I glance across and smile. “Yeah. I delivered my last batch this morning during my shift. So now I have to start all over again.”
He tilts his head. “Your shift?”
“Yeah, at the NICU.”
AJ’s eyebrows shoot up. “Really? I thought you were a corporate secretary.”
I chuckle. “Yeah, I am. But every second Saturday I volunteer at the NICU as a baby cuddler.”
“I had no idea people could do that. I bet it’s incredible. I used to love holding Colton when he was a newborn. Not that I don’t love cuddling him now that he’s bigger, but there was something so special about holding him when he was tiny and fragile. He needed the adults around him to keep him safe and to provide for all his needs. It was really special to be part of his inner circle.”
I nod as he shares his experience, my heart expanding at the obvious love he has for his nephew. “Yeah, it’s amazing. The babies are incredibly tiny and all they need is a little extra help to get to where they need to be. Parents can’t be with their baby twenty-four seven because they may already have other children at home, or they may still be recovering themselves. So the extra hands, or should I say warm bodies, is a big help.”
“You sound like you really love it.”
“I do. As much as I do it to help the babies, I find I get as much from the experience. While I’m there with the babies, I’m not thinking about anything else. I’m completely in the moment with them.” AJ nods. “There’s a certain quiet that settles over me when I’m cuddling the newborns.”
“Climbing does that for me. It centers my mind and my body. I can only focus on what I’m doing, the next hold, staying safe, and moving forward. It takes all of my focus. I find it helps me with my work, too.”
I tilt my head to the side. “How so?”
“Climbing has taught me to plan out my steps and stay focused on the task at hand.”
“Interesting. So, how long have you been climbing?”
AJ stands, collecting our empty dishes. “Probably about five years or so. It was a little while after I finished my studies when Dylan and I were getting our business up and running. I used to find it hard to stay on track with my tasks, always getting distracted by some other unimportant task that could wait. A friend was getting married and as part of his bachelor party, we did a couple of hours of indoor rock climbing and I loved it. I started going once every few weeks and my interest grew from there. Once I noticed the difference in my work, I made it a habit and built it into my schedule.” He fills the kitchen sink and proceeds to wash the dishes like it’s the most natural thing in the world to do.
“I can do the dishes since you brought dinner.” I try to nudge him out of the way so I can take over but he doesn’t budge.
“It’s no problem, Sarah. There are less than ten items.” He elbows me out of the way, so I scoop up some of the bubbles from the sink and flick them at him. His eyes widen and a mischievous grin takes over his face and I know I’m in trouble. “Oh, it’s on!” He scoops out some bubbles and flicks them at me, covering the front of my left boob. His eyes drop to where the bubbles are disintegrating, leaving a wet patch on my white tank and making my nipples pebble. “Shit! Sorry.” His wide eyes glance up to my face, then drop back down when I wipe the spot, making my breast jiggle. It’s only then I realize that by doing so, I’ve pressed the fabric against my flesh, making my peaked nipple visible through the flimsy fabric.
I chuckle, turning my back to him. “Don’t worry, I totally started that. I’m just going to quickly change, so I’m not flashing you.”
“I don’t mind. You can flash me all you want.” He winks and I head for my bedroom, chuckling. As I search through my drawers for a fresh bra and T-shirt, I can’t help but wonder what it would be like to spend all of my Saturday nights like this.
CHAPTER14
–aj–
I’mglad I could make her laugh when she must be feeling crappy. I debated, for all of five minutes, whether it would be a good idea to turn up on her doorstep. I hoped she wouldn’t think I was some creeper and that she’d let me inside. I figured it would be harder for her to refuse if I brought dinner with me and I was right.
I finish the dishes and make myself comfortable on her couch while I wait for her to change. I would like to say I’m a gentleman and I didn’t take advantage of the view her see-through tank afforded me, but I’m not a liar. I pick up the pink yarn resting on the couch, running the strands through my fingers. It’s so damn soft. I collect the cap she’s left on the coffee table, fitting it over my fist. It’s tight, reminding me how tiny a newborn is, and I would imagine the newborns in the NICU are even tinier than Colton was when he was born.
Movement out of my periphery has me glancing up. Sarah’s standing just inside her bedroom door, watching me study the cap. “This is really something. How many of these do you make?”
“Depends on what I have going on and if I need to stay back late at work. But anywhere from five to eight every two weeks. Each one takes me around two hours to make from start to finish. I usually make a little pompom to go on top. They look so cute when they’re done.”
“Are they hard to make?”
“They were at first because I had to teach myself how to crochet. I had quite a few failures as I mastered the technique. And even now, I’m not the fastest, but it’s a great way to wind down and relax while I’m watching TV.”
“Could you teach me? I think Colton would really like one of these. Maybe I could make one for Hayley and Lisa’s new baby too.” Her eyes widen and her mouth drops open a little.
“Uh, sure. If you like. Fair warning, I’m not an expert, though.”
I pat the seat beside me, soaking in Sarah’s fresh spring scent as she sits. She collects a hook thing and some yarn, then spends the next forty minutes trying to teach me how to start, but my fingers are too thick and I’m finding it difficult to get my hands to do what they need to do.
“Hmph, I don’t think crochet is for me.”