Page 10 of Love Notes & Lifelines
CHAPTER THREE
STELLA
My phone dingswith an incoming Up-Lift ride and I accept it immediately, then pull out onto Hillsborough Street. They’re close enough that I can squeeze in one more customer before I return to work, and bonus points because we’re headed to the same block.
I’m still not sure why Elijah allows me to use his car like this, or why he won’t even accept gas money from me. I also didn’t expect that at almost thirty, I’d be a rideshare driver in my spare time, but every penny counts these days, and I can’t afford to question generosity—even if it’s a hit to my pride every single time.
I keep a mental tally of everything I take, and I’ve vowed to pay him back. Somehow.
After a two-day onboarding session with Lottie—thankfully over the weekend since I’m sure Caleb wouldn’t have approved the days off without advance notice—I had my first call a couple nights ago with a sweet dad named Marcus. I wasn’t expecting to get a call so soon after I was accepted into SDH. He was already pretty hands-on and only wanted to know how high a fever should be before contacting the doctor. He hasn’t called back since.
GPS says my customer is straight ahead, so I pull up next to the sidewalk and a moment later, the back door opens.
I work quickly, adjusting the GPS to take us to our destination, and shimmy in my seat a little because it’s finally my lucky day—this guy is heading to the Hayes building. Take that and stuff it, Caleb. Not even Mr. Freeze can complain about my lunch hour now.
The door slams shut, and whimpers fill my ears next. Did this jerk bring a dog into Elijah’s car? He’ll kill me.
“Harold?” I ask lifting my gaze to the rearview mirror, then spin around in horror.
“No, sorry,” Beck says, shifting a little girl in his lap and searching for a seat belt. “That’s my attorney, he ordered the ride for me.” He finally lifts his head, and we both freeze, staring at each other with our mouths hanging open.
“Stella?” He looks around as if he’s being pranked. No such luck, big guy. This is really happening. “Why are you driving strangers around?” He glances at the interior of the vehicle and zeroes in on the monogrammed floor mats. “Is this Elijah’s car?”
My face heats, but I will myself to sit tall. “It is. I don’t have a car, so he lets me borrow it to make some extra cash.” I sold mine two months ago to pay for my mother’s healthcare facility.
Times are more than desperate.
Beck’s face shows every ounce of confusion that must be running through his mind right now.
“Don’t we pay well?” he asks while the baby in his arms attempts to stick her fingers up his nose. Seeing him dodge her assault is quite funny, but I bite my lip to keep from laughing at him.
Then his question registers and I exhale an uncomfortable giggle-snort. That’s what he’s worried about right now?
I stare pointedly at the little girls who have wide, terrified eyes, and I give them what I hope is a reassuring smile. “Hi there, my name’s Stella. What’s yours?”
The oldest searches Beck’s face, and her shoulders sag when he doesn’t say anything. “I’m Emmy,” she says sadly. “She’s Wuby. She cwies. Uncle Beck is our new daddy.”
Beck splutters unintelligible words, and I’m pretty sure all the color just drained from my face, but I try to pull it together for a number of reasons, none of which are the fact that my boss’s boss, who destroyed me with a kiss, is now staring at me like I have three heads.
“Well, it’s very nice to meet you girls. I’m sure—ah—Uncle Beck—er—Daddy will make a great—daddy.”
These must be his sister’s daughters. The one who kept trying to reach him? The reality of what that must mean for him hits me in the heart with a painful thunk.
Beck makes a choked sound in the back of his throat, and I quickly face forward. “Do you have car seats for them?”
“What?”
“They need car seats. Maybe it’s different with taxis or rideshares, but they’ll need car seats if you want to take them anywhere.”
“Add it to the list,” he says dryly.
Shaking my head, I check the locks on the car doors, turn on my blinker, and pull out onto the street.
“Are you Uncle Beck Daddy’s fwiend?” Emmy asks, her voice filling with a little more confidence.
I chance a peek at her in the mirror, but my gaze snags on Beck’s. I’m guessing his blank stare has more to do with his sudden parentage than me being the one to pick him up on a street corner.
“Sort of,” I say sweetly. “I work for his company.”
