“Okay.” She stood up, signaling the evening had come to an end.
At her door, Sly lingered on the threshold. He started to reach for her, but he’d forfeited the chance. Tipping an imaginary hat, he walked out.
“I can’t make it to dinner tonight,” Lana told her mother on the phone Sunday. It was almost noon and she was still in bed. “I have the flu.”
“You poor thing. Are you throwing up?”
“Twice so far.” First at dawn, when nausea had awakened her. She’d barely made it to the bathroom. It’d happened again several hours later. She was still weak and nauseous.
“Have you eaten or drunk anything?”
“I’m afraid to.”
“You don’t want to get dehydrated. Try ginger ale or cola, something easy on the digestive system. If that stays down, nibble a soda cracker and see how it goes.”
“Thanks, Mom. I will.” If she could just get out of bed without heaving. “There’s a flu bug going around the daycare. I must’ve caught it from one of the kids.”
She hoped Sly didn’t get it after those melting kisses… But she refused to spend any time dreaming about that. Except for Sophie’s upcoming visit, she and Sly weren’t going to see each other again.
Which was for the best but depressing all the same. She’d miss him.
“It isn’t the first time,” her mother said. Lana had to stop and remember what they were talking about. “Those children bring in all kinds of diseases. Masks are a good idea.”
Ah, they’d been talking about getting the flu from her daycare kids.
“Why don’t I make you a batch of that chicken vegetable soup you love and bring it over?” her mother went on. “For later, when your stomach settles.”
This was her mother at her best, jumping in to help a family member in need. Why couldn’t she be this caring and supportive all the time?
As appreciative as Lana was of her mother’s solicitude, right now she couldn’t even contemplate food, let alone entertain. “I probably should mask up at daycare, but I haven’t been sick much because I have immunity to most of the illnesses the kids get. Thanks for the offer, Mom. That’s sweet, but you really shouldn’t. I’ll be terrible company, and I don’t want you to catch this nasty bug.”
“I won’t stay long. I’ll pop in, say a quick ‘hi’ from a distance, and set the soup and a couple bottles of cola in the fridge for you. They’ll keep you hydrated.”
“Thanks.” Lana yawned. “I’m going back to sleep now, so I can hopefully get over this thing by tomorrow.”
“It wouldn’t hurt you to call in sick once in a while. You have two very capable assistants who I’m sure could run the daycare just fine without you.”
“Jasmine and Brittany are great, but I love going to work.”
“Stubborn as always,” her mother said. “I’ll be over in an hour or so.”
Chapter
Thirteen
Monday morning,Lana was still queasy, but not sick enough to stay home. She was standing in front of a cupboard at Tender Loving Daycare, choosing supplies for the Monday art project and handing them to her assistants to arrange on the tables, when Jasmine frowned. “No offense, Lana, but you’re really pale. You don’t look so good.”
“You should’ve seen me yesterday. You know that flu bug that’s going around? I caught it with a vengeance.”
Jasmine, who worked mornings and spent her afternoons at the local community college, where she was majoring in early child development, made a face. “Poor you! I hope I don’t get it, not with finals coming up.”
“Me, either,” Brittany said as she placed crayons in trays around the tables. She worked full-time. “I’m saving up for a new car and can’t afford to miss work.”
They were both in their early twenties and full of energy. They also loved kids. Lana counted herself lucky to have been able to hire them.
“I don’t have any classes today,” Jasmine said. “I was planning to start writing a paper for my child psych class, but if you need to go home, I can stay all day.”
Lana shook her head. “I appreciate that, Jas, but I’ll be okay. I’m a lot better than I was.”
