had done. Cora settled against Emily’s chest and let out a contented sigh.
“That’s a cute trick.” Her mother chuckled. “Look at you!”
“Actually, Greg showed me this one.” Emily blushed. “He’s surprisingly good with kids.”
“You seem to see quite a bit of him,” her mother prompted.
Emily just shrugged.
“I don’t believe that for a minute.” Her mother laughed softly and folded her arms across her chest.
“We...” Emily paused, unsure of how to explain it. “Greg is great. I don’t know what’s happening, exactly.”
“So something is happening?”
“Mom, stop it.” Emily chuckled. “I don’t know. To be on the safe side, I’d say that nothing at all is going on between us. We’re friends.”
Her mother nodded, but looked unconvinced. “He seems like a nice man.”
A nice man. Yes, Greg was most definitely a nice man, and so much more. He was kind and compassionate. He was strong and solid; a guy with a veiled sense of humor and compassion when it mattered most. Emily looked lovingly down at Cora’s downy head. Emily’s mother looked down at her watch.
“I hate to rush out on you,” she said, bending to kiss Cora. “But I’ve got to get back home. Your dad and I have a date.”
“A date?” Emily raised her eyebrows with a grin.
“He’s taking me out for dinner.” Her mother let out a girlish laugh. “And I’m buying a new dress.”
Emily laughed. “Go. Have fun. I’ll be fine.”
“Love you, Emmy,” her mother said, blowing her a kiss. “You’re doing just fine.”
“I know.” Emily chuckled. “Now go knock his socks off.”
Her mother grabbed her keys from the counter and headed to the door. Turning back, she shot her daughter a playful grin. “I fully intend to!”
* * *
Later that evening, Emily sat in her big, overstuffed armchair, her feet tucked up underneath her. A novel lay on the arm of the chair, untouched. Cora slumbered in her bassinet, and Emily leaned her head back with a tired sigh. It had been a long day—the kind that reminded her that she was doing this on her own.
She’d honestly thought that having a large, supportive extended family would be a bigger help than it was. While she had lots of advice and plenty of offers to babysit, there was one thing she knew she was missing—someone to sit on the couch with at the end of the day. Someone to say, “Wow, what a day.” Someone to share the memories with.
It would be nice to have a loving husband next to her during all of this, but she was no fool, either. If meeting the right guy was this hard when she was single without children, meeting Mr. Right just got a whole lot more complicated now that she was a single mom. How many guys wanted to jump into parenting with both feet? Not Greg.
She blushed at that thought. How come when she thought about husbands and marriage lately, Greg popped into her head?
As if on cue, the phone rang, and Emily looked around to try to spot the handset. It took her three rings to find it—this time in the bowl of fruit in the middle of her kitchen table. This lack of sleep was affecting her more than she liked to think.
“Hello?”
“Hi, it’s Greg.”
“Hi.” Emily couldn’t help but smile as she walked back toward her seat, but from the bassinet, she could hear Cora begin to fuss. It was the wet-diaper fuss—she could already tell the difference between whimpers. Pushing herself up from her chair, she went over to pick up the baby.
“How are you doing?” he asked.
“Pretty good.” She bent over the bassinet and scooped Cora into her arms. “It’s been a long day, though. It’s tiring, you know?”
“You sound like you have it under control, though.”
“I really do.” She felt a little wave of pride as she looked around herself. “I mean, doing it alone is going to be a challenge, but I think I’m doing just fine.”
“Good.” She could hear the smile in his voice. “I guess I just wanted to check up on
“That’s a cute trick.” Her mother chuckled. “Look at you!”
“Actually, Greg showed me this one.” Emily blushed. “He’s surprisingly good with kids.”
“You seem to see quite a bit of him,” her mother prompted.
Emily just shrugged.
“I don’t believe that for a minute.” Her mother laughed softly and folded her arms across her chest.
“We...” Emily paused, unsure of how to explain it. “Greg is great. I don’t know what’s happening, exactly.”
“So something is happening?”
“Mom, stop it.” Emily chuckled. “I don’t know. To be on the safe side, I’d say that nothing at all is going on between us. We’re friends.”
Her mother nodded, but looked unconvinced. “He seems like a nice man.”
A nice man. Yes, Greg was most definitely a nice man, and so much more. He was kind and compassionate. He was strong and solid; a guy with a veiled sense of humor and compassion when it mattered most. Emily looked lovingly down at Cora’s downy head. Emily’s mother looked down at her watch.
“I hate to rush out on you,” she said, bending to kiss Cora. “But I’ve got to get back home. Your dad and I have a date.”
“A date?” Emily raised her eyebrows with a grin.
“He’s taking me out for dinner.” Her mother let out a girlish laugh. “And I’m buying a new dress.”
Emily laughed. “Go. Have fun. I’ll be fine.”
“Love you, Emmy,” her mother said, blowing her a kiss. “You’re doing just fine.”
“I know.” Emily chuckled. “Now go knock his socks off.”
Her mother grabbed her keys from the counter and headed to the door. Turning back, she shot her daughter a playful grin. “I fully intend to!”
* * *
Later that evening, Emily sat in her big, overstuffed armchair, her feet tucked up underneath her. A novel lay on the arm of the chair, untouched. Cora slumbered in her bassinet, and Emily leaned her head back with a tired sigh. It had been a long day—the kind that reminded her that she was doing this on her own.
She’d honestly thought that having a large, supportive extended family would be a bigger help than it was. While she had lots of advice and plenty of offers to babysit, there was one thing she knew she was missing—someone to sit on the couch with at the end of the day. Someone to say, “Wow, what a day.” Someone to share the memories with.
It would be nice to have a loving husband next to her during all of this, but she was no fool, either. If meeting the right guy was this hard when she was single without children, meeting Mr. Right just got a whole lot more complicated now that she was a single mom. How many guys wanted to jump into parenting with both feet? Not Greg.
She blushed at that thought. How come when she thought about husbands and marriage lately, Greg popped into her head?
As if on cue, the phone rang, and Emily looked around to try to spot the handset. It took her three rings to find it—this time in the bowl of fruit in the middle of her kitchen table. This lack of sleep was affecting her more than she liked to think.
“Hello?”
“Hi, it’s Greg.”
“Hi.” Emily couldn’t help but smile as she walked back toward her seat, but from the bassinet, she could hear Cora begin to fuss. It was the wet-diaper fuss—she could already tell the difference between whimpers. Pushing herself up from her chair, she went over to pick up the baby.
“How are you doing?” he asked.
“Pretty good.” She bent over the bassinet and scooped Cora into her arms. “It’s been a long day, though. It’s tiring, you know?”
“You sound like you have it under control, though.”
“I really do.” She felt a little wave of pride as she looked around herself. “I mean, doing it alone is going to be a challenge, but I think I’m doing just fine.”
“Good.” She could hear the smile in his voice. “I guess I just wanted to check up on
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