Page 11 of The Redemption of Remy St. Claire

He eyed her. “Were you ever? You seem like someone who lives with a lot of stress. Your job—”

“Is the best part of my life.”Crap.“I mean Calleigh is the best part. I mean…oh, you know what I mean.”

“I do. I know what it’s like to be solely responsible for one little human being. That’s why I think I can help you. We can share the load.”

The first ray of hope since the constable’d shown up, two weeks ago—on her doorstep, warmed her from within. She’d been remarkably composed, even stoic, when he informed her that her parents were dead. The only saving grace had been that Calleigh’d been home with a babysitter. A good thing because her parents’ car had been unrecognizable. She’d insisted on seeing it for herself, as if it would…well, provide whatever peace could obtained. She’d hoped for closure, but in the end, a mixture of sadness and rage had brought her to her knees.

Her grief was raw.

Rusty’s gentle and upbeat personality was what she needed right now. His steadiness was what Calleigh needed. His calmness was a tonic for what ailed them both.

“What time should I drop off Calleigh in the morning?”

“Mira’s an early riser. We’re usually decent about seven or seven-thirty.”

She nodded. “I’ll have her here by seven-thirty.” She reached out to Calleigh. “Let’s go, Calleigh.”

Obediently, the little one slipped from the couch and took her hand.

Rusty hunkered down to her level, meeting her gaze. “We enjoyed having you here today. Hopefully you can come back tomorrow. Mira and I are going to the park. Would you like to come with us?”

Calleigh nodded solemnly, and Remy’s heart sank. Her happy-go-lucky sister was disappearing before her eyes.

Rusty winked at the little girl. “I’m sure we’ll have fun.” He stood to walk them to the door. When they reached it, he removed his car keys from the hanging rack.

“Take my SUV. That way you don’t have to worry about car seats.”

“You trust me with your SUV?”

“It’s not a stick, but I’m sure you can manage.” He smiled. “Go home. Try to get some sleep tonight.”

She returned his smile, suddenly aware of how exhausted she was. “I’ll try. We’ll be back in the morning.”

“No problem. Don’t worry about breakfast. We have Cheerios to spare.”

“Cheerios.” Calleigh’s eyes lit for the first time that evening. “I like Cheerios.”

“Seven-thirty, it is.” Why would such a small thing bring utter relief? “Thank you.”

His smile was quick as he tipped an imaginary hat. “My pleasure, Remy. My pleasure.”

The drive home in Rusty’s SUV was unremarkable. Getting Calleigh into bed was unremarkable. Then midnight passed, and Remy still couldn’t sleep. Rusty’d nailed her perfectly. Ambition drove her, and she worked in a high-stress environment. Caring for Calleigh overwhelmed and exhausted her.

Russell Stevens.

She’d made three calls this afternoon, between attempts to keep a monster in jail. Waverly, the teacher, waxed poetical about how great Rusty was with the kids. How he was one of the favorite parent volunteers. How Calleigh was always comfortable around him.

Marnie, the librarian, told her how much he loved his daughter. How dedicated he was to the child’s happiness and what a nice man he was.

Dr. Marco had, by nature of his position, been more circumspect. Without breaking confidentiality rules, he said Rusty was a good man and a responsible father. That the young man would make a good caretaker for Calleigh.

The consensus was Rusty loved Mira and would be good for Calleigh. The strong references encouraged her. When she started interviews this morning, she hadn’t foreseen a guy as an applicant, but hiring him felt like the right decision.

Rusty.

Here, in the confines of her childhood bedroom, she could admit he was cute. Not so much handsome in the classical sense…just cute. Of course, he’d probably cringe at what she considered a compliment.

His eyes were a nice shade of brown, as was his hair. Brown hair, brown eyes. Sounded boring.

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