“Any way Lily’s dad could watch her?”
Sophia swallowed past the huge lump in her throat. “I could ask him, but as an EMT it’s near impossible to get time off at the last minute. I need to just put my big-girl panties on and tell them I can’t do the shoot.” Sadness enveloped her. Why couldn’t things ever work out for her?
Caleb reached out and took her hands in his. “Sophia, that can’t happen. You’ve got to do the shoot. I can watch Lily.”
“What? You can’t be serious,” Sophia sputtered.
“I wouldn’t make an offer like that if I wasn’t.” He made a face. “And acting so mystified at my offer is a tad insulting, just so you know.”
“But how would that work?” Her mind was racing. Shewanted this opportunity so badly she could taste it, and the last thing Sophia needed was to get her hopes up. What did Caleb know about watching a four-year-old?
“I, Caleb Stone, will watch Lily while you fly out to Anchorage. I’ll entertain her, cook for her, play dolls with her.” He grinned. “I’ll be a veritable Mary Poppins.”
Sophia chuckled at the visual image Caleb’s comment brought to mind.
“Caleb, do you really cook?” she asked, surprised that he would even offer. For some reason she couldn’t imagine him at a stove, even though he would look all kinds of hot wearing an apron.
“Of course I do. Daisy made sure all of her boys could cook. She said it was her gift to our future partners.”
“I like your mom’s style,” Sophia said with an approving nod. “What’s your signature dish?”
“Bourbon chicken or my famous slow cooker mac ’n’ cheese. I’ll let you decide when I invite you for dinner.” He playfully winked at her, distracting her for a moment from the issue at hand.
“That sounds nice, but back to Lily. If you’re serious, I’ll be taking an early morning flight and getting back early evening.” She bit her lip. “Do you think that you can handle her for that length of time?”
“Of course I do,” he said, sounding extremely confident. “Lily and I are buddies. It’ll be a piece of cake. And a nice way to spend a Saturday.”
Sophia didn’t know what he was imagining watching a four-year-old would be like, but she trusted him to keep Lily safe and secure. And from the sound of it, he would feed her and keep her entertained.
“She’s four, Caleb,” Sophia pointed out. “Nothing with that age group is a piece of cake. They fight against nap time.A temper tantrum can happen at the drop of a dime. And one minute they love chicken nuggets and the next they’re yucky.”
“We’ll be fine. I’m creative and funny, not to mention that I bring the fun. We’re going to have a blast.” Caleb rubbed his hands together. “Matter of fact, I might become her favorite sitter of all time.”
“You’re all those things and more,” Sophia said, feeling warm and fuzzy about his generous offer. Not only did it salvage her photo shoot with Malina, but he was also making her believe that she could count on him in a crunch. This was different from anything she had ever experienced in the romance department. Even with Donny she had never been able to rely on him in difficult situations. Caleb Stone was a unique kind of man.
“I appreciate you,” she said, coming from her side of the desk toward the other side where he was seated. Caleb stood up, as if sensing she needed to hug him.
She reached up and placed her arms around his waist and leaned against his chest, hugging him for all she was worth. Being in his arms felt safe, something she hadn’t experienced before in a man’s arms other than her dad’s. Sophia didn’t know where this thing was headed with Caleb, but for the moment he was making her feel that anything was possible.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Caleb looked at the clock on the kitchen wall and ran a hand over his face. How was it possible that it was only ten a.m.? He had shown up at Sophia’s house at the crack of dawn so she could catch her flight to Anchorage. Even at that early hour, Lily had been awake and eager to see him. He had been relieved that the little girl hadn’t shed any tears at her mother’s departure.
He’d already fed Lily, watchedBlueycartoons with her, gotten her dressed, and fixed her hair. Now what? Despite his boasting to Sophia, he was stumped.
Why had he thought that he’d be fine? Lily was running him ragged, and he was coming up empty with ideas on how to keep her entertained. She had so much… energy, like the Energizer Bunny. When was she going to run out of steam? He would make lunch for her, then desperately pray she went down for a nap.
Frankly, he was the one who absolutely needed a nap.
Why had he thought this would be a cakewalk? He had wanted so badly for Sophia to have the chance to do thephoto shoot with Malina that he may have slightly exaggerated his babysitting skills.
By the time twelve-thirty rolled around, he was feeling a bit desperate. He had fixed a nice lunch of chicken nuggets and steamed broccoli with apple sauce and pita bread. Lily had devoured her entire plate, then asked for seconds. But the meal had been like fuel for her. Instead of settling down for nap time, she was revved up and ready to take on the world. Caleb was running after her as she zipped around the house like a roadrunner.
When she finally slumped over on the couch and fell fast asleep, Caleb pulled out his phone and called his brothers. Xavier picked up the call first, then Caleb patched Landon in.
“Hey, what’s going on?” Landon asked. “What’s with the three-way call?”
“I have an emergency,” Caleb said, not wasting any time getting to the heart of the matter.
