The Presence of Grace (Love and Loss #2)(12)

"Maybe it has something to do with the entire universe understanding that teachers get royally screwed when it comes to pay and appreciation. I think people are interested in why someone would willingly sign up for a job that doesn't get the thanks it deserves."

"Perhaps," she said in a way that made me think she didn't agree. "Or maybe it's that everyone thinks I'd have to be crazy to willingly become a second-grade teacher," she said with a laugh.

"Is that it? Are you crazy?"

"No," she said on a sigh, her gaze slowly falling to her hands, clasped together and resting on the table. "I just really love children." Her words were somber and sad; a blaring contradiction to the laughter just seconds before, and even the words themselves.

"Well, I'd say you picked a great job, then."

"Yeah." A hint of a smile returned.

I thought about my career choices and how none of them were born out of love-well, not really. I went into business consultation for the money. I had a kid on the way and I had a mind for it, so consulting seemed like a good place to start. And it was. That job allowed our family to have a good start-a nice home, a stay-at-home mom for my kids, vacations, and nice cars. But a few months after Olivia died I realized I couldn't be that same guy anymore. I wasn't the go-to-work dad, who could come home to a meal on the table and freshly bathed children I could tickle and play with for an hour before bedtime. I was now mother and father. And even though I came into my new role in the worst way possible, I wouldn't give it up. I would gladly take a job I didn't even need a degree for if it meant I could watch my kids grow up, be there every step of the way, and see every gruesome and wonderful moment.

So even though I didn't necessarily take the job at my dad's store out of love for the career, I took it out of love for my kids and needing to make that change for all of us.

We ordered our meals and I tried to steer clear of topics that would take the smile off her face again.



Grace was on her second glass of wine and the new rosy color of her cheeks only made her more attractive. The food had come and gone, dessert had been shared, and even though we could have made it to the movie, neither one of us moved to leave. I was enjoying her too much to risk ruining it by sitting in a dark room where I couldn't even look at her. From my seat across a small table, I could watch her smile, listen to her laugh, and study the way her expressive eyebrows gave more away about her than her words did sometimes. I could watch the way she absentmindedly moved her hand through hair that looked incredibly soft, only to watch it fall right back into place, framing her face.

My phone buzzed in my pocket and when I pulled it out I noticed the time and my mother's number. I figured the kids wanted to say good night before my mom put them to bed.

"I should take this," I said with apology in my voice. She just smiled in reply and took another sip of her wine. "Hey, Mom," I said, speaking through my own smile.

"Devon, I'm really sorry to call and interrupt, but Ruby's pretty sick and I need to know what you want me to do about it."

"What do you mean she's sick?" The smile disappeared from my face, quickly replaced with a furrowed brow and concern burning in my chest.   





 

"She's been sick since about twenty minutes after you dropped them off. She said her stomach ached, then she just started throwing up. She's vomiting every ten to fifteen minutes. Her body is trying to work something out of her system, but vomiting at this rate for three hours? She'll be severely dehydrated if we can't get some fluids in her, and every time I make her take a sip of water, she just gets sick again. I think she needs to go to the ER to get an IV."

"Shit," I whispered, partly upset my mom had to deal with my sick child, but mostly upset I wasn't there with Ruby when she was so sick. I'd come to learn that 90 percent of parenting was dealing with guilt.

"Can we get a check?" I heard Grace ask our waiter, and I was grateful she understood our date was effectively over.

I used one hand to throw some bills on the table, then shove my wallet back in my pocket and stand up.

"I'll be there soon. Just hang tight and I'll come get her."

"Devon, I can handle a sick child. You don't have to cut your date short."

I appreciated what my mom was doing, but I couldn't stay out with Grace knowing Ruby was so sick.

"I know you can, Mom, but I'm her dad. This is my job. Your job is to feed them sugar and send them home crazy. Don't worry about my date. There will be more. I'll be there soon. Tell Ruby to hang in there." We said our good-byes and then I hung up, shoving my phone in my pocket as well.

"Ruby's sick?" Grace's voice was soft and full of worry.

"Yeah," I said with a sigh, watching as she stood and draped the strap of her purse over one bare shoulder. Was it a bad time to notice the sexy dusting of freckles there? Like she'd spent a lot of summers in the sun as she grew up. "This is how Ruby's body operates. She hardly ever gets sick, but when she does, her whole body shuts down and she goes from fine to really sick in just a few hours."

"Oh no," she whispered as we walked out of the restaurant and toward my car.

"I'm really sorry," I said as I backed out of my spot. "I was having a really great time. I'll drop you off really quick."

"You don't have to drop me off," she responded with quick words. "If Ruby is as sick as you say, you need to go get her."

"I'll probably just be going straight to the ER. Trust me, with a vomiting child-the fewer stops the better."

"Devon, go get her. Getting her to the doctor is most important. We'll figure everything else out later."

I stared at her. The rosiness was gone from her cheeks, worry now present in her eyes, and I couldn't believe she was begging to help take my child to the emergency room.

"Okay," I said on a breath, then turned the car toward my parents' house.



I opened the door to my parents' house and was greeted by the familiar sound of Ruby groaning in agony. Then came unmistakable sound of retching. I raced into the living room, trying to prepare myself for what was coming. Sick kids were the worst. Not only were they helpless, but they made you feel helpless too. As a rational adult, I knew sickness passed and eventually I'd start to feel better. Kids lacked that little nugget of common sense and all sicknesses were akin to dying slowly.

"Daddy," Ruby moaned as my mom wiped her mouth with a washcloth. "I don't feel well."

"I see that, baby." I knelt in front of her and put my hand to her forehead.

"She doesn't have a fever," my mom supplied kindly, her voice full of worry and concern. "She just said her stomach hurt, wouldn't eat dinner, and then … ."

"Okay," I said, offering my mother a poor excuse for a smile.

"Miss Richards," Jax yelled, shooting off my father's recliner and wrapping his arms around Grace's thighs in an enthusiastic hug.

"Hey, Jax. It's good to see you."

"Are you coming to the hospital with us?"

"That's the plan," Grace said with an exhale.

"Hello, there," my mom said, in a tone that let me know immediately that she knew Grace was my date and I was interested in her.

"Mom," I said coolly, "this is Grace. Grace, my mother, Carolyn."

"It's nice to see you again," Grace said, reaching her hand out to my mom, leaving her other hand on Jaxy's back since he was still hugging her. I gave her a puzzled look and she explained. "We met at parent-teacher conferences a while ago."

"Oh, right," I said, my brain to occupied by Ruby to put all the pieces together."   





 

"You can leave Jaxy here, Devon. There's no reason to take him to the emergency room." My mother's words broke through my mental fog.

"I want to go with Miss Richards," Jaxy whined.

"Why is Jaxy's teacher here?" Ruby asked, sounding absolutely miserable.

"She just came to help. She's going to sit with Jaxy while we take you to see the doctor." I could tell Ruby didn't buy my story. She was eleven, not five. But before she could ask me anything else, another round of sickness overcame her.





Chapter Nine

Grace

Jax and I had managed to play at least thirty games of tic-tac-toe, made countless paper airplanes, and eventually I convinced him to stretch out on the little couch with a blanket I had asked a nurse to get for him. He begged me to sit with him, and as I'd learned being his teacher, when Jaxy was sweet and wanted something, it was hard to deny him.

His head was on my lap, his blond hair starkly contrasting against the blue of my dress, and his little body was cocooned by the itchy cotton blanket anyone could identify as belonging in a hospital. I'd managed to keep him away from all the other patients, sequestering us at the far end of the waiting room, trying to keep him as germ free as one could be in the emergency room.

Devon had been back in a room with Ruby for hours and I'd heard not one peep. I hadn't expected any updates, really, but I was left wondering if everything was going all right and if Ruby was sicker than perhaps Devon had originally thought. As the minutes ticked by I became more and more concerned.

I busied myself by threading my fingers through Jax's hair. Hair that was impossibly soft. His mouth was open just slightly and tiny snores were coming from him. It was the sweetest thing I'd ever witnessed.