“Good luck with the car!”
Lauren made a face and rolled her eyes.
Annie laughed to herself, then made the drive to daycare to pick up Noel and Leon.
They were both in chipper moods, having just gotten over a thankfully mild case of hand, foot, and mouth disease.
Annie got the worst of it, starting with a wicked cold and now a cough that wouldn’t go away.At least her fingernails hadn’t fallen off again…
Yet.
This year was still better than the last, as far as illnesses went.During their first year of daycare, the twins were sick so severely and so often that Annie had felt like daycare was nothing more than a virus library – they’d go one day, then be home for a week with whatever they’d picked up.
“Aunt Margie is going to come over later,” she told them once she had them in their car seats.
Noel clapped her hands and Leon grinned, happily munching on cheese puffs.
When they got home, she set them up in the living room with toys and some fresh fruit.Though they wanted to come with her and tug at her legs, the baby gates kept them contained.
Annie had kept the gates between the living room and the rest of the house, but they’d have to go once her mom came home as to not cause another fall.It felt like the last thing she needed was two toddlers and all their toys underfoot…
A knock rang out at the front door.Annie rushed over and pulled it open to see Margie.
“Hello there!”Margie called out, waving at the twins.
They both looked up and smiled, then returned to fighting over a puzzle.
“Hi Margie,” Annie said, then looking past her, gasped.
Behind Margie stood a gorgeous, dark-haired firefighter –thefirefighter from the dating ads.And the grocery store.And her dreams.
He was too handsome for this world, a brooding, smoldering-eyed hunk of a man cut from muscle and fire.
Despite herself, she blurted out, “It’s you.”
“Excuse me?”His brow furrowed.
“I’m so sorry, I’ve seen you before.On the ferry.On an ad on the ferry,” she said slowly.
A polite smile formed on his face.Or maybe it was a pained smile.“That was my daughter’s doing.We are no longer accepting applications.”
Margie laughed.“I dare say you were never accepting applications.”
“No, I was not.”
“Annie, this is Miles Coleman.Miles, this is Annie Thompson, Clara’s daughter.”
“Hello,” he said with a nod.
“Hi.”Annie swallowed.He clearly was not amused by her, and though she recognized him, he clearly didn’t recognize her.She wasn’t going to remind him about the grocery store cookie incident.
“I thought it was quite genius,” Margie said, stooping down to plant a kiss on top of Leon’s head, then Noel’s.“I admire her entrepreneurial spirit.”
Miles shook his head.“I’d prefer you didn’t tell her that.”
Margie laughed, completely nonplussed by his annoyance.“That was what I wanted to talk to you about, Annie.Miles’ daughter, Bella, is starting a babysitters club.”
“How nice,” Annie said, hiding her face by picking up toys as the redness dissipated.“If she needs any guinea pigs, we’re available.”
