Page 11 of Baby Blue
Anne chuckled. “Oh, I doubt I’ll be sleeping soundly. I never did when mine were little. Yeah, it’s fine. Be right there.” The phone clicked, so Blue headed to the bedroom to get dressed.
He heard the soft tap and the sound of the door opening slowly, so he stepped out into the living room to find Anne coming in. But in a second, she turned and took in the sight of him standing there, in nothing but his jeans and boots, shirt in his hand. Blue could feel her eyes on him, and then she blushed a little as she looked away and toward the baby. “I’ll just gather up her stuff,” she mumbled.
“Oh, here! I thought I was going to have to take her with me, so I put a bunch of stuff in this bag. It should be enough,” Blue said, reaching for it and handing it to her.
“Thanks. And here.” Anne held out her hand and opened her palm. In it was one brass key. “It’s a key to my house.”
“Sure you trust me?” Blue asked, his brow dipping to a deep V.
“We’ve got to start trusting each other sometime if I’m going to help you.” Blue nodded. She was absolutely right. “Do you have a key for this house? Because I might need something for her while you’re gone.”
“Um, let me check.” Blue went to the board with the nails in it, but there wasn’t an extra key. “No. But here,” he said, snapping his off his own keyring. “Take mine. I’ll get it from you when I get in, and I’ll go have one made tomorrow.”
“I’ve got a better idea. I’ll leave her with the kids and go have one made myself. That okay?” Anne asked. There wasn’t a hint of sarcasm, malice, or anger there, just that same friendly, open face. There was no doubt in Blue’s mind that she was trustworthy.
“Yeah, sure. I couldn’t go have one made tomorrow anyway?I don’t have a car seat!” he said with a laugh.
“We’re going to have to fix that right away,” Anne told him, then hooked the bag over her arm. “Okay, then,” she said, wrangling the basket up into her arms, “we’ll just be going. I’m sure I’ll hear your truck when you come in. Just unlock the door and come in. That way you won’t wake the kids.”
“Will do. And thanks, Anne. I really appreciate this, I really do. I mean, I don’t know what I’d do if?”
“It’s fine, Blue. I would hope you’d do the same for me. Well, have a good evening. Hope you make a lot in tips,” she said as she carried Indigo out. Blue followed her to the door and when she stepped out onto the porch, Anne turned and smiled. “It’s all going to be okay, I promise. We’ll figure it out.”
“Thanks. I owe you. See you later,” he said and closed the door as she stepped down off the porch. Everything was good for the moment. He wondered if he should say anything to the guys when he got to the bar, then decided against it.
They’d never believe him anyway.
“Blue!”
His head snapped up and he found himself staring straight into the eyes of one very angry rhythm guitarist. “What?”
Gary leaned in toward him and hissed from between clenched teeth, “What the hell, man? What are you playing? We just played that one five minutes ago! Where’s your head, up your ass?”
“Um, sorry. Preoccupied, I guess,” he said as the other guys glared at him. “What are we supposed to be playing?”
“‘Life in the Fast Lane.’ Get it together, man!” Gary growled.
“Sorry, sorry. Take it from the top,” he said, his cheeks burning. He’d never made a mistake like that before. There was no doubt they’d be asking him what he was thinking about when they took a break. How was he going to tell them he was thinkingabout a tiny baby in a basket? All he’d felt when Anne walked out the door with that basket was relief.
But that had worn off quickly, and now all he felt was fear. How was she? Was she okay? Was she giving Anne and the kids a hard time? And what about when he picked her up after he left the bar? Would she cry all night? Make a mess? Stink up the place? Puke something up? He didn’t know how to handle some of that stuff.
They hit the last note of the song and Blue hustled through the exit door. He stood in the alley behind the bar, his phone in his hand, punching numbers as fast as he could. “Hello?” a timid voice answered.
“Who is this?” he asked, almost breathless.
“This is Polly. Mr.Blue?”
“Yeah. Sorry. I expected your mom to answer the phone,” he said, taking a deep breath and letting it out in a long sigh. “Is she there?”
“No. She ran out to the hardware store to have a key made. Are you okay?”
A little frisson of panic ran down his spine. “Oh, yeah, I’m fine. How’s Indigo?”
“She’s good. She got fussy a little while ago, but Mom fed her before she left and she’s asleep now,” Polly told him, sounding like a small grownup.
“Is she okay? For real? She’s okay, right?” Blue asked again, feeling like a broken record but unable to stop himself.
“Yeah, she’s fine! Stop worrying. Mom will be back in just a few minutes and I’ll have her call you if you want,” the girl offered.
