Page 77 of Recipe For Seduction (Madewood Brothers 3)

Finn shook his head. “No. We—”

“Just go and talk to her, for God’s sake,” Neil barked.

Jack hit him in the arm. “Despite his insensitive approach, Neil’s right. At the least, you need to repair your friendship. And your friendship with Mark.”

He hadn’t spoken to either of them since Jack and Sterling’s wedding. His brothers were right. He should at least try. After all these years teaching kids in the program never to give up, he’d done so all too easily himself. Maybe he should listen to his own advice.

He’d check the schedule and visit on a night Cal would be working. The conversation he wanted to have didn’t include a peanut gallery.

He had nothing to lose. They had already taken their relationship past the point of no return. How much worse could it get?

…

Veronica answered the persistent knocking on her front door in her pajamas. She was wiped. A food tasting had run long, the bridezilla’d had a freak attack, and even the groom hadn’t been able to calm her down.

Veronica wheeled the door open and was shocked to see Marjorie Clemens from down the street, trying to soothe her baby on her doorstep.

“Marjorie? This is…unexpected.”

“I’m sorry, Veronica. I don’t know what else to do.” The young woman shifted the baby in her arms and gently rocked it against her chest. It seemed to work; the crying lessened with every bounce. “I have to get to work. We’re doing inventory this weekend and Denny is away. My sitter cancelled on me last minute.”

“Ali is already gone. She started at university last week.” Ali was Marjorie’s usual babysitter.

“I know. Maybe Cal would be interested in making some money?”

Veronica shook her head. “He’s got a job now.”

“What about you?” The woman looked positively desperate.

“Oh, I—” Why not her? Veronica waffled. She didn’t have anything better to do since she’d broken it off with Finn. But did she really want to spend her day watching a baby?

“Please?”

Before she’d even decided for sure, her head was nodding, and a baby was thrust into her arms. It was warm and fidgety. Hell. Now what? She suddenly remembered she didn’t know the first thing about infants.

Marjorie dropped a car seat and an oversized bag inside her foyer. “I owe you one. I’ll be back around seven.” She kissed the baby on her forehead, and Veronica was staring at her retreating back as she hurried to her vehicle.

“What is all the racket?” Cal stumbled down the stairs with a painful expression on his face. “Where did you get a baby?”

“It’s Kylie. Marjorie and Denny’s baby from down the street. She had an emergency and needed a babysitter.”

“Sucker.” He snickered and walked past her into the kitchen.

“Aren’t you going to help me?” she asked in alarm.

“Busy,” he yelled over his shoulder. “Things to do…people to see.”

“At least it’s not the other way around,” she mumbled.

“I heard that,” he called.

“Aren’t you supposed to be working?” she asked over the escalating scream of the baby.

He emerged with a bottle of water in his hands. “I am, but not until four.”

“So, you can help me until then.” Her entire body tensed. “Please, Cal.”

He laughed. “Sorry, sis.” He chugged on the water. “I’ll be out late. Don’t wait up for me.”

---