Mommy Wanted

“How about an apple to hold you over until I can get something fixed for dinner?” He plucked one out of the fruit bowl.

She frowned. “I want green this time,” she said, then added, “please.”

Mitch returned the Red Delicious and retrieved a Granny Smith apple from the bowl. Lately he’d noticed her voicing her opinions and making more decisions on her own, displaying the independence and confidence that he’d always admired in her mom. He couldn’t be more proud. “One green apple coming up.”

“Thanks, Daddy.”

“You’re welcome.”

She watched as he sliced the apple, put it on her Dora the Explorer plate and placed it in front of her at the kitchen table. Emmie had been asleep ever since they got home, but he expected her to wake soon. She’d be hungry and thirsty, and he wanted to make sure he was prepared.

“Maybe I’ll go ahead and have some eggs ready for when Emmie wakes up,” he said to Dee.

Dee, chomping happily on her apple, nodded. “Yep, that’ll be good. You want to play a game while she’s still asleep?”

“Sure.” He’d kind of hoped she would forget the game promise for a while, at least until he got a few of those policies checked out, but he didn’t want to let her down, and playing while Emmie was asleep was probably the best route to take, since Emmie would undoubtedly not want to leave his arms once she woke. Which would also make it impossible for him to get his work done.

Help me out, here, Lord. You know I need it.

Mitch almost didn’t hear the tiny tap from the front of the house, but Dee did.

“Someone’s here,” she said, abandoning the apple and crawling off her seat to run toward the front of the house. She was probably hoping it was one of her friends coming to play. Mandy and Daniel Brantley occasionally brought Kaden over, and Chad and Jessica Martin visited every now and then with Lainey. But the majority of Dee’s friends were out of town with their families. Mitch had considered letting the girls go along with their grandparents on the family trip, but he simply hadn’t wanted to part with them for that long. Now, with Emmie’s sickness, he was glad he’d kept them home. But somehow, he’d need to find a way to combat Dee’s boredom with their current situation. Maybe whoever was at the door would help.

By the time he got to the foyer, Dee had already started reaching for the doorknob. Naturally, it was locked, but even so, he wanted her to remember the rule. “Wait, sweetie. Daddy needs to open the door, remember?”

“Okay.” She’d already moved to the sidelight, pulled the skinny curtain aside and peered out. “Hey! It’s Miss Kate!”

At the sound of Kate’s name, Mitch realized that he’d actually hoped to see her again tonight. He’d planned to call her and let her know he’d talked to her references, but telling her in person would be better. He didn’t know why he felt that way, but he wasn’t about to try to analyze it.

He unlocked and opened the wooden door, which left the screen door separating Mitch and Dee from their visitor.

“What you got in the basket, Miss Kate?” Dee bounced in place while she waited for Mitch to open the screen door.

Kate clutched the handles of an oversize picnic basket with both hands. From the strained look on her face, the thing was pretty heavy.

Mitch pushed the door open and hurried to take the large basket.

Kate smiled. “Thanks. I don’t think I could’ve stood here holding it much longer.”

“What have you got in here?” he asked, turning to go back into the house.

“It’s from Mrs. Tingle,” she called, and Mitch realized she still stood on the porch.

“Come on in!” Dee said, waving her inside, and Mitch nodded his agreement.

“Yes, forgive me. Please come in.” He led the way to the kitchen, where he placed the basket on the table then opened the lid to release the most amazing aromas he’d smelled in this kitchen in months.

“Oh, that smells good,” Dee said, climbing up on her seat to peer into the basket.

“It’s chicken noodle soup, corn bread and pecan pie for your dinner,” Kate said, as Mitch removed each of the named items from the basket.

He lifted an abundance of checked napkins and then saw more containers on the bottom.

“That’s a breakfast casserole and potato soup for tomorrow,” Kate said. “Mrs. Tingle said she didn’t want you to worry about cooking.”

“That lady spoils me,” Mitch said, grinning, “but I’m not about to complain.”

“She seems very sweet,” Kate agreed.

He placed the hot items on the stove and the cold ones in the fridge. Then he turned to see Kate standing awkwardly near the table as though she weren’t certain whether to stay or to leave. Mitch didn’t know whether he should politely usher her out or follow an instinct he didn’t quite understand...and ask her to stay.

It turned out, the decision wasn’t really his to make. Dee took over.

“Daddy has to work but I really want to play a game. Would you play a game with me?”

Kate’s eyes lifted and found Mitch’s. “Would that be okay with you?”

“If you wouldn’t mind, that’d be fine. I’m sure Dee would like it.” He’d like it, too, actually. He did have a lot of work to do, but he hadn’t wanted to let his little girl down.

“Yes, I sure would,” Dee said. “I can get my Memory game. Do you like the Memory game?”

“I’m not sure, but we’ll see,” Kate said.

“Okay!” Dee jumped off her chair and darted out of the kitchen toward the game room.

Mitch found himself alone with Kate. She eased into a chair at the table and nervously pulled at one of her black curls.

“Are you sure you don’t mind staying here a little while to play Memory with her?” he asked. “I can promise you she won’t be satisfied with one game, and I should also tell you she’s pretty good and doesn’t tend to show mercy.”

A small laugh escaped. “I was just hoping you didn’t feel like I was trying to bombard your space or take away from your time with your girls.” One corner of her mouth lifted along with a shoulder. “Or try to sway you into feeling like you have to hire me because I’ve won Dee over.”

“I’ll admit it doesn’t hurt that she likes you so much already,” he said. “But truthfully, I called your references as soon as I got home, and they all sang your praises. Just be forewarned that Dee and Emmie come with the territory. Playing games and having tea parties may actually end up being a part of your job description.”

Her eyes practically danced. “Oh, Mr. Gillespie, I can’t tell you how much I’d enjoy that.”

“Mitch,” he corrected. “Please call me Mitch.”

She blinked, and he saw something pass over her face that he didn’t understand, as though maybe she were debating them being on a first-name basis. But it didn’t mean anything. Everyone in Claremont went by first names. And thankfully, she nodded. “Okay. Mitch. I can’t tell you how much I’d enjoy that as a part of my job description.”

Dee bounded into the room with the game clutched in her hands, and he watched the two flip the square pieces over on the table. Dee’s excited chatter and Kate’s gentle words to his daughter filled the kitchen, but Mitch heard only one thing.

Kate Wydell...saying his name.

Chapter Four

Mitch quietly stepped away from Dee’s room so he wouldn’t wake her from her nap. His oldest princess had tried to deny the virus had gotten the best of her, saying that she was not going to let Emmie’s “bad bug” make her sick, too.

But as Mitch suspected, yesterday afternoon, when Emmie had begun to feel better, Dee’s stomach had started, in her words, “feeling yucky.” And then, like Emmie, she hadn’t been able to keep any food down. Today, after two full days of taking care of the girls, it seemed the worst of the virus was thankfully behind them.