The bus pulled in front of Cameron’s house just as Audrey was walking to the curb. Three kids got off, each running off in different directions. Then Audrey’s heart lifted at the sight of Piper, whose hair had become unraveled from the two braids she’d spent twenty minutes on that morning. Piper bounded down the steps with all the energy and enthusiasm of a six-year-old. She turned and waved to the bus driver, causing Audrey’s heart to pinch even tighter. Her hair was a mess of baby-fine waves, from the braids. There was a grass stain on her left knee and a funky-looking green spot on the bottom of her pink sweater. Despite the mess, Piper was just about the sweetest thing Audrey had seen all day. She’d missed the squirt like crazy.
But as Piper hopped off the bus, Audrey fought back the wave of sorrow, because Dianna should have been the one to greet her daughter after school. She should have braided Piper’s hair and done all the school shopping and packed Piper’s lunch with a note to have an awesome day. But she wasn’t, and Audrey was assaulted again by the unfairness of the situation. There would be no family dinner around a table tonight, no mother to help her with her homework or tuck her in.
But she has you.
Audrey lifted her chin, determined not to let the thoughts show on her face.
“Hey, kiddo.” Audrey picked the girl up, backpack and all, and hugged her little body close. She hadn’t expected to miss Piper so much.
Piper jumped up and down when Audrey released her. “I got on green today.”
Audrey took Piper’s hand and led her to the guesthouse. “Green?”
“Ms. Matthews has three colors on the wall. Green, yellow, and red,” Piper explained. “Red is for when you’re bad, and Carter got on red because he talked during story time. But I didn’t. I got on green because I didn’t talk.”
Audrey grinned down at her as the entered the house. “Of course, because you tried your best, right?”
Piper nodded and dropped her backpack on the floor. “Yep.” She turned and blinked up at Audrey. “I have to go to the bathroom.”
“Okay, you know where it is,” Audrey responded, even though she knew how Piper was going to respond.
She shook her head, sending her soft waves around her shoulders. “You have to come with me, remember?”
Audrey lifted a brow and jabbed a hand on her hip. “Piper, we’ve talked about this. You need to start using the bathroom by yourself. How do you go at school?”
“I just go with a friend.”
Audrey pondered her options, knowing she didn’t have many with a tenacious six-year-old. She blew out a breath. “I’ll walk you to the bathroom, but I’m not staying in there with you.”
Piper grabbed Audrey’s hand. “But I’m scared.”
The inflection of emotion in the girl’s voice tugged harder on Audrey’s heartstrings. She squatted and took both of Piper’s small hands in her own. “Honey, the bathroom isn’t a scary place. Why are you afraid of it?” she asked, even though she knew the answer. Ever since Dianna had passed away, Piper had been terrified of using a bathroom by herself.
“Just am,” Piper said in a low voice. She averted her gaze to her scuffed boots and sniffed.
Audrey resisted the urge to pull Piper into her arms and tell her it was okay. Just give her a little reassurance, that she wasn’t alone. Then she remembered Cameron’s words about being too fussy, so she held back.
Instead she settled on resting her hands on Piper’s tiny shoulders. “Sweetie, you’re going to have to get over your fear of the bathroom. I won’t always be here to go with you.”
“Why can’t you?” Piper questioned.
Oh, God, not this again. They’d had this discussion a few times, and Audrey thought Piper understood. She knew Piper wanted Audrey to stay, but how was she supposed to respond to that?
“You know why, Piper,” Audrey answered. “Because I have to go home eventually.”
Piper blinked at her. “But why can’t this be your home?”
Yeah, Audrey. Why?
“Because my home is in Boulder.” Yeah, great answer.
“But why can’t this be your home?” she asked again. “Don’t you like it here?”
If only it were that simple…“Of course I like it here. I love Blanco Valley, and I love being here with you. But my work is in Boulder. I can’t just leave my business.”
Piper scratched the side of her face. “Why can’t you move your business here?”
Okay, she was running out of reasonable excuses here. “Because…” Shit, because why? “Because I have a business partner who I work with, and I can’t leave her to do all the work herself.”
Piper blinked again, and Audrey knew she didn’t understand. And why would she? Her world consisted of cartoons, a stuffed cat, and jelly beans.
“Can she move down here?” Piper asked with all the confidence of someone who thought they’d figured it out.
“No, honey, she can’t. Now how about we use the bathroom now?” Audrey pushed, desperate to put an end to the line of questioning. Piper could be relentless when she put her mind to it, as were all kids, Audrey imagined. But it broke her heart to see the confusion written all over her sweet face. Audrey wanted to do everything in her power to make Piper happy, to give her the stable home she’d once had with Dianna. She feared that when she left, she’d rock the girl’s world all over again.
They used the toilet, while Audrey waited in the hall, giving Piper an extra reminder to wash her hands.
“Is Cameron here? I wanna tell him about how I got on green today.” Piper skipped out of the bathroom and headed for the kitchen.
Audrey followed her, knowing the girl was hungry. “Nope, he’s still at work. But he’ll be home around dinnertime, and I’m sure he’d love to hear about your day.”
As Audrey made Piper
