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“Oh, Dad, get a room!” Allie’s voice reached us. Allie was Graham’s college-aged daughter and Teddy’s favorite babysitter. She babysat for me and took care of Madison and Graham’s toddler son whenever they needed help.
Graham straightened, glancing over to his daughter and chuckling. “I just kissed her on the cheek.”
Allie rolled her eyes dramatically. “I know, but the PDA is much sometimes.” Pausing beside my car, she reached for the handle on the door. “Can I give Teddy a kiss?”
“Of course,” I said with a smile. Teddy adored Allie.
She opened the door, and Teddy giggled and gurgled, kicking his feet against the bottom of his car seat. When she closed the door a moment later, I glanced at the three of them, tears stinging at the back of my eyes. My life had felt flipped upside down before I moved here. It was sometimes beyond overwhelming, and yet they, along with other new friends who had welcomed me into their world, had made it much smoother than I could’ve anticipated.
Allie slid her hand through my elbow and squeezed. “When do I get to babysit again?”
“Anytime,” I said.
“I’m working today,” she said.
“He’s going to daycare,” I explained. Allie’s brow furrowed with worry. “He’s been doing three hours at a time there already. He’s going to be fine,” I said, more for myself than her.
“Meet me for coffee?” Madison asked before I climbed into my car.
“When?”
“After you drop Teddy off. You’re going to need it before you go into work.”
I smiled. “I’m still nursing, so no more than a cup a day for me, but I’d love to.” I waved to them as I drove away.
A short while later, I dropped Teddy off at daycare and managed not to cry. Even though I wanted to be at work, it was still hard to know he was going to be there for a full eight hours. I drove the short distance from his daycare down Main Street to Firehouse Café, smiling when I saw Madison’s car in the parking area. When I pushed through the door into the café, Madison was waiting in line with two other friends, Phoebe and Tiffany.
“Hey again,” Madison said.
Her gaze encompassed Phoebe, Tiffany, and me. “Tish just dropped Teddy off for his first full day of daycare.”
Phoebe gave me an understanding smile. “That’s a big day.”
“I’m ready. I miss working full-time, and I can’t believe I’m saying that. I’m going to miss being with him all the time, but…”
“Hey, you’re talking to me. I can’t even—” Phoebe paused and shook her head. “Full-time mom-ming is just not for me. I am not the homemaker type.”
“Well, you used to be a firefighter,” Tiffany said. “Although, I can’t imagine the full-time mom thing either. It’s harder than work.”
I burst out laughing. Madison said something just as the door to the café opened. I didn’t know how I knew, but my body knew that Griffin Cannon had just walked in. A shiver of awareness skated over my skin. It can’t be him.
I heard another man’s voice and let out a silent sigh of relief. It wasn’t Griffin. But when I glanced over my shoulder, Griffin was walking beside Beck Steele. My radar for Griffin was accurate. Beck was holding his wife’s hand. Maisie had also become a friend. Her dark curls were bouncing around her shoulders as she laughed at something Beck said.
My breath seized in my lungs when they stopped beside our group. Beck gestured amongst us. “This is Griffin Cannon. He’s on the crew from Fireweed Harbor that’s being relocated here.”
Voices piped up with introductions, while I was trying to remind my lungs how to work again. I’d known Griffin might show up in town. Aside from the fact I worked for his family’s corporation here, he had a cousin and a brother who lived in Willow Brook.
Yet, I’d put him so far out of my mind. Denial was maybe not a healthy coping skill, but it worked.
Griffin’s eyes locked with mine, and I felt the heat flash into my cheeks. “Hi, Tish,” he said in that voice I’d never forgotten.
“Hi!” I squeaked.
“Oh, you two know each other?” Beck prompted, glancing between us.
Griffin was more together than I felt. “Of course. Tish works for Fireweed Industries. She used to be my brother’s assistant before she moved to Willow Brook.”
“Uh-huh.” My barely audible reply came out sounding strangled.
