Fool's Gold Collection Part 2. Susan Mallery

      “I wanted to see how things were going,” the dark-haired, forty-something woman said. “We were all worried about your first night. How was it?”

      “Good,” Dakota told her. “Hannah slept relatively well. She’s doing better. I don’t think her ears are bothering her as much.”

      What she didn’t admit was that Finn had spent the night with her. Every time Hannah had whimpered, Dakota had jumped to her feet and raced into the baby’s room. Finn had been right there with her, helping with the formula, getting her settled in the rocking chair. She couldn’t have done it without him.

      “Can I hold her?” Bella asked.

      “Of course,” Dakota said. The doctor had told her to make Hannah’s life as normal as possible. In Fool’s Gold, that meant knowing lots and lots of people.

      She took the baby out of the car seat. Bella held out her arms, and Hannah seemed to lean into her. From what Dakota could tell, the little girl was enjoying the attention. Perhaps there hadn’t been enough at the orphanage.

      “Who’s that beautiful little girl?” Bella asked, cooing softly. “That’s you. Yes, it is. You’re going to be a heartbreaker.”

      Dakota knew this was the first of many visits. Not only would Bella come back again, but there would be others. The women in town would take care of them both.

      While she appreciated the support and knew she could depend on it, she knew that last night it had been Finn who had kept her sane. Having him stay had meant everything to her. It had been better than sex. Not that she would say so if he asked, because the sex was amazing. But last night had been about taking care of her. About being the man she needed.

      She’d never been able to depend on a man before. The experience was new, and she found she liked it. Still, it wasn’t something she should get used to. After all, Finn was leaving. He’d made that very clear.

      Even so, she was determined to enjoy what she had while it lasted.

      AURELIA KNEW there was a problem when three more days passed and she hadn’t heard from her mother. Normally they didn’t go an entire day without speaking at least twice. While she knew she had to learn to stand on her own, there was no reason she also had to lose contact with the only relative she had. After work the following Friday, she went by her mother’s house.

      Her mother answered the door right away.

      “Hi, Mom.”

      “Are you here to see me?” her mother asked, feigning surprise.

      “Yes. We haven’t spoken in a few days. I wanted to check on you.”

      “I can’t imagine why. You’ve made it clear that you care nothing about me. I could drop dead in the street and you would simply step over me.”

      Aurelia told herself to be patient. She had established new boundaries that her mother didn’t like, and they were going to be tested. If she respected herself, her mother would learn to respect her, as well.

      Instead of getting angry or frustrated, she smiled. “You have such a way with words. You always create the most amazing visuals. I wish I’d inherited that ability from you.” With that, she slipped past her mother and entered the house.

      “Have you made tea yet?” she asked as she made her way to the kitchen. Her mother always made tea after work, unless she was going out with friends.

      There was no kettle on the stove, which meant her mother was going out that evening. Good. Conversation couldn’t drag on for hours.

      Her mother followed her, then came to a stop in the middle of the kitchen. Her arms were folded tightly across her chest and her mouth was pinched.

      “Did you come here to mock my poverty?”

      Aurelia raised her eyebrows. “There you go again. Mom, have you ever thought of writing fiction? You’d be so good at it. Maybe short stories, you know, for those women’s magazines?”

      “I don’t appreciate you making fun of me.”

      “I’m not,” Aurelia said gently. “I wanted to check on you and make sure everything was all right. I’m sorry you don’t feel comfortable calling me. I hope that will change.”

      “It will change when you stop acting so selfishly. Until then, I want nothing to do with you.”

      There it was. The gauntlet. In the past, Aurelia had always given in. The thought of being abandoned by her mother had crushed the little spirit she had left. But today was different. Sure, she felt like throwing up, but that would pass. She meant what she’d said before. She was happy to help in an emergency, but she was done being a financial and emotional convenience.

      She’d had plenty of time to think about her actions. Stephen had respected her wishes. She hadn’t heard from him once. Why did her mother find it so easy to ignore her while Stephen found it so easy to do exactly what she asked? A dilemma for another time, she told herself.

      “I hope you have fun tonight with your friends,” she said quietly. “It was nice to see you, Mom.” She turned to leave.

      Her mother caught up with her in the hallway. “You’re leaving? Just like that?”

      “You said you didn’t want to have anything to do with me unless I went back to the way I was. I can’t do that. I’m sorry if you think that makes me selfish. I don’t think it does.”

      “I’m your mother. I should come first in your life.”

      Aurelia shook her head. “No, Mom. I need to come first in my own life. I need to take care of myself.”

      Her mother put her hands on her hips. “I see. Selfish to the end. I know what you’re saying to yourself. When in doubt, blame the mother. I suppose this is all my fault.”

      “I didn’t say that and I’m not thinking that. But if you’re first in your life and you’re first in my life, where does that leave me?”

      She didn’t expect an answer, but she waited for a few seconds anyway. It seemed polite. Her mother opened her mouth and closed it.

      “I’ll talk to you soon,” Aurelia said, then left.

      On the walk home, she replayed the conversation in her head. For once, she was happy with what she’d said. She might not be where she needed to be, but she was making progress.

      She found herself wanting to call Stephen and tell him what had happened. Only she couldn’t. They were seeing each other on the show and nowhere else. She knew she’d made the right decision, but that didn’t make the loneliness any easier to bear.

      DAKOTA WRAPPED the towel around Hannah. Her daughter was warm and rosy after her bath. Denise stood at the end of the changing table and gently tickled her granddaughter’s toes.

      “Who’s a beautiful baby girl?” Denise asked in a singsong voice. “Who’s special?”

      Hannah waved her fingers in the air and laughed.

      “She’s feeling much better,” Dakota said. Knowing her daughter was healing was such a relief. Getting used to dealing with a baby was hard enough, but when that baby was sick, it was a nightmare.

      She and Hannah had been together nearly a week now. They’d established something of a routine. The follow-up visit to the pediatrician had been much better than that first encounter. The doctor had said Hannah was doing well. Her weight was up, and her ears were clear. Hannah had to finish the course of antibiotics and there was still teething to get through, but all that was doable.

      “She’s eating well,” Denise said. “I can tell she’s feeling better. Do you have her on the new formula?”

      “Yes. We were lucky. Her tummy handled the change well. The doctor said to start her on solid food in another week, which is a whole week sooner than we expected. That will help