LITMIR.BIZ

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Keri strode toward the door and held it open for him. She had no room in her cluttered and bruised thoughts for memories of a stupid, juvenile crush. Had no idea why that particular memory had chosen this of all moments to float to the surface.

       This time, Simon didn’t hesitate. He walked out the door without another word. She closed her door before he could even slip the key into his. As if on cue, Hannah began to cry.

      * * *

      THREE HOURS LATER, SIMON returned to the hotel with two barbecue dinners. He heard Hannah’s cries as soon as he turned into their corridor. Sounded like his plan of putting them at the end of the hallway wasn’t going quite as planned.

       He had to knock twice before Keri came to the door, a red-faced and teary Hannah propped on her hip. Keri looked as if she was at the end of her rope. Without even asking for an invitation, he edged his way into the room and closed the door behind him.

       After setting the bag of food on the little round table, he held out his arms. “Let me have her.”

       “I’ve got her.”

       “Keri.” He waited until she met his eyes, refusing to give in to her inherent stubbornness and determination to do everything on her own. “Let me give you a break.”

       She hesitated a moment before shifting Hannah toward him. Even after he had a firm hold on the child, she didn’t let go.

       “I won’t drop her,” he said gently. It felt odd to speak to her that way, so unlike their friendly teasing from years ago or the thinly veiled animosity of more recent years.

       Finally, she let go and sank onto the edge of the bed.

       “I can’t get her to calm down. What if she never stops crying?”

       “She will.” Eventually, Hannah would get used to seeing Keri’s face instead of her mother’s. A profound sadness welled within him at the thought that someday, maybe not that far in the future, Hannah would forget her parents entirely.

       He bounced Hannah softly in his arms as he watched Keri close her eyes and run her hands through her hair. The way the strands were sticking out, it wasn’t the first time her hair had gotten that treatment tonight.

       When Keri opened her eyes again, he nodded toward the bag on the table. “You need to eat.”

       “I just want to sleep. It feels like ages since I slept.”

       “Food first. You haven’t eaten all day.”

       She gave him an odd look, as though she couldn’t believe he’d noticed. That or she really hadn’t realized she’d had nothing but a couple of bottles of water since before he’d arrived at the bakery with the horrible news about the accident. Whatever she was thinking, she heaved herself off the bed and over to the table. She sank into one of the chairs and opened the box.

       He turned his attention to Hannah and bopped her nose gently with his index finger. “Now there, little missy. Let’s see if we can figure out something to do besides crying.” He carried her over to where he’d tossed a second bag into the chair opposite Keri and pulled out a stuffed bunny he’d found at the Walmart next to the barbecue place. “Look at what I found,” he said in that goofy, higher pitched voice that adults seemed predisposed to use around babies. He wiggled it in front of Hannah, using one of its floppy ears to tickle her nose.

       Hannah let out another cry, albeit a bit halfhearted, then a sniffle before it all was replaced with a smile as she grabbed the bunny.

       “Where did that come from?” Keri asked before shoving a fry in her mouth.

       “I’m guessing China.” He consulted the tag on the rabbit’s fuzzy behind. “Yep, China.”

       He glanced over at Keri and saw an all-too-familiar annoyance on her face. This time, he didn’t mind it. Anything was better than the terrible blankness. They weren’t friends anymore, but that didn’t mean he wanted to see her that damaged.

       “So, what shall we call this guy?” he asked Hannah as he placed her on the bed and he lay on his side next to her. Though her face was still flushed and tear-stained, she’d done a complete one-eighty. Now she giggled and flapped the bunny’s ears up and down, making it look as if it was going to take off in flight.

       Keri shoved her chair away from the table. “She needs to eat, too. I tried to feed her earlier, but she wouldn’t stop crying long enough.”

       Simon put up a hand to stop her. “You keep eating. I’ll feed her.”

       Keri gave him a raised eyebrow. “You know how to feed a baby?”

       “Can’t be that hard. Plus, I’ve got to get in some practice. Going to have a new niece of my own soon. And I plan to be her favorite uncle.”

       Keri snorted, and it sounded so much like the normal her that he felt some hope she would get through this. “If the kid’s smart, she’ll pick Ryan for that.”

       Simon shifted his attention to Hannah, who was now jabbering with her new best friend. “Can you believe that, Hannah? You’ll vouch for me, won’t you?”

       Hannah gave him a wide grin that melted his heart. She really was a cute little thing. It broke his melted heart to think of all she’d lost without even knowing it.

       He managed to keep Keri eating and Hannah from crying over the next few minutes as he fed the little girl. When Hannah had eaten the last of her green beans and applesauce, he noticed Keri was leaning on one of her hands with her eyes closed.

       “You need to get some sleep.”

       She opened her eyes slowly as though it was difficult to force her eyelids into compliance. “I’ll sleep when she does.”

       “I’ll take care of her.” She opened her mouth to protest further. “Listen. I know you don’t like this, but for right now let’s put away everything else. Think of it as me doing my job if it makes you feel better, but you need to rest. You can’t keep going like this. You’re no good to yourself, no good to Hannah if you’re toast.”

       She pressed her lips together as if she was holding in something she wanted to say. He could imagine what that might be—that the last person she wanted to accept help from was him. Or something much worse. He’d certainly heard that before.

       But she didn’t say anything. She just stood, grabbed her bag and headed for the bathroom.

       He stared at the closed door for several seconds before he returned his attention to Hannah. “You’ve got to promise me something, okay?” He doubted she understood him, but she at least seemed to be paying attention. “We’ve got to be quiet so your aunt Keri can get some sleep.” As if she somehow had understood, she curled onto her side with the bunny in her arms.

       Simon smiled at her. “You’re going to be a heartbreaker someday. Keri will have to tote a shotgun to keep the boys away from you.” Boys like he’d been.

       He scrounged in the diaper bag and found a freshly made bottle, then scooped Hannah into his arms. He’d kill for a recliner right now, but the uncomfortable-looking chair at the table would have to do. He pulled it into the corner next to the door and sat with Hannah in his arms.

       When Keri came out of the bathroom sporting loose gray pajama pants and a red Oktoberfest T-shirt, she stopped and looked at him. “Give her here. She can go to bed with me.”

       He shook his head. “She’s not sleepy yet. We’re just going to sit over here and get to know each other a little better.”

       Keri propped her hands on her hips. “And how am I supposed to sleep with you two engaging in baby talk in the corner?”

       He met her stare. “Trust me, you’re going to be out in less than five minutes.”

       If the situation had been any different, he would have laughed at the familiar fight he saw swirling just beyond the surface. Instead,

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