem throws the towel over one shoulder, and I pass her Audra. One of Jem’s hands rests lightly on her back and the other is under her bottom supporting her weight.
“Oh my gosh, how precious is she?” She hugs Audra to her chest a little bit tighter, and I smile at the gesture.
