Suddenly a Father Page 8

  “Mommy said breakfast was the most important meal of the day.” Brooke set Bunny on the empty chair and spread a napkin in front of him. She broke off a small piece of quesadilla and laid it on the napkin along with a strawberry.

  Jake’s jaw went slack as he stared at his daughter.

  Millie filled the silence. “You learned a lot of really smart stuff from your mommy.”

  Brooke nodded and took a sip of juice.

  “What do you have planned for today after your therapy appointment?” Millie asked Jake.

  He looked at her as if it was a trick question.

  “I made a call to the preschool Natalie Holt recommended. Brooke is going to visit the classroom, and the director has time today after lunch to talk about enrollment. I was hoping you could be there, too. It’s your decision, after all.”

  “My decision,” he repeated.

  “I don’t want to go to school. My friends aren’t there.” Brooke crumpled the napkin and grabbed on to her stuffed rabbit, pulling him close to her chest. “I want to stay with Daddy.”

  Her big eyes filled with tears. Millie could feel Jake’s resistance crumbling.

  “How about we just give it a try?” she coaxed. “You and your daddy can decide if it’s right for you once you take a look and meet the teacher.” Millie smiled. “After that we can visit Katie at Life Is Sweet for a homemade cookie.”

  The girl perked up at that. “Chocolate chip?”

  “Of course,” Millie promised.

  “Okay. I’ll try it.” She scrunched up her nose. “But I probably won’t want to stay.” She hopped off her seat. “I’m finished. Can I have screen time now?”

  “Sure,” Jake answered immediately.

  She skipped away toward the front of the house, where the office was located.

  “Great attitude,” Millie said when she was gone. “Wonder where she gets it?”

  “How do you avoid the big meltdowns with her?” Jake shook his head. “I swear she was crying every other minute before you got here. I live in constant fear of those tears.”

  “Believe it or not, kids want a schedule and rules. It helps ground them.” She waved her hand at the table. “Looks like having a plan has made a difference to you already.”

  “Two months. I’m giving it my all for two months. We’ll see what happens after that.”

  “You sound like Brooke and her thoughts on preschool. But I have great faith in both of you.”

  Jake gave a small laugh. “Which brings up a good point. I don’t know anything about choosing a preschool, Millie. You’re the one with the teaching degree—”

  “Not yet,” she corrected. “Remember I’m on a break from school. Who knows if I’ll even go back.” She stood quickly, grabbing the plates from the table. What had possessed her to share that little tidbit with him?

  Keeping her back to Jake, she rinsed the dishes in the sink.

  “Afraid of failure?” came a voice in her ear a few moments later. She whirled around, still holding the nozzle of the kitchen sprayer.

  “Whoa!” Jake jumped out of the line of fire with a laugh just as she let go of the sprayer. “Be careful where you point that thing.”

  “I’m not afraid of failure.” Millie tried to keep her words steady, but couldn’t help the slight catch in her voice. “And I’m not running away.”

  “I didn’t say you were.”

  She turned back to the sink and flipped off the water.

  “Hey.” Jake placed a hand on her shoulder. She continued to focus her gaze on the stainless steel in front of her. “I was joking, Millie. I know this is about me.” He paused then added, “I’m sorry for last night. I don’t want to take advantage of you or make you uncomfortable.”

  She waved off his concern. “It’s okay. It was probably my fault. I know I—”

  Now he did spin her around. “You did nothing wrong,” he said, bending so he could look into her eyes. His were so blue and honest she couldn’t help but nod.

  “You either. It was a moment. It happened. We got it out of our systems.”

  He brought his face within inches of hers. “Are you sure about that?”

  She forced herself to nod and he stepped back, straightening. “Good to know.” He turned and collected the rest of the dishes. When the kitchen was cleaned, Jake walked to his bedroom to change clothes for his appointment.

  Millie drove him to the hospital, but this time, Brooke was okay letting him out at the doors by the main entrance.

  He said goodbye and climbed out of the Explorer. Before shutting the door, he turned back to Millie. “For the record, I didn’t get anything out of my system last night,” he said. “Just so you know.”

  Millie sucked in a breath, but he disappeared before she could answer.

  * * *

  Jake cradled his wrist in his good arm as he left the physical-therapy office two hours later. The exercises left him feeling both reinvigorated and exhausted, hopeful that he was making progress and frustrated that it wasn’t faster or easier.

  He took the elevator to the ground floor of the hospital and started toward the front entrance, where Millie and Brooke would pick him up. His name was called and he turned to the sound. A woman and a man, both in white lab coats, walked toward him.

  “Lana?”

  The tall brunette smiled at him. “I heard you were in town.”

  He shook his head. “What are you doing in Crimson?”

  “Finishing up my fellowship,” Lana Mayfield answered. “And getting lucky enough to cross paths with my favorite med-school study partner again.” She turned to the man standing next to her. “Jake, I want to introduce you to Vincent Gile, the medical director at Rocky Mountain West.”

  The older man held out a hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. You’re a bit of a legend around here.”

  Jake shook Vincent’s hand. “I don’t understand...”

  “The people of Crimson are extremely proud of their world-traveling Dr. Travers. You’d be surprised how many patients ask if I’ve met you.” The man chuckled. “Like the medical community is one big social-media outlet. But I’m happy to finally put a face with your name and list of accomplishments.”

  “My list of...”

  “Don’t be modest, Jake.” Lana shook her finger at him. “First in our class graduating from med school then on to your charity work all around the globe. You’ve got quite a reputation.”

  “We were all sorry to hear about your injuries,” Vincent added. “I want you to know we’ll take good care of you here at West. If there’s anything you need, just let me know.” He took a step closer. “I also hope you’ll let me take you to lunch while you’re in town. Crimson is a great place to live, as I’m sure you know. Now that you’re back, I’d like to talk to you about a possible future here.”

  Jake felt his mouth drop open. “That’s kind of you. But as I’m sure you’re aware, I don’t know the long-term effects of the accident yet. There’s a chance...”

  Vincent waved away Jake’s concerns. “If you’re interested, we’ll find a place for you. A local doctor on staff, especially one as well respected in the community as you, is not something I’d pass on, I can tell you that.”

  The man’s cell phone beeped. “I have a meeting. How about lunch next week?”

  “Sure,” Jake answered, stunned at Vincent Gile’s interest in him.

  “I look forward to it.” The cell phone beeped again. “Gotta run.” With a quick nod to Lana, Vincent turned and headed back toward the elevator. Jake and Lana watched him go.

  When the metal doors closed, Jake let out a long breath. “Is he always like that?”

  “Intense and direct?” Lana laughed. “Absolutely.” Her expression turned serious. “He manages a great hospital for so
meplace so remote.”

  “Remote? I wouldn’t call Crimson remote.”

  She smiled. “I did both medical school and my residency in Chicago. Remember? This place moves like molasses compared to what I’m used to.”

  “You don’t like it here?”

  “It’s fine for now,” she said with a shrug of her delicate shoulders. She reached forward and gave him a quick hug. “I like it better now that you’re in town.”

  “Thanks.” Jake didn’t know how else to respond. He’d met Lana his second year of med school. He’d managed to graduate from college in three and a half years and applied directly to medical school from there. He’d been young and hungry to prove that he could handle the rigors of med school, but it had been a challenge. He’d received scholarships but still had to work part-time at a neighborhood diner to pay for books and expenses. That didn’t leave much time for any type of a social life. Lana had been just as ambitious, only her motivation was to prove to her neurosurgeon father that she’d inherited his talent.

  They’d become study partners and dated casually, mostly because neither had the time or energy to make a real relationship work. They’d ended up at the same hospital for residency, but lost touch when their careers had taken them on separate paths.

  When he’d first met her, Lana had been the exact opposite of everything Jake had grown up with in Crimson. She was sophisticated, confident and coolly beautiful. The years hadn’t changed that. Unlike most of the doctors he’d met in Crimson, who adopted a mountain-casual look even while on the clock, Lana wore an expensive and exquisitely tailored suit under her lab coat. Her hair was glossy, pulled back into a smooth ponytail at the nape of her neck.

  For a moment an image of Millie’s sprite-like tumble of hair came to his mind. Strange that he’d think of Millie while talking to Lana.

  “I missed you after you moved on,” she said now, bringing him back to reality.

  “Yeah, sorry.” He remembered that she’d texted him after graduation. “I was traveling so much, it was hard to keep up with friends.”

  She dipped her chin and smiled at him. “I get off at six. Let’s have dinner and catch up. I want to hear all about your adventures.” She placed a hand on his arm. “My fellowship is over at the end of September. I was thinking I might like to try something new. Maybe with Miles of Medicine. It would be fun to coordinate our schedules.” She gave his arm a squeeze. “Like the old days.”

  The old days when all he had to worry about was ingesting enough caffeine to keep up with his round-the-clock shifts. A day with Brooke made overnights during his residency look like a cakewalk.

  “I’ve got a lot going on right now and doubt I’ll be decent company by the end of the day,” he said, not mentioning that most of his fatigue came from the responsibility of parenthood. “Another time.”

  Her smile dropped a bit but she nodded. “Definitely. It’s good to see you, Jake.” She reached up on her tiptoes and gave him a kiss on his cheek. “You make this town suddenly seem much more interesting.”

  He took a step back. The gleam in her eye made him a little nervous. “See you around, Lana.” He walked quickly out of the hospital, dropping his sunglasses over his eyes as he did.

  He spotted the Explorer parked near the edge of the patient-drop-off area. As he got closer, he could hear music coming from the open windows. It wasn’t a song he recognized, although the melody sounded vaguely familiar. Brooke’s high-pitched, little-girl voice was belting out song lyrics. He stopped in his tracks as Millie joined her.

  Millie’s voice was just like her—bright and bubbly—and totally mesmerizing as she harmonized with the tune Brooke was singing.

  He opened the car door and started to speak, but Millie held up one finger. “This is the big finale,” she whispered on a quick breath before singing again.

  A glance to the back of the car showed Brooke with her eyes closed, a rapturous look on her face as she continued to sing, blissfully unaware of his return.

  A man in scrubs wheeled an elderly woman past the car and they both turned to look at Millie, who waved cheerfully.

  “Do you want to roll up the windows for this?” Jake asked.

  She ignored him, her voice rising to join Brooke’s at the end of the song.

  Despite himself, Jake felt chills roll down his back. Her voice was like a caress as she sang about playing all day in the sun.

  After a few moments, the song ended and Millie flipped off the volume on the radio control.

  “That was awesome,” she said, turning to give Brooke a high five. “You are the best Ariel I’ve ever heard.”

  “You sound just like a princess,” Brooke answered, and Jake could see Millie’s stock rise several notches in his daughter’s estimation.

  “The Little Mermaid was my favorite movie when I was a kid,” she told Jake, easing into the parking lot. “I combed my hair with a fork for months after seeing it the first time.” She was practically bouncing in her seat. “How was your appointment? Did it run late?”

  He blinked several times to keep up with the various conversation threads. “I saw someone I knew from my residency. And why would you comb your hair with a fork?”

  “Daddy doesn’t watch princess movies,” Brooke said from the backseat.

  “Everyone watches princess movies. We’ll rent one tonight.” Millie wiggled her eyebrows at Jake. “You’ll love it.”

  “I can’t wait.” The funny part was Jake realized he meant it.

  Millie and Brooke took turns telling him about their morning until they pulled in front of a small brick house on one of the side streets leading from downtown.

  “This looks lovely,” Millie murmured.

  She was right. The brick on the house’s exterior was painted a pale yellow with dark blue trim and shutters. Planter boxes hung under the windows, and the flowers each held were cheerful, as if they were giving a warm welcome to each person who walked up the path that led to the front door.

  “I don’t want to do this,” Brooke said quietly from the backseat.

  Me neither, Jake agreed silently as he watched a group of mothers trickle up the sidewalk, kids in tow.

  “It’s just a visit,” Millie reminded Brooke. “You’re brave like a princess, Brookie-Cookie.” She gave Jake a meaningful look, as if he was supposed to add something more to the conversation.

  He got out of the SUV and opened the back door. “I’ll hold your hand the whole time,” he offered without thinking, then felt like an idiot. Why would that matter?

  To his surprise, Brooke nodded. “Okay, Daddy. As long as you don’t leave me.”

  He smiled. “I’ll be right here.”

  Taking her hand in his, Jake led Brooke toward the front door of the house, Millie at his side. “Tell me again why you can’t just teach her what she needs to know,” he whispered.

  “This is about socialization and her development.” She glanced around him to Brooke. “It’s important for her to have time away from you.”

  “She does,” he argued. “When I’m at the hospital.”

  Millie shook her head and gave him a gentle elbow to the ribs. “It’s just a visit.”

  A woman who looked to be around fifty years old greeted them. Silver hair just grazed her shoulders. She wore an apron with the words Crimson Community Preschool in block lettering across the front. If Jake had to imagine what an ideal preschool teacher would look like, this woman was it. Her face was kind, her smile gentle as she held out her hand. “I’m Ms. Laura,” she said, speaking directly to his daughter. “Are you Brooke?”

  Brooke nodded and took a small step forward. “This is Bunny. He’s scared, so he has to stay with me.”

  Ms. Laura patted the stuffed animal on the head. “It’s nice to meet you, Bunny,” she answered without missing a beat. She
turned her gaze to Jake and Millie.

  “Thanks so much for letting us come by today,” Millie said quickly. “We spoke on the phone. I’m Millie Spencer, the nanny, and this is Brooke’s father, Jake Travers.”

  “Laura Wilkes,” the woman responded. “Welcome to all of you.” She pointed to a doorway off the entry of the house. “Why don’t you take a look around? School starts next week, so we do small group orientations to talk to the children about how their day will go. We have two new additions to the older class, so Brooke won’t be the only one joining us.”

  “We’re just visiting.” Brooke spoke to Bunny, not making eye contact with the teacher.

  “That’s fine.” Laura Wilkes bent down to Brooke’s level. “If you and your daddy like it here, Brooke, I hope you’ll come back. I think you’d enjoy our time together.”

  Jake felt his daughter’s grip tighten on his hand even as she inched forward. “Let’s go, Daddy.”

  He took several steps toward the main room of the preschool before he realized Millie wasn’t following him. “Are you coming?” he asked, glancing over his shoulder at her.

  She gave him a reassuring smile. “In a minute. You two go ahead.” She turned back to Laura, and Jake allowed himself to be led into the room, certain that Millie was purposely hanging back so he and Brooke would do this on their own.

  His throat went dry as he took in the colorful tables with blocks and building equipment. An art station was situated near the center of the room, complete with easels and paints. In the corner was a play kitchen, shelves of neatly stacked food near one side.

  The four mothers in the room all turned as he and Brooke walked in. A couple of the kids looked over and he felt Brooke stiffen next to him. He was pretty sure he and his daughter shared the same instinct at this moment, which was to get the hell out of there. Instead, he plastered a smile on his face.

  “Hi,” he said, lifting his splinted arm in a wave. “I’m Jake and this is my daughter, Brooke. We’re new to Crimson and visiting the preschool today.”