I laughed. “On it. Go save lives. And kiss Maisy for me!”
Wow. This was a lot. But, well, I didn’t have too much on my plate today. I debated for a half second about what to do. Then I called Amelia.
“I’m putting an issue to bed today, Mason, and leaving on a trip tomorrow. Make it snappy!”
I rolled my eyes. Work Amelia was so intense.
“Well, I need your help.”
She sighed. “Of course you do!”
I filled her in on Daisy’s situation.
“Damn it,” she said, under her breath. I could hear her pacing. “Okay, so, you know I’m going to help Daisy, obviously. But, look, for now, get the Marlin moms on this. They will be all over it, and I will be your finisher.”
“I hate to ask them…”
“Mason!” Amelia snapped. “I know at least one of them has sent you topless photos to try to finagle playing time for her kid. This isn’t a big ask. I will see you tonight!”
“But Amelia, maybe you could ask—”
Silence on the other end of the line. She was already gone. I was going to have to handle this myself. I opened my “Team Reach” app that had the numbers of roughly thirty Cape Carolina mothers. And I wrote:
Mason Thaysden
1:16 pm
Hi, Marlin Moms! I need a favor. A friend is looking to foster the baby that Drew and I so heroically rescued ;) But she doesn’t have any baby gear! Does anyone have baby things we could potentially have/borrow/buy at a good price? We’re on a super time crunch here. We need everything by tomorrow! Preferably this afternoon… Here’s what I think we need:
*Crib
*Changing table
*Car seat
Um, y’all know my bachelor status. What else am I missing? Thank you in advance.
Also… I’ve heard that day care around here takes a million years to get into, but she can’t get the baby unless she has that arranged. Any leads?
Maybe we could gather after school?
The replies began instantly:
Jessica Brasher:My husband would be so thrilled to get the crib out of storage! I have a crib, mattress, sheets, the works! We’ll meet you at school at four.
Cheryl Christianson:I’m at Walmart right now. I’ll grab a car seat. You’re going to want that to be new because the safety recommendations are changing all the time. She’s going to need bottles, clothes, diapers, wipes, diaper cream… A lot of things!
Heather Salter:Cheryl, stock her up, and I will split it with you! Coach, I have a changing table in the attic, but it needs a new pad.
Cheryl Christianson:Awesome! I’ll pick up a new changing pad too.
Sarah Foster:I’ll donate too, Cheryl! But I have tons and tons of baby clothes that Leah has outgrown, so you don’t need those. Maybe some fresh onesies. I have lots of cute bibs I’ll bring too!
Julie Moore:I’ll donate too, Cheryl! Also, I’ve been out of the baby business for a while, but I just painted some really sweetballet slippers. I’ll bring some artwork that will make it really finished and cozy!
Whoa. These all came in within the span of seven minutes. And more and more replies ofI’ll donate too!were coming in on their heels, followed by women who wanted to make meals for Daisy to keep in the freezer because she wouldn’t have time to cook.
I’d said it before, and I’d say it again: these moms could easily run the world. If they were in charge, they’d have all our problems solved in the span of a group text. But there was one thing we hadn’t solved. And I really didn’t want to have to call her separately… but I would swallow my pride. For Maisy. Just as I was about to send a text, a message popped up:
