And I want to talk to that lawyer. As far as I'm concerned, we need to establish who has custody of this child. Danny says she's underweight and dirty, Wil. They haven't been taking care of her."
Everything tilted and shifted, and the only thing that mattered now was that she had a granddaughter. Who needed her. Willie scrambled for her purse. "I'm leaving. I'll be home in an hour and a half."
"Wilhemina…"
She hung up on Daniel and looked at Trudy, Karen, and Dawn. "I have a grandbaby."
Dawn looked at her in astonishment. "Didn't you know that? Erica Kirkwood called me twenty minutes ago and left a voicemail. Turns out Janice ran into Danny shopping with the little girl at Wal-Mart. Everybody knows by now."
Danny's truck was crammed full with plastic bags, and his credit card had suffered the largest hit since he'd gotten the account six years ago. He wouldn't be surprised if Visa called him inquiring about unusual activity on his card. But it wasn't enough. It didn't feel like enough to make up for eight years of not knowing about Piper.
She was tucked into the truck beside him, her knobby knees crammed against the gearshift. He knew he shouldn't expect otherwise, but she was so quiet all the time. It was hard to know what to say to her.
Despite nearly getting tossed out of Wal-Mart on their ears, he could admit he was glad after all that Amanda had gone shopping with them. At least she filled the silence and gave him someone to bounce his thoughts off of. He wasn't used to having to make decisions about someone else, and it was reassuring to have Amanda back him up. Or more like disagree with him, which allowed him to argue why his choice made more sense.
They were pulling in Amanda's drive to drop her off, the new bike he'd gotten Piper scraping across the truck bed. Piper hadn't wanted a bike—said she couldn't ride two-wheel—but he hadn't been able to resist. A bike on a farm was a good way to tool around and explore. He'd spent hours racing his BMX around when he was her age.
Maybe it was overcompensation. He was trying to make up for lost time. Fix everything that he had missed. Everything that Piper hadn't had.
But he didn't know what else to do.
SpongeBob SquarePants Band-Aids couldn't take away the past, but it was a start for the future.
"This your house?" Piper asked Amanda, peering through the dark at Amanda's little gray rental.
"Well, I don't own it. I'm just renting it for the summer."
Until she went back to Chicago. Danny couldn't forget that. Didn't matter that she had been amusing in the store, that he enjoyed her quirky company, and that sometimes he thought he saw beneath the chemical-processed cover and glimpsed the lonely woman beneath.
"It's pretty."
"They say it's haunted, but I haven't encountered one ghost. It's been an incredible letdown."
Danny had never seen any ghosts either, but enough folks around town had claimed to, so he was inclined to believe the stories. But he was glad that no disembodied entities had any interest in his house. He'd prefer to stay disembody-less.
Amanda opened the door. "Thanks for letting me hang with you, Piper. I'll see you soon."
"I'll walk you to the door." Danny opened his own door. "Stay in the truck, Piper. I'll be right back."
The panic that flitted across his daughter's face made him curse silently. "Or why don't you walk up with me? We can make sure Amanda gets in safe and sound."
He didn't want Piper to think for one second that he would abandon her. It was going to take time before she learned to trust that this was permanent. Before she learned to trust him.
Piper was so relieved she scrambled right out, even letting him take her hand, which up to now she had shied away from. Danny walked over the gravel driveway, his throat tight at the feeling of his daughter's small, cool hand in his. She seemed so tiny, so fragile next to him. Damn, he
Everything tilted and shifted, and the only thing that mattered now was that she had a granddaughter. Who needed her. Willie scrambled for her purse. "I'm leaving. I'll be home in an hour and a half."
"Wilhemina…"
She hung up on Daniel and looked at Trudy, Karen, and Dawn. "I have a grandbaby."
Dawn looked at her in astonishment. "Didn't you know that? Erica Kirkwood called me twenty minutes ago and left a voicemail. Turns out Janice ran into Danny shopping with the little girl at Wal-Mart. Everybody knows by now."
Danny's truck was crammed full with plastic bags, and his credit card had suffered the largest hit since he'd gotten the account six years ago. He wouldn't be surprised if Visa called him inquiring about unusual activity on his card. But it wasn't enough. It didn't feel like enough to make up for eight years of not knowing about Piper.
She was tucked into the truck beside him, her knobby knees crammed against the gearshift. He knew he shouldn't expect otherwise, but she was so quiet all the time. It was hard to know what to say to her.
Despite nearly getting tossed out of Wal-Mart on their ears, he could admit he was glad after all that Amanda had gone shopping with them. At least she filled the silence and gave him someone to bounce his thoughts off of. He wasn't used to having to make decisions about someone else, and it was reassuring to have Amanda back him up. Or more like disagree with him, which allowed him to argue why his choice made more sense.
They were pulling in Amanda's drive to drop her off, the new bike he'd gotten Piper scraping across the truck bed. Piper hadn't wanted a bike—said she couldn't ride two-wheel—but he hadn't been able to resist. A bike on a farm was a good way to tool around and explore. He'd spent hours racing his BMX around when he was her age.
Maybe it was overcompensation. He was trying to make up for lost time. Fix everything that he had missed. Everything that Piper hadn't had.
But he didn't know what else to do.
SpongeBob SquarePants Band-Aids couldn't take away the past, but it was a start for the future.
"This your house?" Piper asked Amanda, peering through the dark at Amanda's little gray rental.
"Well, I don't own it. I'm just renting it for the summer."
Until she went back to Chicago. Danny couldn't forget that. Didn't matter that she had been amusing in the store, that he enjoyed her quirky company, and that sometimes he thought he saw beneath the chemical-processed cover and glimpsed the lonely woman beneath.
"It's pretty."
"They say it's haunted, but I haven't encountered one ghost. It's been an incredible letdown."
Danny had never seen any ghosts either, but enough folks around town had claimed to, so he was inclined to believe the stories. But he was glad that no disembodied entities had any interest in his house. He'd prefer to stay disembody-less.
Amanda opened the door. "Thanks for letting me hang with you, Piper. I'll see you soon."
"I'll walk you to the door." Danny opened his own door. "Stay in the truck, Piper. I'll be right back."
The panic that flitted across his daughter's face made him curse silently. "Or why don't you walk up with me? We can make sure Amanda gets in safe and sound."
He didn't want Piper to think for one second that he would abandon her. It was going to take time before she learned to trust that this was permanent. Before she learned to trust him.
Piper was so relieved she scrambled right out, even letting him take her hand, which up to now she had shied away from. Danny walked over the gravel driveway, his throat tight at the feeling of his daughter's small, cool hand in his. She seemed so tiny, so fragile next to him. Damn, he
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