Page 44 of Sweet on You
For the first time since we met, he smiled at me, the creases around his eyes and mouth deeper than his wife’s. “Oh, Lex. That’s not the first fall she’s had. Not the worst, either. Not by a stretch.”
I exhaled in relief, feeling so incredibly lucky at how sweet and understanding the Murphys were. He was right, of course. Rationally, I knew that a little kid falling was anything but unusual and wasn’t always an adult’s fault. But not all grandparents about to take part in a custody mediation would be as understanding as they were. It was refreshing. And it restored my faith in humanity.
In Mrs. Murphy’s arms, Olivia’s crying stilled. Tears still streaked her ruddy cheeks, and as she inhaled, her breath was choppy. She held out her palms to me. “Ouchie,” she said, this time calmer than when she went to her Nana.
I nodded. “Big ouchie.”
“Kiss?”
Again, I bent and kissed her little palms, taking an extra moment to nuzzle her. Her hand smelled like goldfish crackers and when I stood back up, I asked her, “All better?”
But this time, she shook her head no.
It wasn’t all better. Not yet. But it would be soon… I hoped.
From the opposite side of the waiting room, Brady came over, cell phone pressed to his ear. “Lex,” he said, covering the receiver. “It’s your friend from the bakery. Is your phone off?”
“Excuse me,” I said to the Murphys taking a few steps away. “Yes, I turned it off in the courtroom.” I grabbed my phone out of my back pocket and turned it on. Three voicemails were waiting for me as well as seven text messages.
“There’s been an emergency,” Brady said. “At the bakery.” I grabbed his phone from him and held it up to my ear.
“Tony,” I said. “Is everything all right over there?”
I could hear sirens on the other end of the phone and my spine bristled. My first thought wasn’t my bakery—it was Frost.
“This is Ronnie,” a soft voice said on the line. “Everyone is fine, safe. But… the sooner you can get here, the better. There are some questions that I don’t know how to answer for the fire chief.”
“Fire? Is Frost okay?”
“Frost is fine. She’s upstairs with Penny.”
“I’ll be back as soon as I can. I’m leaving now.”
I hung up and handed the phone back to Brady, looking at the Murphys. They both looked concerned.
“Is everything all right?” Mrs. Murphy asked.
“Did I hear that there was a fire?”
“I, well, I don’t know, to be honest. My friends were watching the bakery for me. They literally didn’t have to do anything except brew coffee. I can’t imagine how a fire would have—”
That’s when it hit me. The outlet. I don’t think I ever taped off the non-grounded outlet. It had been sparking months ago and I had told Nate about it, but he hadn’t gotten to it yet.
“We really should go,” I said to Brady. It didn’t escape my notice the way Mr. and Mrs. Murphy exchanged glances. There was something in the looks they were giving each other. “I-I really hope we can do this again, soon,” I added, then grabbed Olivia’s hand gently. “It was lovely meeting you, Olivia.”
She smiled and Mrs. Murphy said, “Want to blow Lex a kiss goodbye?”
Olivia nodded, bringing her palm to her mouth and blowing me the most adorable, most clumsy kiss I’d ever seen. I caught it mid-air and tucked it into my breast pocket, tapping it. “I’ll cherish it, always,” I said.
And I meant that. Every word.
