Page 9 of The Redemption of Remy St. Claire

Calleigh was curled up on the couch, staring at the book in her lap. She’d ignored Mira’s attempted to engage her, and now his daughter eyed him.

“Sweetheart, Daddy’s cooking dinner. Maybe you can play with your puzzle?” He’d pulled several toys from the toy chest in the hopes of the girls engaging with each other. Mira excelled at keeping her own company, so her request for attention likely stemmed from her confusion. Her gregarious playmate had withdrawn, and his daughter was as worried as he.

“Okay.” Mira sat on the floor and sorted out the wooden pieces of her jigsaw puzzle.

Sometimes his daughter scared him. She was an easygoing child who rarely had tantrums—usually only when she was overtired.

He finished the pasta with a side of cooked carrots. He hoped his guest liked them because he hadn’t thought to ask.

“Dinnertime.”

Mira headed off to the bathroom to wash her hands, but Calleigh didn’t move.

He hunkered down next to her. “Is that a good book?”

She shrugged.

“How about I read you that book after dinner?”

The little girl met his gaze. “Where’s Remy?”

He resisted the urge to glance at his watch. Nearly six, and there’d been no word from Calleigh’s sister.

“She’ll be here soon.” He slapped his hands on his thighs. “How about we wash our hands so we can eat dinner?”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Well, we’ll see how much you can manage.”

She nodded and slipped from the couch.

He led her to the bathroom where she joined Mira in washing her hands.

Once the task was completed, the girls sat at the table and he placed the food in front of them.

Mira smiled. “Thank you.”

Calleigh looked back and forth between Rusty and Mira. “Thank you.” She parroted the words, an awkward and painful process to watch.

“It’s okay to eat your carrots with your fingers.” He picked a carrot up to show her how to do it.

Slowly, she followed suit.

He smiled at the girls. “What did you do with Waverly today?” Waverly worked at the preschool.

Mira began recounting their day while Calleigh slowly picked at her food.

Chapter three

Remyknockedontheapartment door and waited patiently. Impatience would get her nowhere, so she held herself in check. She forced herself to smile when the door opened.

“Come in.”

She followed Rusty into the living room where the two girls sat on the couch, awaiting his return. A book lay discarded.

Calleigh hopped off the couch and launched herself toward Remy.

She swept her young sister up in her arms, but she was off-balance, and they swayed. He steadied her with a hand to her lower back as she gripped the toddler. Calleigh’d been on her mind the whole time she’d been gone.

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