Was I too hard on her? Was she going to have trauma from not having a real mother? Was she lonely?
The list went on and I didn’t see it stopping anytime soon.
I was broken out of my thoughts when I glanced down at Grace, who was wiping tears off the tops of her cheeks.
She lifted her head to look at me. For a moment, Grace was silent, and I worried she was overwhelmed from taking on my daughter and me, but then she whispered, “Yeah, I think I am,” and gave me a small smile.
I kissed her hair and followed her to the bedroom. All I could do was hope things stayed okay.
CHAPTER 30
Grace
“Oh shit.”I gasped, grabbing the dish towel from the counter. The fire alarm continued to beep regardless of how hard I tried to waft the smoke with the rag.
“You’re going to break your neck,” Caleb said, sleep still in his voice, as he watched me hop up on the counter.
Making his way closer to me, he assisted me off the counter and took the rag from my hand, effortlessly wafting the smoke. The noise stopped but the smell of char lingered in the house.
“What’s all this?” he asked, lifting the pan up. Caleb took the spatula and moved the contents around suspiciously. Now a crisp, black tar covered the once silver pan.
“It was supposed to be pancakes. ‘Easy Pancakes’ is what the website said. Apparently, they lied,” I huffed, feeling embarrassed. Domestic goddess I was not.
I woke up before Caleb and Noelle, hoping I could make them breakfast before we headed to the shelter. Instead, I made a mess.
“Oh, babe. You didn’t have to do that.” Caleb smiled kindly as he opened a window, waving the fumes away.
I leaned against the counter, shaking my head as I admired my handiwork. There was flour everywhere, multiple pans were dirty from failed attempts at flipping the pancake, and milk puddled on the counter and dripped onto the floor.
“Oops.” I bit my lip and looked at him sheepishly.
He made his way over to me, engulfing me in a hug. “Thank you for trying, but let’s leave the cooking to me.” Caleb laughed, his belly shaking. “Seriously though, I appreciate you. Have I told you how amazing you are?” he asked.
“I love you.” I leaned in for my good morning kiss. His lips nipped at my own, and just as I leaned in to deepen the kiss, I heard footsteps.
“Minor entering the room,” Noelle announced, and we broke apart.
“Good morning, sunshine,” Caleb said loudly, his smile wide, taking in the scowl on Noelle’s face.
“Shh, it’s too early.” Noelle pulled up the hood of her sweatshirt so her head was covered, and then she hunched over, her eyes narrowing as she got closer to the light coming in the windows.
“I’ll grab bagels,” Caleb said, scooping up his keys and heading out the door.
“Remind me why we are going to the shelter today, instead of yesterday?” I asked Caleb as he gathered the bags of food he had prepared.
“Thanksgiving Day is the day shelters get the most volunteers. I prefer to go when I know they are shorthanded. Christmas is another busy day, but then afterward most people resume their lives. I like to help fill those gaps,” Caleb explained.
I glanced back at Noelle, who had her headphones on. Caleb tugged on one side. “Leave it in the car please,” he said, gesturing to her iPad before he got out and walked toward the loading dock area.
Ms. Kenzie was already waiting for us, holding the door open.
I locked the car door once Noelle hopped onto the sidewalk.
“Happy belated Thanksgiving!” Ms. Kenzie greeted us cheerily and turned to start unloading the bags.
Once all the food was situated in the kitchen, Ms. Kenzie walked past me, and I couldn’t help the gasp that escaped my lips. Hidden beneath her wide-framed eyeglasses was a bruise covering her right eye. It appeared purple and angry, and her glasses had a small piece of tape in the middle, holding them in place.
“What the hell happened?” Caleb demanded, his nostrils flaring. His eyes went to Noelle, who had a somber look on her face.
