Page 22 of The Complication
“Nah. That’s okay. She crushed her carrots and beef this morning. The bottle should keep her busy while I eat. If you could get me a damp cloth to wash off her face and hands.”
Frank nodded and was off again while Parker turned to his own plate and swore.
“Eat. Don’t curse at the food,” I murmured between bites of pancake.
Parker made a noise that might have been a giggle and dug in. A moan rumbled up his throat that was too similar to what I heard when we were alone. I stopped with my coffee halfway to my mouth and stared at him. His head was tipped back, and his eyes closed as he chewed.
“Heaven. These waffles are heaven.” He took a sip of his latte and groaned.
“Try to contain yourself. You’re going to traumatize your daughter,” I said while returning my eyes to my plate.
“How do you eat like this every day and not weigh three hundred pounds? This food is amazing.”
“I have some self-control.”
Parker snorted and I wasn’t able to lift my gaze, because Iknew I would blush. Parker Cain was the only person I’d ever met who could consistently destroy all my self-control, and he took pride in it.
“What are your plans for today?” It was better to change the subject.
There was a long pause, and I looked up to see Parker smirking at me. He knew exactly what I was doing, but he cleared his throat and answered my question.
“I need to make several phone calls today to the apartment management and my insurance company.”
“I’m sorry. When I picked up your car last night, I stopped in at the complex. Your apartment…”
“Yeah, I know,” Parker mumbled. “I texted with a neighbor who used to live across the hall from me. She said the entire building was toast. Rumor is that someone was cooking on the second floor and started a grease fire. It spread out of control from there.”
“Is there anything I can do to help you today?”
“Actually…” Parker drawled as he demolished the last of his waffle and hash browns, then turned his attention to the fruit. “Would you mind watching Joy for about an hour? Just long enough for me to make those phone calls. It would be easier for me to get all the information without the risk of being distracted.”
My gaze snapped to the baby, who was currently lounging in her high chair as she lazily drank from her bottle. Her bright-blue eyes drooped, and she looked as if she were about to drift off to sleep.
Watch the baby.
I’d never taken care of a baby.
But it was only for an hour, and Parker would be in the house if there was a problem. Not to mention, Franks would be within shouting range if there was a true disaster.She isn’t mobile yet, I thought.She can’t get into too much trouble.
“If you don’t have time…” Parker began when I took too much time to answer.
“No. I can do it. I can watch Joy. It will be easy.” I tried to sound confident while cold sweat doused my entire body. I was in over my head, and Parker was still in the room. What did I know about babies? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
However, I wanted to be there to help Parker, and maybe I wanted to prove to myself that I was at least better than my own father with kids.
“You’re sure?”
“Yes. I’ll watch Joy in the guest bedroom, and you can make your phone calls in my office. Franks can show you where that is.”
Parker stared at me for a second as if he were trying to read my mind to see the panic I was hiding from him. A smile spread across his lips, and I released the breath I was holding. “Okay. Sounds good. And to help you out, I’ll change her diaperbeforeI hand her to you.”
Oh, thank whatever gods there may be. I hadn’t even considered her diaper. There was no way in hell I would have gotten that right. It would have been a traumatic experience for both of us.
Our plan in place, Parker and I finished our breakfast just as Joy was becoming restless in her chair. Parker cleaned her up and carried her off to the bedroom for a fresh diaper while I went to my office to make sure I hadn’t left out any miscellaneous papers that might be in Parker’s way during his phone calls. I set out a new legal pad and two pens in case he needed to make some notes.
When I arrived at the bedroom, Joy was squealing with laughter as Parker blew raspberries on her belly. She lay on her back in the middle of the bed with pillows surrounding her sides. A few plush animal dolls were also on the bed. I stood there watching them for a second as she grabbed his longish hair that fell across her face. There was such lightnessand joy in her, making it easy to understand why Molly had chosen such a name for her. For this moment, she seemed to chase away all the shadows that had clung to Parker for the past couple of weeks.
Parker straightened and grinned at me, pulling her T-shirt over her stomach. “Don’t worry. Raspberries aren’t required for watching her. But she should be fine on the bed with her toys to keep her occupied while I make my calls.”
