Page 42 of Too Close To Call

“She’s five, Case. Number two still gives them problems. It will be okay. Listen, it’s not like you don’t have practice, right?”

“Case!” Daisy calls out. “My shoe just fell off.”

I’ve been putting her off for ten minutes now. I end the call and stare at the bathroom door.

“I’m coming, honey.” I roll my shoulders and snap my neck side to side.

I’ve got this. I’m the only one Daisy has. She is depending on me.

Okay, I’m going in.

* * *

“…and then we made cookies. Case let me crack the eggs and measure the oats and flour. And he even let me use the mixer.”

Hearing Daisy retell her day to Tori is the reassurance I need. We did have a good time today and I didn’t mess her up. As far as the cookies go,somebodyneeds to teach her how to cook. I feel like we’ll start slow, maybe eggs, and work our way up. I don’t have that large of a recipe base to pull from, but I can get Shyanne to teach me or maybe I can find some online classes. Maybe Daisy and I can take them together.

I completely gloss over the fact that after tomorrow I have no idea if I’ll ever see Daisy again.

“…and Case let me have bubbles in the bath and he didn’t get soap in my eyes when he washed my hair.”

I’m proud of myself for that. A red plastic cup was the trick, scooping up water and pouring it through her hair.

“…okay. I love you, Mommy.”

Daisy hands me the phone and snuggles down in bed. I sit back against the headboard, and she leans over and puts her head on my thigh. I run my fingers through her blonde, still damp from her bath, hair.

I grin and hold the phone to my ear. “Hey,”

“Case, are you sure you’re doing okay?” Tori asks.

I hear the worry and tiredness in her voice. I miss her. “I promise, Tori. I just wish I was there with you.”

“Your mom and Carina are here. Thank you for sending your parents. But most of all, thank you for being with Daisy. I know it’s not been easy for you.”

Daisy’s eyes are drooping. It won’t be long now. “I’ve really had a great time with her.”

“I spoke with Ryan and he’ll be there around ten in the morning to pick her up. If you could help her pack, that would be great.”

I pull the daisy-covered blanket up to cover her tiny shoulders. Her fist closes over one corner. “Sure. No problem.”

“Oh, it will be a problem, but I have a feeling you already know that.”

I chuckle softly. If she can’t decide on what to wear without a lengthy debate, I can imagine the nightmare packing is going to be. “You mean about her wardrobe selection issues?”

“That would be it.”

My glance moves around the bedroom. Daisy and I had spent a good thirty minutes hanging up all her clothes that didn’t make the cut today. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve got it. What about you? Are you really doing okay?”

“Yes. They want to keep me tomorrow morning for observation, but I should be home tomorrow night or the next day.”

I have to ask. “What were you doing with a butcher knife?”

She sighs heavily. “I wanted to put banana slices in the waffle mix. I just grabbed a knife and that’s the one I grabbed. It slipped and cut my finger.”

I figured. The woman is a menace in the kitchen. “Tor, you are not allowed in the kitchen anymore.”

She chuckles, but I can hear the weariness in her tone. “At least for two weeks, I promise to bypass the kitchen.”

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