Page 2 of Hiding Rose
Chapter One
Eight Months Later
The lights of the daycare building were off as I approached from the basement entrance. Usually, by now, the lights are on, the coffee has been made, and the toys spread out for the kids to strew around. I sighed and shifted the clean laundry to my other arm and dug out my keys. Winifred must have been too busy with Katie-Bug this morning to get down here early.
I unlocked the door, trying to get my foot in without upsetting the towels and bibs. I failed and they fell to the ground, with me following them.
“Oomph,” I said as I sat down onto the soft towels to break my fall. I sat for a moment stunned and then shook my head. “You’ve got to be kidding me, Monday,” I sighed, pushing myself up off the ground.
“Need a hand?” a voice asked, and I stared up into the face of the executive chef of Kupid’s Table.
I dumped my head into my hand. “Hi, Chef Sawyer. I’m good, just thought I would take a rest before I went in,” I explained, rather lamely.
He laughed and knelt in front of me. I noticed for the first time he wasn’t wearing his usual white chef’s coat. “I was coming out of the gym and saw you tip over, but nice try.”
He stood up again and held out his hand for me to take. I eyed it and then shook my head. “Thanks, but I can’t get up that way.”
He frowned. “How do you get up off the floor in the daycare?” he asked, his brow furrowing.
I shrugged. “I can’t sit on the floor. I always sit on a chair. This is awkward.”
He chuckled and went around behind me. “Nothing awkward about it, love. I’ll lift you from under your arms. Ready?” he asked and I nodded. I wasn’t expecting his strong arms to lift me so easily, but I was standing in under a second. He kept one hand under my arm and bent to pick up my forearm crutch. He handed it to me, “See, no problem.”
I offered him a warm smile as I stuck my hand through the crutch to grasp the handle. “Thanks. I should have put the towels in a bag, but I thought Winnie would be here by now.”
He pushed the door open and used the toe of his leather Nike to push the doorstopper down. He knelt again, and picked up the towels while I picked up the bibs. “I saw Flynn earlier and he said Winifred has been at the hospital all night. Apparently Flynn Jr. has a cold and last night he started having breathing problems. You may not see her for a few days.
I frowned. “Poor baby. I’ll keep Katie-Bug today, so Flynn can concentrate on helping Winnie.”
He smiled as he stood up with the towels under his arms. “I’m sure they would appreciate it. Flynn said he has to go back to the hospital later, but came home to sleep for a couple hours.”
“Poor guy. I’ll text him and let him know to bring Katie here.”
He followed me into the large, open space and I set my armful of bibs on the counter. I swiveled carefully toward the door and ran right into him. His chest was rock solid and his strong hand reached out to steady me. If ever there was a guy who could make you weak in the knees, Sawyer Kanki was the guy. Too bad the last man I dated cured me of getting weak in the knee, by giving me all over leg weakness.
I stepped back from his manliness and accepted the towels, dumping them under the counter. “Thanks for your help. Somedays, I shouldn’t get out of bed,” I sighed, shaking my head.
He smiled and stuck his hands in his pockets. “If you don’t get out of bed then I don’t get to see you. I’ve been meaning to talk to you about an idea I had. Do you have any free time the next few days?”
“What kind of idea?” I asked skeptically, but he refused to answer, though I waited an appropriate amount of time. I sighed again. “Kupid’s Play Castle is my life. If I’m not here, I’m not busy. Pathetic, but true.”
“If it makes you feel any better, if I’m not in the kitchen, I’m not busy either. I haven’t been busy since college,” he said, then smacked himself in the forehead. “I’m sorry, that came out wrong. I didn’t mean I haven’t been busy, but I haven’t been busy.”
I stared at him straight faced. “Thanks for clearing it up for me. I found your explanation extremely helpful.”
He snickered and one side of his lips went up. “I’m socially awkward, what can I say? I do better in the kitchen where no one expects me to do anything but yell out the names of dishes and occasionally swear when I start things on fire.”
I laughed then, no longer able to hold it in. “I think you underestimate your busyness. I know for a fact there are several single ladies around here who would love to busy you up.”
This time he laughed straight out. “Busy me up? I haven’t heard that phrase before, I have to hand it to you. Are you one of them?” he asked, his harmless flirting sucking me in.
“I don’t date or cause busyness,” I answered, stooping to reach the toy shelf. I set about getting them out from under the cabinets while he lounged against the counter.
“I guess we’ll have to call it a working dinner then, if you won’t let me call it a date. Now then, tonight is Mahi-Mahi Monday. How about if we meet up around nine? We can eat the leftovers and discuss my idea.”
I stood upright again and limped over with my crutch. “I don’t eat fish.”
He reeled backward as if I had slapped him. “Excuse me? I think I heard you say you don’t eat fish. But I must have misheard you because everyone eats fish in Hawaii.”
