Page 23 of Due North
See what the vixen does to me? I forgot everything else whenever she was around. I set the bottle down on the table and sat to cover my stupidity. “Oh, yeah, I wasn’t sure if that was still happening. Have a seat.”
Dawn and Heaven looked at each other in a way that said I hadn’t pulled a thing over on them.
“I met with Tobi this morning, so I need your votes before I decide what to do.”
I laid out the situation, and Dawn’s head nodded while Heaven’s eyes filled with relief. I was barely done speaking before Heaven did.
“Yes, one hundred percent yes. Do it.”
“Dawn? What say you?”
“If it streamlines things for you, then I say yes. Tobi knows what she’s doing, and we haven’t had any luck finding someone to work limited hours, so this is the perfect solution. In fact, if she needs to work overtime to make up for her time away from her other duties, that’s not a problem. We’ll pay her.”
“Good enough for me.”
“Me too,” Heaven agreed.
I tapped the table. “I’m relieved. Thanks, gal pals.”
“Anything to make your life easier,” Dawn assured me, patting my arm.
There was a thud from the bedroom, and I was running before I realized I stood up. I was standing in front of Cece’s and Poppy’s room with my chest heaving and my eyes searching for a body on the floor. All I heard were squeals of laughter from the crib, and all I saw was a frustrated Cece picking up little boots.
“Are you okay?” I asked, stepping into the room and grabbing a couple of toys off the floor that I deposited in the basket.
“I’m fine, but Poppy has decided to be a pickle about getting dressed for the campfire. She won’t leave her boots on!”
I took her upper arm gently and took a deep breath, relieved when she copied the motion herself. “Go get your coat and boots and grab some cocoa. I’ll get Poppy.”
“She won’t be happy,” she insisted, swinging her head so hard that her curls brushed her shoulders. I had to bite back the moan at the last second before it escaped.
“Ba!” a sweet voice said, and I spun around toward the crib, grabbing the rail so I didn’t tip. “Ba!” she said again.
I reached down to tickle her belly and was rewarded with a belly laugh. “Am I Ba?” I asked the little girl who kicked her legs happily. She held up one finger and waited until I held up two. Her little grin widened when I did, and then I knew. I was her Ba. That was a title I would always cherish.
“I think so,” Cece said, breaking into my thoughts. “She says it and points to the backdoor in the kitchen. Like she knows that’s the door you use.”
“She’s so sweet,” I whispered, brushing her tiny red curls off her forehead. “You go,” I said, turning Cece towards the door. “I’ll bring her out to the fire in a few minutes. Just take a breather.”
She glanced behind her, but when Poppy wasn’t fussing, she nodded her agreement and, without a word, disappeared down the hallway. I turned back to the little girl in the crib and put my hands on my hips. “You are a handful, sweet pea,” I said, chuckling. I knew she couldn’t hear me, but I also wondered what it must be like to see faces that only ever smiled or frowned at you. At least if I spoke, it taught her expressions and emotions.
I picked up a boot and held it up, pointing at her foot. She flopped down onto the mattress and giggled, her toes up in the air. “You are a tease,” I said, tugging the boots onto her feet over her pajamas. She’d be wrapped up in her coat and blankets, so the boots were probably unnecessary, but if she escaped someone’s lap, at least her feet wouldn’t get wet. There might be another week until Halloween, but the nip in the air now that it was late October required boots to keep tiny feet warm.
I swung her up into my arms with a whoop, her baby giggles making my heart happy again. Sometimes you just needed to spend time with someone who loved you for what they saw on the surface and not what was hiding below. Sometimes, I thought Poppy Rose and I were truly kindred spirits. She had so many layers to her already, but people only saw the top few.
After I had my jacket and hat on, I wrapped her in a quilt and carried her to the fire, sitting down in the only empty chair. The chair next to Cece. I tuned everyone out and pulled a bag from my pocket, shaking it until it grabbed Poppy’s attention. Her chubby hands clapped together, and she took off her mittens. I opened the bag, taking out a fish-shaped cracker and setting it on my palm. I held up one finger, pointed at the fish, and then held up one finger again. She repeated what I did and was rewarded with the cracker popped into her mouth. She chewed, her head dancing back and forth and her bottom wiggling on my lap. I did the same thing four more times, each time giving her a cracker as a reward for repeating it back to me.
“What is he doing?” Beau asked from across the fire.
“Teaching her how to count in sign language,” Cece answered. I could tell by her tone that she was stunned.
I glanced up and around the circle automatically. “I’m sorry, were you talking to me? I was trying to keep Poppy happy.”
“We weren’t talking to you, son,” Ash said, “but it looks like you made her happy.”
I shrugged and gave her another cracker. “She loves these fishy crackers. I remember how much my little sisters did at her age too. I thought maybe I could use them to teach her more signs until she’s back in a program,” I explained, my words aimed at Cece. “I can stop if you’d rather.”
She waved her hand at me instantly. “No, don’t stop. I think it’s great. She’s responding to you, and that’s what matters. I’m impressed. I wouldn’t have thought to teach her that way.”
