Page 15 of Exposed

“Really? This is hardly cooking. The bacon is kind of burnt.”

Something as simple as making scrambled eggs for her brought her to tears. It’s such a small thing to do for someone, and I have a sudden desire to spoil her.

She opens her mouth to speak, but a timer starts beeping outside. Then, a baby starts wailing.

Weird.

Unless my neighbors just adopted, they don’t have babies.

“Is that coming from your front door?” Pepper asks.

“Yep.” I pop up from the table, then point a finger at her. “We’re not done here. I want to know what’s going on, so I can help you,” I say with a stern voice.

She bites her lip and blushes. Did I just scare her or turn her on? Hmm. I’m probably reading into her expression.

The baby’s cries ratchet up to DEFCON level. Why is there a crying baby at my front door?

“You babysitting today?” Pepper asks, trailing behind me as I make my way through my kitchen and living room to the front door.

“Nope. I don’t babysit.”

When I open the door, my heart stops beating for a second. My jaw drops at the sight of a baby wrapped in a blue blanket in a car seat. A cheap kitchen timer along with a blue diaper bag sit on my front doorstep next to the car seat. With all the blue, I’m guessing he’s a boy.

“Looks like you’re babysitting,” Pepper remarks.

“I have no idea what’s going on.” Without thinking, my protective instincts kick in. I unbuckle the wailing baby from his car seat and scoop him up, and a white envelope tucked into the blanket falls to the ground. Grabbing the envelope, I stuff it into my shorts pocket, then look both ways down the street. All of the cars are ones I recognize, and nothing looks out of place.

“You’re okay, baby,” I soothe. “Shhh.”

The baby is so tiny, I’m afraid I may break him. He leans into me and snuggles against my bare chest. He’s freaking cute, the cutest baby I’ve ever seen. His little button nose and round face are perfectly formed. His face is red with how much he’s screaming. His big blue eyes lock with mine, and he looks scared. Two hands reach up for my face.

“It’s okay, bud. I’ve got you,” I soothe as I motion with one arm for Pepper to come inside. He’s so tiny, I’ve got him cradled in one arm. I grab the car seat and set it inside, while Pepper brings the diaper bag behind me.

“Is this a prank?” I ask as I lock the front door. “Is he a newborn? He’s crazy small.”

“Sounds like a newborn cry,” Pepper surmises.

Shani bounds over to us.

“Easy, girl. I’ve got a baby. See?” I tilt the little guy so Shani can see him, and Shani tilts her head and whimpers.

“I’ve got no idea what’s going on either, Shan.” I’m so worked up, I’m shaking. “Whoever left the baby wanted to flee the scene before the timer went off.”

“You think that’s why the timer was set?” She asks with wide eyes.

“Yeah. What other reason would it be there except that the person wanted to get away with zero chances of me seeing them?” I answer, rocking the baby back and forth. The pacifier drops from his mouth, and I squat to pick it up.

“Here. I’ll wash it off,” Pepper holds her palm out, then hurries to the kitchen sink.

The envelope is burning a hole in my pocket.

“Okay, bud.” I take a deep breath. “Let’s see what your mom and dad want.”

I sit down so I can cradle the baby and read what’s inside the envelope. A note in girly handwriting is folded inside.

Please don’t hate me.

I don’t likethe sound of this, but maybe it gets better.

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