Page 6 of Twisted Fate

“Hey, Darla.” Her eyes filled with concern as Darla spoke. She was struggling with Sarah’s death and usually called when she was at her lowest. At least once a week, my mom spent an hour with her on the phone or met up with her on her day off. It worried me she was calling this late on a weeknight.Something must be wrong.

Mom stood and paced the floor, phone pressed to her ear as she carefully listened. “Of course, you can,” she said after a moment. “No, I’m at home. You can come any time,” she offered.

Worry filled my chest. What was so wrong she felt the need to come here? Was it Charlie? Was she okay? Countless possibilities swirled in my mind.

“Is everything alright?” I asked when she returned to the couch.

“Darla is worried about Charlie. Vance had to remove her from another daycare today. They don’t know what they’re going to do until they can find a new place to send her.” That was the second school she’d had to leave in less than three months. They were running out of options.

An ache settled in my chest for the little girl who was grieving. She shouldn’t have to face this kind of pain at such a young age. She had no outlet for the big, unfamiliar emotions she was feeling and didn’t know how to express herself when they became overwhelming.

Darla arrived shortly after our show ended, and I clicked off the TV as Mom opened the door and led her to the kitchen. She poured her a glass of sweet tea and slid it across the table. Darla took a sip before running her fingers through her short blonde hair.

“I don’t know what they’re going to do,” she mused. “I have to work, and Vivian doesn’t have enough help at the shop. She has to go in almost every day,” Darla explained. Vance’s parents owned a few businesses, but the flower shop was Vivian’s main focus. They’d seen a boom in business lately but didn’t have the staff to keep up with the demand, so Vivian was picking up the slack.

“There are no other preschools or daycares taking new students?”

“None in that area. The closest one we could find is almost an hour away. He considered hiring a nanny, but nobody can start on such short notice.”

I listened as Darla lamented their predicament, a solution slowly taking shape in my mind.

No. It was impossible. Nobody would go for it.

“If I could afford to quit my job and watch her, I’d do it in a heartbeat, but I can’t. And I’m not old enough to retire.”

My poor aunt was worrying herself sick over this. What they needed was someone who could care for Charlie in the home, while also providing her with an education since she would need to start preschool soon. I had the exact skill set and training they needed for such a position, but would anyone go for it? I had to try. If there was something—anything—I could do to help, I had to offer.

“I could do it,” I said tentatively as I approached. Two sets of blue eyes that matched mine turned my way. “I have a degree in early childhood education, but don’t have a permanent position anywhere. I-I could work my sub jobs around their schedule,” I added, my voice catching as I shook. I wasn’t sure why I was so nervous to extend the offer. Perhaps it was because I was desperate for them to say yes. It would give me the opportunity to spend time with Charlie and maybe one day have a relationship with her. I would never be able to replace Sarah. She was Charlie’s mom, and I’d never do anything to diminish her role in Charlie’s life. But I could be like an aunt. That roll suited me just fine.

Darla stared at me, eyes assessing, as she considered my proposal. She glanced at my mom who also seemed to be weighing the possibility. She nodded her head lightly, mentally determining that it wasn’t a half-bad idea.

“I don’t know, Lilah. It might be difficult for you considering…” Darla’s words fell away with a wince, but she didn’t have to finish that thought. It was clear what she meant, and she was right to be concerned. It was an unusual situation and would need to be handled delicately, but it seemed like the best solution considering the circumstances.

“I can talk to Vance,” she said finally. “Ultimately, it’s up to him.”

I nodded my understanding. Before I stepped away to leave them to talk, I saw the worried look my aunt exchanged with my mom and hoped I hadn’t just made a huge mistake. What if Vance agreed to this? I would end up spending several days a week with the child I gave up who had no idea who I was. It was a forty-five-minute commute each way. Maybe I should’ve thought this through a little better before opening my big mouth.

5

Vance

I setmy laptop bag on the kitchen counter and loosened my tie. It had been a long day full of meetings and conference calls. I needed to focus on work, but all I could think about was the conversation I’d had with Darla last night.

I’d initially shot down the offer. How was I supposed to let my daughter’s biological mother—the one who gave her up then practically cut ties with us despite Sarah and I being open to letting her stay in Charlie’s life—come to our home to watch her? Was this a ploy to get Charlie back? Did she want to take her away from me now that Sarah was gone even though I was the only father she’d over known? It would be a cold day in hell before I let that happen.

Darla assured me that wasn’t her intention. I was skeptical, but Darla knew Delilah in a way I didn’t. She begged me to trust her, reminding me there really weren’t any other viable options on the table, and I begrudgingly agreed.

We needed this. Charlie needed this. When I got the call from her daycare after a particularly bad episode, they recommended Charlie see a specialist. When she wasn’t tearful and clinging to her teddy bear, she was lashing out at other kids and teachers alike, her actions fueled by grief. She missed her mom, and she didn’t know how to cope with her emotions. Hell, I was an adult and didn’t know how to cope with mine right now. Maybe we both needed to see someone…

I looked into hiring a nanny when I realized daycare wasn’t going to work for her, but I couldn’t find any with enough experience who was also willing to work around my schedule. Some evenings, I got held over at the office and didn’t make it home until after dinner. Whoever took care of my child had to be flexible. And according to Darla, Delilah was.

My stomach knotted with regret. It would be hell seeing her every day, her face reminding me of all I’d lost. Who was I kidding? Not a day went by that I didn’t remember. It usually hit me seconds after I opened my eyes in the morning. The other side of my bed was cold and empty when I reached for my wife.

Just like my heart.

My phone buzzed from my pocket, and I pulled it out to find a message from my mother-in-law. She was my go between when it came to Delilah. Once I’d agreed to hire Delilah, there were a lot of details to work out. I had a contract drawn up that detailed the terms of her employment and what she would make as our nanny. I held my breath as I opened it.

Darla:She signed the contract and has agreed to come up Saturday for a visit.

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