“So what are your plans today, Sandy?”
“Mm! I’ve got my book club brunch at eleven, then spin class at two. After that I thought I’d go with Barb to pick out some clothes for her newest grand-baby, then with Patsy to the nursery to find something to fill the south-east corner. It’s a shame the blackberry bush didn’t take. Patsy said it got too much sun and she’s probably right. She’s so smart about things like that.”
I grinned, pleased. “Sounds like a busy day.”
“Yes,” she said, sighing contentedly. “I’m still not quite used to it. It all feels like a dream sometimes, you know? Once in a while I’ll be so happy, and some little part of my mind will try to convince me that it’s all a dream and it’s only a matter of time before I wake up in that damn trailer with David hulking around demanding things.” She shook her head, her eyes soft and misty. “Then I blink real hard and I’m still here. Daisy’s safe, you’re safe, and the dolphins are playing in the water. I have friends and time of my own and money to spend. I can’t imagine a single thing that could possibly make this better.”
I smiled at her, but half of my attention was on the stairs. What was taking Daisy so long? She never primped before breakfast unless she had to be somewhere important right after, and as far as I knew, she had nowhere to be that day. Just as I was going to shout up at her again, I heard her on the stairs.
“What are your plans today?” Sandy asked.
“That’s what I’m trying to decide,” I said. “I finished the table I was building. The creation video is edited, and as soon as I post it I’ll put the table up for auction. Now I need a new project. Usually inspiration just sort of strikes, but I’ve got nothing.”
Daisy sidled up behind me and draped her arms around my shoulders. “I have an idea,” she said. “How about a cradle?”
I frowned, considering, then shook my head. “Not without a personal commission. People who spend that kind of money on baby beds usually want them customized. I saw someone carve a set of bowls out of colored pencils. I could do something like that, I guess, but the other guy’s video is still pretty new. Wouldn’t want to be accused of ripping him off.”
“Yeah, that wouldn’t be good,” Daisy said, but there was a bubble of laughter in her voice. She sat down beside me and piled her own plate with food. “Oh, how about a play yard? A little one for little babies with an umbrella over the top and netting around the bottom so they can be outside even if they can’t roll over yet?”
I shook my head. “People can buy stuff like that off the shelf. It’s a little too functional. I like the outdoor angle, though. Maybe a garden box that’s also a sun catcher?”
I slowly tuned in to the fact that Daisy and Sandy were having a conversation with their eyes. I started to get the feeling that they were amused at my expense, but I assumed it was just because I was having so much trouble deciding.
“Maybe a high chair,” Daisy said. “A really intricate one with dolphins carved into it, maybe?”
Sandy snorted into her coffee and her eyes twinkled.
“A high chair—like for a baby?” I clarified.
“Mm-hm. Oh, or a playpen! Or a pair of playpens, one for inside and one for outside.”
“Um…”
“Oh! Better yet, a changing table. A really good changing table, with shelves and things to organize all the baby stuff so everything’s right there in reach.”
My heart was beating fast and my mind was working in slow motion. “A cradle, a crib, a playpen—”
“Two playpens.”
“—a high chair, a changing table—Daisy? Is there something you want to tell me?”
A bright grin spread across her face as she pulled a handkerchief from her pocket. It was wrapped around something. I thought I knew what it was, but my mind refused to jump to conclusions. She laid it on the table and unfolded it carefully. I stared. Two dark pink lines stared back at me.
“We’re going to have a baby,” she said in a voice barely louder than a whisper. “Congratulations, daddy.”
I sat, stunned into silence for nearly a minute. Daisy and her mother exchanged a worried glance half a second before I exploded with excitement. “A baby! You’re pregnant?”
“Yes,” she said, laughing with relief. “Is that okay?”
“Okay? It’s amazing!” I leapt from my chair and scooped her up out of hers, spinning her in my arms and kissing all over her face. A spike of fear ripped through me and I put her down gently, backing away and patting her tummy gently. “Oh, god did I hurt you? Did I squish it?”
Daisy and her mother burst out laughing, and Daisy held my head and cradled it against her chest while she wiped mirthful tears away. “You didn’t hurt me, babe. And you didn’t squish it. I’m not that fragile, my love.”
I kissed her neck and collar bone and belly, overwhelmed with joy. “Good,” I said. “Good.”
“I figure the baby will be due sometime in March or April,” she said. “Which means I’ll be able to carry him—or her—across the stage with me when I graduate.”
I hugged her tight. “That’s a fantastic idea. So you are going to finish school?”
“Of course,” she said, and kissed my face. “With you and mom here to help me there’s no reason why I can’t, right?”
“Of course not,” Sandy said, glowing. “We’ve got you covered, Daisy. We’ll all do this together, right Kash?”
“Right,” I said. I kissed Daisy’s forehead, swaying gently with her, dancing to the music of the dolphins. “We’ll do it together.”
I started building the cradle that day. It was the first piece in a whole set of dolphin-themed baby furniture.
