“Absolutely.” I follow her as she walks out the front door, and she waits patiently while I lock up, and then we get into the car. Her asking me to walk her into class sucker punches me. There were times I could always do that without her asking, but for the past few months, I’ve had to drop her off in the car loop. Hopefully, this meeting with Jamie, there will be a whole lot of changes happening before I even think about going back to work for him.
We make it to school in five minutes, park the car, and get out. It always shocks me when Claira wants to hold my hand, especially at school in front of all of her friends. It’s another one of those instances that I know she will eventually outgrow.
“Hi, Auntie Pres,” Clairabella says as we come up toward the hallway that leads to her classroom. I thought Presley would quit teaching once Noah was born, but she didn’t. It helps that her parents enjoy watching him while she’s at school. Plus, her schedule is pretty amazing for when he gets older, too.
“Hi, Bella Bug. How are you this morning?” Presley drops down into a squat to give her a hug.
“I’m fantastic. Guess what we’re having for dinner?” She doesn’t give Pres the opportunity to respond. “Rolled ice cream! I’m the luckiest girl in the world. Love you. I have to get to class. See you later. Bye, Momma! I love you!”
“See you later, Bug,” Presley replies.
“Love you more. Have a great day!” I wave to her as she disappears into her classroom.
“Well, what happened when we left? I tried to stay up and wait for a text, but I passed out pretty fast once Colt dropped me off at home. Noah was in bed, and the wine did me in,” she says.
“I’m meeting Jamie today, so there isn’t much to say yet. I’ll text the group chat. Speaking of, I guess I need to get back home. I want to clean the house a little bit before he shows up. And, no, I’m not cleaning it for him.” I roll my eyes when I see her hopeful look.
“You never know.” She puts her hands up in a ‘don’t give up’ kind of way.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m out of here. Don’t worry about taking Claira to my parents’ house. I’ll be here to pick her up. Which, can I say I’m so stinking happy to finally be able to do?” A smile comes to my face; I really am excited.
“Sounds good. Keep us posted.” She gives me a wink, and I wave at her instead of giving her the bird like I want to do as we part ways.
With a spring in my step, I head back the way we came. Once I’m home, I open the front door and am met with silence, something I don’t get a lot of. Not that I’m complaining, but I can now take care of a few things that have been on my never-ending list—clean out Claira’s closet and toys, organize the kitchen cabinets that I swear the storage containers have been thrown inside when Clairabella helps me unload the dishwasher, and even work on the backyard that’s been sorely neglected. This weekend, I’m definitely going to work on that. I’m sure my little helper will love to get her hands dirty as much as she loves to dress up, too.
I throw my purse on the couch and make a cup of coffee, dreading that Jamie will be here soon. Well, if he actually does what he says, he will.
I’m not really holding my breath. I doctor up my coffee then take it out to the front porch while looking out at my yard with a contentedness I haven’t had in a really freaking long time.
8
Jamie
It’s a sense of déjà vu pulling into Callie’s neighborhood, rounding the curve, and parking in her driveway. She’s sitting on her front porch looking like it’s her favorite spot to be, even when the temperature is already in the seventies and only getting warmer. But there she sits in jeans and a shirt, her hair on top of her head, and a cup of coffee in her hand.
Mi Madre really helped me out today. When I left Callie’s last night, I called her on the way home, letting her know my plan on winning her back. Not saying I didn’t have to beg for my own mother’s forgiveness, because I did. She came through for me, though, and did my a solid, which means I’ll be paying her back at her store some way. That usually means I’ll be the pack mule, and she’ll have me doing the heavy lifting, but it’ll be worth it. Especially since she’s taking Callie’s place today and is rescheduling all of my appointments that were supposed to happen today.