you.”
“Professionally?” she teased, laying Cora down on the receiving blanket she had on the floor for this purpose.
“Not really.” He laughed. “I can’t find any professional excuse to call you at eight o’clock at night to say hi.”
Emily blushed at that. “Well, it’s nice all the same.”
Cora wriggled as Emily pulled the wet diaper away, kicking her little legs happily at her new freedom. She wiped and cleaned and put on some more diaper cream, then Emily reached for a fresh diaper.
“Oh, no...”
“What’s the matter?”
“Oh, it’s okay.”
“No, really. What’s wrong?”
Emily closed her eyes for a moment and sighed. “For all my bragging about having it all under control on my own, I’m out of diapers.”
“Completely out?” There was humor in Greg’s voice.
“Yes.” She fought back her rising irritation. She really did think she had it all under control, and suddenly she was faced with the frank reality that when problems came up, she was the go-to girl to take care of it. All of it.
“Do you need a hand?”
“No, it’s okay. I’ll do this on my own.” She pushed herself up and looked around. “I guess I’ll just have to put her back in the wet diaper and go pick up a new package. I’m sorry, sweetie,” she cooed softly to the baby.
“Am I the sweetie?” Greg joked.
Emily just laughed.
“Let me pick you up some diapers,” Greg said, serious now.
“I need to do this stuff on my own,” she said. “I’ll figure it out.”
“Says who?”
Emily blinked at that. “I don’t know.... My own stubborn pride?”
“Diapers come in different sizes, right?”
Emily smiled and shook her head. “She’s just graduated to size two.”
“I’ll be there in twenty minutes,” he said. “Can your pride take it?”
“It’ll have to.” Emily silently grimaced. “Thank you, Greg.”
“No problem.”
As she hung up the phone, Emily looked down at little Cora, still happily kicking her legs and enjoying the breeze.
“He’s nice,” Emily said in the singsong voice she often used with Cora. “Isn’t he? He’s a nice man....”
Cora seemed to agree.
Chapter Seven
B y the time he arrived at Emily’s house with a box of diapers in one hand, the moon loomed high and the air had cooled. Ringing the doorbell, he stood back to wait.
This is not professional, he told himself frankly. What were you thinking?
There was some rustling inside, then the door opened. Emily stood there with Cora on her shoulder, a washcloth covering the little bottom in a makeshift nappy.
“Hi.” He felt a self-conscious smile come to his lips. “You look a little...um...wet.”
“I am.” She shot him a wry grin. “Thanks for coming, by the way.” She stepped back to let him in. “Can I pay you back?”
“No, no.” He carried the box in one hand and glanced around the living room, spotting her changing area.
“Really, I insist.”
Greg glanced over at her. “No, don’t worry about it.”
She paused, and for a moment he thought she might argue the issue with him. Then a little smile tickled the corners of her lips. “Thanks. You know what?”
He raised his eyebrows inquisitively.
“I think we’re officially friends.” She laid Cora on the blanket while he opened the box for her. “Don’t you think?”
Greg laughed softly and shook his head. “It seems like it, doesn’t it?”
Her response was a sparkling smile. “Thanks.” She took the diaper he offered her.
After both the baby and Emily were changed, Emily led the way into the kitchen. She flicked on an electric kettle and pulled a tub of chocolate ice cream out of the freezer.
“I think we deserve a reward, don’t you?” she asked.
Greg couldn’t think of a reason why not, so he settled onto a stool by the counter and waited.
“So what do you do when you aren’t working?” she asked.
“As in, for fun?” He grinned.
“Exactly.” She dropped a spoon into a heaping bowl of ice cream
“Professionally?” she teased, laying Cora down on the receiving blanket she had on the floor for this purpose.
“Not really.” He laughed. “I can’t find any professional excuse to call you at eight o’clock at night to say hi.”
Emily blushed at that. “Well, it’s nice all the same.”
Cora wriggled as Emily pulled the wet diaper away, kicking her little legs happily at her new freedom. She wiped and cleaned and put on some more diaper cream, then Emily reached for a fresh diaper.
“Oh, no...”
“What’s the matter?”
“Oh, it’s okay.”
“No, really. What’s wrong?”
Emily closed her eyes for a moment and sighed. “For all my bragging about having it all under control on my own, I’m out of diapers.”
“Completely out?” There was humor in Greg’s voice.
“Yes.” She fought back her rising irritation. She really did think she had it all under control, and suddenly she was faced with the frank reality that when problems came up, she was the go-to girl to take care of it. All of it.
“Do you need a hand?”
“No, it’s okay. I’ll do this on my own.” She pushed herself up and looked around. “I guess I’ll just have to put her back in the wet diaper and go pick up a new package. I’m sorry, sweetie,” she cooed softly to the baby.
“Am I the sweetie?” Greg joked.
Emily just laughed.
“Let me pick you up some diapers,” Greg said, serious now.
“I need to do this stuff on my own,” she said. “I’ll figure it out.”
“Says who?”
Emily blinked at that. “I don’t know.... My own stubborn pride?”
“Diapers come in different sizes, right?”
Emily smiled and shook her head. “She’s just graduated to size two.”
“I’ll be there in twenty minutes,” he said. “Can your pride take it?”
“It’ll have to.” Emily silently grimaced. “Thank you, Greg.”
“No problem.”
As she hung up the phone, Emily looked down at little Cora, still happily kicking her legs and enjoying the breeze.
“He’s nice,” Emily said in the singsong voice she often used with Cora. “Isn’t he? He’s a nice man....”
Cora seemed to agree.
Chapter Seven
B y the time he arrived at Emily’s house with a box of diapers in one hand, the moon loomed high and the air had cooled. Ringing the doorbell, he stood back to wait.
This is not professional, he told himself frankly. What were you thinking?
There was some rustling inside, then the door opened. Emily stood there with Cora on her shoulder, a washcloth covering the little bottom in a makeshift nappy.
“Hi.” He felt a self-conscious smile come to his lips. “You look a little...um...wet.”
“I am.” She shot him a wry grin. “Thanks for coming, by the way.” She stepped back to let him in. “Can I pay you back?”
“No, no.” He carried the box in one hand and glanced around the living room, spotting her changing area.
“Really, I insist.”
Greg glanced over at her. “No, don’t worry about it.”
She paused, and for a moment he thought she might argue the issue with him. Then a little smile tickled the corners of her lips. “Thanks. You know what?”
He raised his eyebrows inquisitively.
“I think we’re officially friends.” She laid Cora on the blanket while he opened the box for her. “Don’t you think?”
Greg laughed softly and shook his head. “It seems like it, doesn’t it?”
Her response was a sparkling smile. “Thanks.” She took the diaper he offered her.
After both the baby and Emily were changed, Emily led the way into the kitchen. She flicked on an electric kettle and pulled a tub of chocolate ice cream out of the freezer.
“I think we deserve a reward, don’t you?” she asked.
Greg couldn’t think of a reason why not, so he settled onto a stool by the counter and waited.
“So what do you do when you aren’t working?” she asked.
“As in, for fun?” He grinned.
“Exactly.” She dropped a spoon into a heaping bowl of ice cream
Similar Books
