“Sounds like you. Us mere mortals rejoiced, because that’s the only thing that kept me alive while Hayley was cutting her first damn tooth.”
My chest tightened. There had been a time when I’d done the same. Sleepless nights, thanks to an ear infection or upset tummy. So damn long ago.
I slammed the door on those emotions. It was just easier to forget about that part of my life. Crescent Cove was my fresh start. God, I really must have been starved for sleep to let the memories surface after so long.
“Well, not even AHE can help me today. I’m going to take the kid upstairs with me. Trick will keep her appeased, I hope.”
“Kid?” Rylee twisted around and scanned the café.
“Gideon’s daughter is hanging with me today.”
“Did I enter another dimension?”
“Shut up. I’m too tired to banter.”
“No, seriously.” She lifted onto her toes and craned her neck to look over the customers waiting at the counter. “What does she look like?”
“Guess.”
Ry tucked her inky hair behind her ear. “Is she a mini-me deal?”
“Nope.”
She dropped back on her heels. “You’re not helpful.”
I spotted Dani with her left leg draped over the arm of the couch. She looked bored as hell. “I’m good with that.” I walked out from behind the counter to the dining room and did a sweep of mugs and plates on my way over to her.
I gritted my teeth through a few smiles at my regulars, but they were used to my less than chatty moods. Dani, not so much.
“Hey.”
She sat up and swung her leg down, a blush firing up her neck. “Hi.”
“Don’t worry, you can’t hurt that couch. Not sure a flamethrower could.”
Dani giggled. “You’re funny.”
“Not to most people.”
She giggled again. The sound of it was a balm. And again, my exhaustion had to be at epic proportions if that was a thought in my head. “What do you think about crashing upstairs with my cats and The Princess Bride for a few hours?”
“Cats?” She bounced up, hopping on her right foot. “How many?”
“Two.”
“Cool. Dad won’t let me have one. Says he would have to be the one to take care of it. I mean, I told him I would, but he doesn’t believe me.” She grabbed her crutch without me reminding her, which told me she was probably feeling the ankle deal more than she let on.
Could kids have drugs? What kind? I knew about baby Tylenol, but what
if you were more of a middle of the road age like Dani?
Ugh. Why the hell was I in this predicament? I wasn’t the mothering kind anymore.
She hopped along beside me. “What are your cats’ names? What’s The Princess Bride?”
“You know about Army of Darkness, but not the second best movie known to man?”
“What’s the first?”