sigh. "Fine."
"Thanks." Cam's voice had returned to its usual light tone. "Oh, and Darci? Sometimes a distraction is just what you need."
He'd hung up before she could respond. Not that she'd know what to say. Darci tossed her cell phone into her bag and started going through her opening duties. She didn't have time to think about what Cam may or may not have meant.
###
Monica was late. Darci dialed the number for her cell phone for the third time. It went straight to voicemail.
"Shit." She slammed the phone down and quickly glanced around the shop to make sure there were no customers who might have overheard her. There wasn't.
The store was empty. There'd only been a few people through the doors all morning, which was fairly normal. Monday's were usually their slowest days.
Darci looked at her watch for what must have been the hundredth time that day. She was going to be late. She'd promised Taylor that she would be there for the injection lesson. For a moment Darci contemplated calling one of her part time employees, but that was ridiculous, they both went to school full time. Just because Darci was having a family emergency, didn't mean she'd ask her employees to skip school. She shouldn't have to. That's what she had Monica for.
She cursed again. This time under her breath. Her mind played through her options. There weren't many. Calling Felicity and asking her to come and cover wouldn't work. Felicity might be the owner, but at sixty-four, she considered herself retired and didn't know the first thing about actually working in her own shop. Besides, that's what she paid Darci for, and Felicity had made that very clear when Darci had been hired.
The minutes ticked by. Darci tried Monica's phone again.
"Monica, it's Darci," she said to the voicemail. "Call me the second you get this message. It's an emergency."
She clicked the phone off. "Damn it."
She looked at her watch again. The needles lesson would be starting in five minutes.
Out of time and out of options, Darci scrawled a note onto a piece of paper and grabbed her tote bag. She taped the note to the door, locked it behind her and jumped in her car.
CHAPTER TEN
By the time she battled with traffic, found a parking spot and ran through the hallways, the needles lesson was already well underway.
Joelle and Taylor were sitting on Taylor's bed, the table next to them filled with various needles, bottles of liquid and oranges.
"Hi, Mom." Taylor looked up from sticking a needle into an orange.
"I'm sorry I'm late, kiddo." Darci tossed her tote bag into the corner of the room and moved to the bed. With nowhere to sit, she stood awkwardly next to the tray filled with supplies. "What did I miss?"
"Check it out," Taylor said and pulled the syringe out of the orange. The sharp tang of citrus filled the air. "Joelle's showing me how to work the needles."
"Don't you think she's a little young to handle those?" Darci looked at the nurse who was smiling and holding out an alcohol swab.
"Not at all," Joelle said. "It's very important for kids to take charge of their health. Taylor needs to know how to do this before she can go home." To Taylor she said, "Why don't you try it again?"
Darci watched as Taylor took the alcohol swab from Joelle and wiped it on the orange.
"But, I can give her the insulin," Darci said. Even at the thought of giving her daughter an injection, Darci's stomach flipped and she reflexively put her hand to her belly.
Joelle noticed the action and smiled. "You're not always going to be around, Darci. Besides, Taylor's doing a great job." She turned her attention back to Taylor. "Good, now draw the water into the needle." Taylor held a bottle of saline up, pushed the needle in and drew the solution into the syringe before gently flicking the side causing air bubbles to rise to the top.
"Great," Joelle said. "I didn't even have to remind you that time."
Taylor beamed and Darci watched in
"Thanks." Cam's voice had returned to its usual light tone. "Oh, and Darci? Sometimes a distraction is just what you need."
He'd hung up before she could respond. Not that she'd know what to say. Darci tossed her cell phone into her bag and started going through her opening duties. She didn't have time to think about what Cam may or may not have meant.
###
Monica was late. Darci dialed the number for her cell phone for the third time. It went straight to voicemail.
"Shit." She slammed the phone down and quickly glanced around the shop to make sure there were no customers who might have overheard her. There wasn't.
The store was empty. There'd only been a few people through the doors all morning, which was fairly normal. Monday's were usually their slowest days.
Darci looked at her watch for what must have been the hundredth time that day. She was going to be late. She'd promised Taylor that she would be there for the injection lesson. For a moment Darci contemplated calling one of her part time employees, but that was ridiculous, they both went to school full time. Just because Darci was having a family emergency, didn't mean she'd ask her employees to skip school. She shouldn't have to. That's what she had Monica for.
She cursed again. This time under her breath. Her mind played through her options. There weren't many. Calling Felicity and asking her to come and cover wouldn't work. Felicity might be the owner, but at sixty-four, she considered herself retired and didn't know the first thing about actually working in her own shop. Besides, that's what she paid Darci for, and Felicity had made that very clear when Darci had been hired.
The minutes ticked by. Darci tried Monica's phone again.
"Monica, it's Darci," she said to the voicemail. "Call me the second you get this message. It's an emergency."
She clicked the phone off. "Damn it."
She looked at her watch again. The needles lesson would be starting in five minutes.
Out of time and out of options, Darci scrawled a note onto a piece of paper and grabbed her tote bag. She taped the note to the door, locked it behind her and jumped in her car.
CHAPTER TEN
By the time she battled with traffic, found a parking spot and ran through the hallways, the needles lesson was already well underway.
Joelle and Taylor were sitting on Taylor's bed, the table next to them filled with various needles, bottles of liquid and oranges.
"Hi, Mom." Taylor looked up from sticking a needle into an orange.
"I'm sorry I'm late, kiddo." Darci tossed her tote bag into the corner of the room and moved to the bed. With nowhere to sit, she stood awkwardly next to the tray filled with supplies. "What did I miss?"
"Check it out," Taylor said and pulled the syringe out of the orange. The sharp tang of citrus filled the air. "Joelle's showing me how to work the needles."
"Don't you think she's a little young to handle those?" Darci looked at the nurse who was smiling and holding out an alcohol swab.
"Not at all," Joelle said. "It's very important for kids to take charge of their health. Taylor needs to know how to do this before she can go home." To Taylor she said, "Why don't you try it again?"
Darci watched as Taylor took the alcohol swab from Joelle and wiped it on the orange.
"But, I can give her the insulin," Darci said. Even at the thought of giving her daughter an injection, Darci's stomach flipped and she reflexively put her hand to her belly.
Joelle noticed the action and smiled. "You're not always going to be around, Darci. Besides, Taylor's doing a great job." She turned her attention back to Taylor. "Good, now draw the water into the needle." Taylor held a bottle of saline up, pushed the needle in and drew the solution into the syringe before gently flicking the side causing air bubbles to rise to the top.
"Great," Joelle said. "I didn't even have to remind you that time."
Taylor beamed and Darci watched in
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