This Baby Business. Heatherly Bell

in a few hours and Grace looked no closer to closing her eyes than she had an hour ago.

      “I’m just going to close my eyes for a minute.” He snuggled Grace closer to his chest and leaned his head back.

      * * *

      LEVI WOKE WITH a start. It was morning, the first rays of early autumn sunlight flooding throughout Grace’s bedroom. She was fast asleep. He’d fallen asleep with her in his arms and by some miracle she hadn’t slipped out and landed on the floor.

      “Are you a vampire?” he whispered, laying her in the crib. “Please don’t be a baby vampire.”

      This time, of course, she stayed asleep. But Levi would still be late if he didn’t kick it into high gear. He took an enlisted man’s shower and dressed in the Mcallister Charters uniform of a white button-up and black cargoes within minutes. He hurried through his usual morning routine, prepping formula bottles like a pro and swallowing a Pop-Tart practically whole. He inhaled his morning coffee and glanced at the digital kitchen clock. Oh seven hundred and Annie wasn’t here. He hated being late and people who were late. And Annie was perpetually late.

      She was his third babysitter since he’d landed in Fortune a month ago. Bobbie Ann had left when Levi had turned her down, explaining he didn’t date anyone under twenty. Ellen had left because of all the screaming, and Annie’s only fault so far was her unreliability. Which, given the situation, was huge.

      He looked out the window. Nothing. Dialed Annie’s cell phone, hoping she’d be driving over and unable to answer it.

      She answered. “Hey, Levi. I can’t make it today.”

      “Why didn’t you call me?”

      He should have never hired one of the former baristas from the Drip. Even if she’d come highly recommended by Emily Parker as being a generally kind woman who wouldn’t hurt a fly.

      “I had a little trouble with the reception out here in Lake Tahoe.”

      “What the hell are you doing in Lake Tahoe?”

      Levi heard a distinctly male voice in the background.

      “Oh, sorry. I meant Reno. I’m all turned around.” She giggled. “I’m getting married.”

      “Getting married? Since when?”

      “Since Drew asked me last night. I’m sorry, but I forgot to call you.”

      Yep. Never should have hired her. “Great. Now what am I supposed to do about Grace?”

      “I’m sorry. But hey, why don’t you ask your next-door neighbor? I’m sure she would do it.”

      “You mean Cute Stuck-Up Girl?”

      “Her name is Carly. I know her personally, so I’ll vouch for her. We used to work together, and then her mother died and left her a business. I hardly see her anymore she’s so busy, but I did see her last week when I was taking Grace for a walk. She came out to get a package and waved hello.”

      Levi glanced out the window, and there was Cute Stuck-Up Girl, bending down to pick up another UPS package. About the only times he’d seen her she was either signing for a package or hauling diapers into the house by the box. A couple weeks ago, she’d glanced in his direction. He’d smiled and nodded. She’d looked right through him. Hence the stuck-up part.

      “You think she’d do it?” He glanced at his watch. If he didn’t want to miss his flight this morning and risk looking like a damned fool who couldn’t handle both work and being a father, he’d have to leave in fifteen minutes.

      “Carly is supersweet. I’m sure she would help you out for the day.”

      “And after that?”

      “Again, I’m sorry. But I’m getting married, and you really don’t pay me enough anyway.”

      “Might have said something sooner.”

      He was going to have to get a handle on this sitter business. Next time hire someone highly qualified and serious about the job, not just someone between gigs. Levi hung up and glanced at his watch.

      “Okay. Plan B.”

      A few minutes later, Levi had carefully and skillfully moved a sound-asleep Grace from her crib to her car seat. When the girl slept, she meant it. Too bad she couldn’t mean it at two in the morning. He carried the car seat by the handle to Cute Stuck-Up Girl’s front door. Probably should start calling her Carly from now on.

      “Wish me luck,” he said under his breath. “Just keep right on being adorable. And quiet.”

      Grace continued to snooze. He rang the doorbell. Once. Twice.

      Levi was about to abort mission and launch into plan C when the door flew open. Cute—uh, Carly—stood behind it, blond hair sticking up in four different directions. She wore yoga pants, a pink-and-white Minnie Mouse T-shirt that fell past her hips and fuzzy slippers in the shape of the Tasmanian Devil. He tried not to laugh.

      “You’re not the UPS guy.”

      “No. Sorry.” She was a lot prettier up close. Her eyes were amber, warm, with tiny flecks of green in them.

      Those eyes took him in, doing fast work of assessing. When she fixated on the car seat, she did a double take. “What’s that?”

      Huh. Not too promising. He forced a grin and a wink and tried to relax, because he had approximately twelve minutes left to work his magic. “A baby. Ever seen one before?”

      “I know what a baby is.” Her eyes narrowed, and she pointed. “Is that your baby?”

      He was beginning to resent the way no one believed he could be a father. “Yep. Mine.”

      She folded her arms over her chest. “Oh, I see. You must have heard about me, then. But all the advice is on my website. I’m thinking about adding Skype chats, but you’re a little early for that.”

      “Excuse me?”

      “Isn’t that why you’re here? You’d like some advice? Is she not sleeping through the night? Colic? Do you want to know the best diaper to use?”

      He cleared his throat, because damned if he couldn’t use all of that and then some.

      “No. I’m fine. Okay, let’s start over. I’m Levi Lambert, your next-door neighbor.” He stuck out his hand and shook hers.

      “Carly Gilmore.”

      “I’m in a bind this morning. My sitter, Annie, well, she ran off and got married yesterday and forgot to tell me about it. So...she’s not coming.”

      “Annie. Yeah. That was not a wise choice.”

      “You’re telling me. I’m new in town, and one of my friends recommended her.”

      “Yes, she’s sweet but unreliable.” She shook her head. “I’m not sure how I can help you.”

      A little worried that his cute neighbor might have been dropped on her head as a baby, and not encouraged by that possible fact, Levi took a deep breath. “Could you maybe just fill in for her today? I’m a pilot at Mcallister Charters, and I’m about to be late for a flight.”

      “Me? You want me to watch your baby?”

      “Don’t you hand out baby advice? So you have children, right?”

      She had a ring on her finger, but that didn’t mean she had children.

      At this, she went a little pale, then gave him a tight smile. “I...I know a lot about babies, yes, of course. I’m what you would call an expert.”

      “Wow. This is my lucky day. If you could watch Grace just for a while, I’d be so grateful. I’ll try to come home early, too, right after my flight, if I can arrange it.”

      “B-but where’s her mother?”