Lisa Jordan - Lakeside Redemption

He lifted the hem of the oversize T-shirt Ella wore and wiped the traces of tears from her face. “Hey, Ella, remember when Ava cut her finger?

Ella nodded again. “There was a lot of blood, and she cried.”

“Yes, she did. It hurt a lot.” Caleb reached for Ava and pulled her gently to him. He opened his youngest daughter’s hand and rubbed his thumb across the tiny knuckles on her pointer finger. “The doctor put two small stitches in it. Her finger isn’t the way it was before because now it has a tiny scar, but her finger still works just as well. If Zoe sews Melly Moon’s head back on, you may be able to see where she stitched, but Melly Moon will be in one piece and almost as good as new.”

Ella considered that a moment, then handed the doll over to Zoe. She plopped onto Sully’s leg to watch.

Sully’s face twisted in pain as he readjusted both girls on his lap.

The man needed a shower, strong coffee and a nap...not necessarily in that order.

Zoe threaded her needle. With three pairs of expectant eyes watching her, she felt more nervous about this than training Riley. Dogs were her superpower. Sewing, on the other hand...

With small, even stitches, she secured Melly’s head to her body, knotted the thread, then bit off the excess. She gave the head a gentle tug. Pleased with its strength, she handed the doll to Ella. “Here you go, sweetie.”

Ella took the doll and inspected its neck. “I can’t see where you sewed.”

That was the point.

Sully nudged his daughter. “What do you say to Miss Zoe?”

Ella flew off Sully’s lap and flung her arms around Zoe’s neck, taking her by surprise. “Thank you, Miss Zoe. You saved Melly Moon. You’re the best.”

The girl’s words pricked the fragile shell around Zoe’s heart. It had been a long time since anyone had considered her the best at anything. The warmth of the little girl’s body pressing against Zoe’s chest seeped into her soul, fanning the flicker of a spark she thought had been snuffed out long ago.

Hope.

Careful not to poke the child with her needle, Zoe wrapped her arms around Ella and hugged her close. “You’re welcome, sweetie.”

Ella pulled away from Zoe and hugged Melly while she twirled through the living room. “Look, Avie, isn’t Miss Zoe the best?”

Ava cast a shy glance in Zoe’s direction and gave her a small smile. Then she nodded.

Did Sully realize how blessed he was to have such sweet daughters?

The look of love he wore answered her question. He would never stop loving his daughters, no matter what they did.

A pang pinched her heart. She wasn’t going there.

Eyes up and feet forward. Her new mantra.

Sully pushed to his feet, not quite swallowing a groan, then held out a hand to her. She took it and stood, not wanting to release his warm, strong grip.

He gave her fingers a gentle squeeze before releasing them. “You’re amazing. Thank you.”

“No problem.”

“What a morning.”

“What happened?” Zoe returned the needle and thread to its case, then stowed everything back in her purse.

“What didn’t happen would be quicker to answer. Ava woke up with a wet bed. I was trying to give them a bath and keep Riley out of their room when you arrived. I’m sorry you walked into chaos.”

She placed a hand on his upper arm. “Sully, relax. It’s just fine.”

“Thanks. That’s cool of you to say. It means a lot. Let me get the girls some breakfast, then we can talk about training the monster if you’re still up to it.”

“I’m game if you are.”

“Yeah, after this morning, we need to do something fast.” He gathered a bundle of unfolded laundry off the couch and righted a beige throw pillow. “Have a seat and I’ll get them squared away. Then we can talk about how to proceed.”

“What can I do to help?”

“Nothing. I’ll take care of it.”

Zoe reached for his arm and tried not to think about the strength radiating from his muscular form. “Sully, stop being stubborn. You’re a great dad. But asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, you know.”

Sully stared at her for a long moment, then sighed. Instead of answering, he sat on the couch cushion, dropped the laundry at his feet and wrapped his hands around his head. “How do single parents do this, Zoe? How did you handle it with Griffin?” Then, as if realizing what he had just said, crimson rose above the collar of his shirt and colored his neck. “Sorry, I mean, before...”

“Listen, Sully, I’m the last person qualified to give you parenting advice. I’m probably the world’s worst mom, but I’m so thankful for my parents and my brother, Ian. They deserve all the credit for Griffin being such a great kid. But, the way I see it, you’re trying too hard to prove you’re some kind of superdad.”

“I’m all they have.”

“Doesn’t mean you have to be perfect. Let’s face it, we all need help every now and then. The way you handled Melly Moon was great. You proved to be a hero to your daughter.”

“You were the one who saved the day with your mad sewing skills.”

“My point is you’re doing what matters. Focus on the big stuff. Who cares about a wet bed? Sheets can be washed. Give the girls what they need most—your unconditional love.”

“That’s a given. Thanks, Zoe. There’s coffee in the kitchen. Help yourself to some. I need to get the girls dressed.”

They headed in different directions—Sully followed Ella’s giggles down the hall while Zoe went to the kitchen.

She searched the cupboards for two mugs and filled them with coffee. She pulled out three bowls and set them on the round table under the window. She found two boxes of cereal and grabbed milk and apple juice from the fridge. Cups, napkins and spoons completed the table settings.

Once Sully and the girls had some breakfast and were a little more relaxed after this morning’s calamity, then they could focus on working out the best training plan for Riley.

Excitement brewed, but she couldn’t quite determine if it was for finally using her dog-training skills or for the amount of time she’d be spending with Sully and the girls.

She’d have to work hard to keep an emotional distance. After all, she couldn’t risk her heart over something that could never be.

She couldn’t mix business and pleasure, especially with this family. Sully deserved someone who could give him a shining future, not one with a clouded past.

* * *

How could two little girls make such a mess?

He needed to do better at keeping things together.

Caleb stepped over stuffed animals, a coloring book and several scattered crayons to grab Ava’s wet pajamas off the girls’ bedroom floor.

After they’d moved to Shelby Lake, Caleb had called his sister, Sarah, for help in setting up the girls’ bedroom. He didn’t even want to think about his credit card bill next month.

Sarah had selected white twin beds with matching purple-and-green comforters and curtains. Flower-shaped throw rugs lay in front of matching white dressers with mirrors.

Apparently she felt the girls needed every stuffed animal the toy store had in stock. Not to mention the dollhouse in the corner of the room. A basket of books sat between two fairy-princess beanbag chairs under the window.

A new room for a fresh start.

Giggling in the bathroom pulled him out of his thoughts. He dropped the wet clothes on the pile of dirty towels in the girls’ hamper in the closet, and then strode down the hall.

Within two minutes, he had both girls dressed, hair brushed in some semblance of order and shooed them out of the room so he could empty the tub.

Once the bathroom looked less like a wrecking zone, he headed for the kitchen. He found the girls huddled together on the couch in the living room with Ella aiming the remote at the TV as she sang along with Dora the Explorer in Spanish.