Page 64 of Wishing for Love

Once the water was filled up enough in the tub, Elsie got undressed and in the bubbles. Crystal got a washcloth and cleaned off the paint from Elsie’s face, then they washed and rinsed her hair out and she put it on top of the little girl’s head while she played.

“Let me know when you’re ready to get out,” she said. She went to find Phoenix and saw him in his office. “She’ll play for about ten minutes and then I’ll dry her hair and get her in bed.”

“Thanks,” he said. “I’ll get her story ready for her. I appreciate you doing the bath time routine with her.”

“I know you don’t feel comfortable going in to help bathe her. She’s good on her own but needs help with her hair unless she is taking a shower. We are getting good there too. I think soon she’ll be able to do that alone.”

“I know I’m rushing her to grow up and that is wrong of me.”

“I understand,” she said. “My father wouldn’t come in the bathroom with any of the girls when we were younger. Iremember him doing it with my brothers but never us. Not once we were out of diapers. He told my mother it was on her.”

And her mother resented that, but her mother resented a lot of things.

“I think if she were my daughter.”

“No reason to explain,” she said. “I’m going to put our dinner in the oven to heat up. It’s just seafood casserole and dessert. I ate a small piece of pizza with Elsie so she didn’t question it.”

“Sorry about that,” he said.

“Don’t be, just letting you know in case I don’t eat much dinner.”

She returned to the bathroom five minutes later and got Elsie out of the tub, her hair dried and braided and then Elsie took off for Phoenix’s office.

Crystal went to the kitchen and let Phoenix get Elsie in bed when it was time.

When he came out twenty minutes later, she had the food on the counter with a glass of wine for them both. She hoped Elsie didn’t wake up, but if she did, it was just two adults having dinner.

“That smells good,” he said. “She’s sleeping already. Did you wear her out on purpose?”

“Absolutely,” she said. “That had been my goal all day. Does that make me a bad person?”

“No,” he said, smiling. “It makes you someone who knew what to give me today when I needed it. Not only that, she’s thriving after so much tragedy in her short life.”

“I said it before, the key is to keep her entertained and engaged. She’s got a curious mind and I love to watch it work.”

She’d never been this curious as a child. Not like Elsie was. Crystal was more about playing or watching TV, but not learning. Not being creative.

Maybe she missed out on it all as a child and that was why she enjoyed it so much now as an adult.

“She’s so much like her mother,” he said.

She moved over and hugged him. “And you get to watch Maryn’s daughter grow and thrive. That’s a wonderful gift, Phoenix.”

“It is,” he said softly and cleared his throat.

He started to eat and she took that as a sign that he didn’t want to talk about it.

22

BEST PARTNERSHIP IMAGINABLE

Phoenix was mentally exhausted.

It felt like nothing he did was right when it came to his business. He was trying and would get three steps ahead and then feel as if he was four steps behind.

The holiday sales were through the roof better than projected, but when he ran the numbers, the costs were higher than he anticipated, thanks to delays and discounts he had to offer to not get refunds when shipping times were pushed back.

Add to the fact that his after holiday sales were so good that he sold out and had so much out of stock he feared he was turning customers away.

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