Trucker Daddy (Working Man Series Book 3) Page 3

  Tuesday wondered what it felt like to be a wife of a Taylor man. Actually, right now, she’d settle for just dating a bad boy. Or a good boy. Or any guy in general. Her luck with men wasn’t the best and usually ended up in disaster.

  Deep in thought, Tuesday proceeded to clean up the crayons and coloring books left there by the three year olds.

  “Tuesday, you really need to come out of this depression you’re in,” said Charlotte, walking up next to her. “Ever since little Magnolia left here, you haven’t smiled once, I swear.” Charlotte and Tuesday were both twenty-three years old. In high school, Charlotte usually hung around with a rougher crowd, but had taken Tuesday under her wing. Tuesday figured it was probably just because Charlotte felt sorry for her.

  The two of them were also friends with J.D., the sheriff’s daughter. J.D. and Charlotte both had crazy hair colors, body piercings, and even tattoos. Tuesday’s ears were double pierced, but that was the extent of her wild ways. Charlotte and J.D. had often told her that she was way too reserved and needed to be more carefree. Tuesday tried to be more like them, but she was the cautious one of the bunch. Having several body piercings was wild enough in her opinion.

  “I can’t help being depressed,” she told her friend. “I’m still pretty shaken up by what happened to Jenna.” She closed up the plastic box that held the crayons. Jenna was their friend from high school as well. “She was too young to die, Charlotte. I really miss her.” A twang of sorrow stabbed at Tuesday’s heart.

  “I miss her, too,” said Charlotte. “It’s sad that no one even had a wake or a memorial service for her. I think we should have done something. I blame myself for not stepping up.”

  “Don’t. It’s not your fault,” Tuesday assured her. “We all thought her brother would have taken care of that.”

  “I really took a liking to Jenna’s baby, Magnolia. I just can’t help wonder what happened to the little girl after Child Services took her away.” Charlotte looked up and called out, “Tommy, no running. And give Susie her doll back. You’re making her cry.”

  “I don’t know.” It bothered Tuesday immensely, not knowing what happened to Magnolia. “But at least the baby didn’t die, too.” If Tuesday hadn’t been watching the child at the time of the fire, little Magnolia would be gone right now, just like her mother.

  Jenna Reeves had been a single working mother, and hadn’t had much time to spend with her baby. She’d recently taken a night job and had hired Tuesday to keep Magnolia overnight five days a week and bring her to the daycare each morning. Jenna usually picked up the baby after she’d had some sleep so she could spend time with the child before heading to work again. Weekends were her only free time. Jenna didn’t live in Sweetwater, but brought her baby the distance because she said she didn’t trust anyone else with Magnolia except her friends. Kalamazoo was a half-hour away, so it wasn’t that much of an inconvenience.

  Tuesday lived alone, and enjoyed having the baby around. Since she wanted to help her friend, she refused to take money from Jenna who always seemed to be broke. Still, Jenna insisted on paying her something, saying she didn’t want charity.

  Tuesday basically raised that child from the moment it was born. After six months of caring for the little girl, she ended up loving that baby as if it were her own. It was sad because Tuesday had held and spent more time with little Magnolia than Jenna ever did. Tuesday formed a bond with the baby that was almost magical. She was also the only one at the daycare center who could ever stop Magnolia’s persistent crying.

  “Are you sure you don’t just miss the baby because Magnolia is Cal Reeves’ niece?” asked Charlotte with a smile. “You still have a thing for him even after all these years, don’t you?” Cal was a few years older than them. Even though he was a senior in high school when they were freshmen, she’d always been attracted to him.

  A toddler ran past and Tuesday stopped him. “Billy, it’s almost nap time, so go clean up the cars,” she told him before sending him on his way. “Oh, Charlotte, I do not still have a thing for Cal Reeves. Besides, I haven’t even seen him in years. I’m sure I wouldn’t even like him anymore because he’s a jerk now. Jenna told me he deserted her when she needed him the most after the death of their parents and when she unexpectedly got pregnant.”

  “That’s true, I guess he did end up being a jerk,” agreed Charlotte.

  “Jenna was my friend and I fell in love with her little baby, and that’s all there is to it. I hope someday I’ll have a child just like Magnolia.” Tuesday had a crush on Cal Reeves in high school, and the truth was, she never got over him. Still, she didn’t want Charlotte to know. She often wondered what became of him. Jenna said he left Sweetwater to join the army right after he graduated. Then he took a trucking job that kept him on the road all the time. It didn’t look like he was ever moving back to Sweetwater. “Do you think Cal is married with kids by now?”

  “Cal Reeves? Married? Hah!” Charlotte turned and stacked the puzzles on the shelves. “You know as well as I that he was always afraid of commitment. If not, he wouldn’t have ignored you after the prom and run off to join the army.”

  “Now, that’s not fair, Charlotte. After all, Cal had graduated and I was only a freshman. He had his life to live. Besides, we never dated. It was just that one . . . horrible prom together.”

  “Maybe so, but he’s the love-them-and-leave-them kind of guy. Get over him already and get on with your life. I swear, you haven’t dated anyone since you went to that dance with Cal.”

  “I told you I am over him,” Tuesday protested.

  Charlotte rolled her eyes and started rearranging the toys on the shelf. “It’s nap time,” she called out to the kids. “Everyone bring me your toys and go find your blankets, and get on your cots. Hurry.”

  “I know you don’t believe me, but it’s true,” Tuesday tried to convince her friend, reaching out and taking a toy drum from a little boy. “Thank you, Benny. Now, go lay down with your blanket.” She turned and handed the drum to Charlotte. “And I did date after Cal. More than a few times, too.”

  “If so, how come you have never had a steady boyfriend?” asked her friend.

  “Well, I suppose it’s just because none of the men were right for me. And for the record, Cal and I didn’t actually date,” she reminded her friend. “We only went to one prom together because his mother wouldn’t let Jenna go unless her big brother was along as a chaperone.”

  “So nothing ever . . . happened between you two?” asked Charlotte as if she didn’t believe her.

  “No! Not at all,” she squeaked in embarrassment, feeling shocked that Charlotte would even think so. “We only kissed. Once. That’s all, I swear!”

  Charlotte made a face and shook her head, making Tuesday feel pathetic. Her group of friends had been much more experienced with boys. J.D., Judas Taylor’s daughter, had a child out of wedlock when she was still in high school. She even ended up bringing the baby to school with her for a short while.

  “That’s it? One kiss?” whispered Charlotte so the children wouldn’t hear her. “Tuesday Twaggard, I thought that when I took you under my wing, I’d taught you better than that.”

  Charlotte and J.D. were Tuesday’s friends, but she was nothing like them. She never would have attempted half the things they did that usually got them into trouble. J.D.’s own father even arrested her at one time for stealing his squad car.

  “I wouldn’t have minded having another kiss from him,” Tuesday explained. “Actually, Cal was a really good kisser. However, one kiss was as far as it got and then it was over as fast as it had begun.”

  “Oh, Tuesday, you poor thing,” said Charlotte in that tone that made her feel even worse. “I assure you, Cal isn’t the man for you and I’m sure you know it. So just admit it and get on with your life. Most of your friends are already married, but you’ve been saving yourself for a man you haven’t even seen in years, hoping someday he’ll come back and ask you to marry him.”

  �
��No, I’m not,” she blurted out, then lowered her voice and glanced back at the children. “That’s not true at all.” Tuesday denied it, but the realization of the truth hurt. Ever since Cal had taken her to the senior prom, she’d thought she’d had a chance with someone as handsome and as popular as him. She’d admired him from afar her freshman year while he was in his last year of high school. They were too far apart in age for any kind of real relationship. The only reason she even had a date with him at all was because of her good friend, Jenna.

  “Stop denying the fact,” said Charlotte, picking up a crying one year old and comforting her. “One kiss from the guy and you’ve had stars in your eyes ever since.” Charlotte swayed back and forth trying to calm the child.

  “Well, why shouldn’t I? Cal was the first boy I’d ever kissed. And like I said, he was a good kisser,” Tuesday reminded her again, feeling a blush rise to her cheeks just from the thought. “He was also on the football team and the best looking guy in the school. Any girl would have felt lucky to be in my position.”

  “Lucky? Tuesday, wake up!” Charlotte dislodged the baby’s fingers from her hair and continued. “I never wanted to have to tell you this, but Cal only went to the prom with you on a dare.”

  “What?” Tuesday’s heart fell. “No, you’re wrong, I’m sure of it,” she said, suddenly feeling self-conscious . . . and pathetic. “It was because of Jenna’s mother. She wanted him there as a chaperone, and he needed a date.”

  “Cal with no date?” Charlotte raised a brow. “That’s what Jenna told you, but it was only to save you from being hurt.”

  “Charlotte, what are you saying?” Tuesday felt an emptiness gnawing away in her chest.

  “I’m trying to tell you that the word buzzed around the school halls for weeks afterwards about the dare. Everyone knew about it but you. You are so gullible at times!” Charlotte balanced the baby on one hip and reached down with her free hand to pull two boys apart who were fighting. Then she turned back to Tuesday. “Don’t you remember he spent the night of the prom dancing with the Homecoming Queen while you sat there like a wallflower on the sidelines? Honey, those stars in your eyes blinded you from the fact that you never meant a thing to him at all.”

  “You knew this and you never told me?” gasped Tuesday. “Charlotte, that’s not what friends do.”

  “No, don’t say that. Friends protect each other from being hurt. That’s all that Jenna and J.D. and I were trying to do. We didn’t want to see you hurt.”

  “You all knew,” she said, staring off into space and sinking atop a chair made for a child. She leaned her elbows on the short table, feeling horrified to hear this. Now she was glad that she’d never seen Cal again, because after knowing this, she could never face him again in her life.

  Tuesday felt so gullible and that she’d been played as the fool by everyone, even by those she trusted. It hurt badly, but Charlotte was right in keeping it a secret she decided. If she had known, she would never have been able to face anyone in school again after that!

  What was the matter with her, thinking she really had a chance with a man like Cal? He had been so far out of her league that it wasn’t even a laughing matter. Thinking of it now only made it hurt more. If the situation were different, things might have worked out between them. If she hadn’t been the skinny girl with braces and thick bottle-lens glasses, then maybe she could have believed he’d really meant the quick kiss on the lips he gave her as he dumped her off at the door and more or less ran.

  If she could go back in time and do it all over, she would have rejected his offer to take her to the prom. But it was too late now. She’d lost her heart to Cal Reeves that night and, because of it, had wasted the best years of her life not accepting another man for a boyfriend. In the back of her mind, she always hoped he’d come back for her.

  “I’m sorry.” Charlotte’s words were sincere as she reached out and laid a hand on Tuesday’s shoulder. “I guess we should have told you.” The baby in her arms started to scream.

  “It’s all right, Charlotte. You were right. I never had a chance with a guy like Cal, and I know it now. I’m not sure why I’ve been kidding myself for so long, thinking I did. As you said, I need to get on with my life. I’ve wasted years in mourning for losing someone I never had in the first place. Well, I’ll mourn no more, because now that I know the truth, I hate Cal Reeves and never want to see him again. If I do, I swear I’ll spit right in his eye for what he did to me. Charlotte, I promise you that starting today I am forgetting all about Cal Reeves and my eyes will be open to other men.”

  “That’s the spirit,” said Charlotte with a smile, handing her the crying baby.

  “Charlotte, if you hadn’t taken me in as your friend in high school, I don’t know what I would have done. I was so shy and had no friends at all.”

  “Don’t say that. You had lots of friends.”

  “Someone like me only had friends because of you. I don’t know why you wanted me hanging around you. People like you and Jenna and J.D. and even Cal, were popular. I was nothing but an outcast. Why did you even decide to be friends with me? Tell me the truth.”

  “I guess I saw something in you that reminded me of the times in grade school when no one wanted to be friends with me either. I didn’t like the feeling and I couldn’t stand to see something like that happen to someone as nice as you.”

  “Why did you think I was nice when you didn’t even know me? I was new in town.”

  “True, but don’t you remember? That first day in the cafeteria when I dropped my tray of food, you gave me yours. And I didn’t even have to threaten you to do it!” Charlotte laughed. “Why did you give it to me? I’ve always meant to ask you about it.”

  “I don’t know,” said Tuesday in thought. “I guess I just felt sorry for you.”

  “Well, no one has ever felt sorry for me and that means a lot to me. I knew from that moment on that you were someone I wanted to be friends with. Excuse me,” she said, taking the baby and heading to a quiet corner. “You just concentrate on your career, and the right man will come along. You’ll see.”

  Tuesday followed Charlotte across the room and let out a deep sigh. “Charlotte, you know as well as I that I’m not going to be working here forever. I hope to someday have my own business, just like you. I love children and wouldn’t mind owning a daycare.”

  “Then maybe you can be owners with me, right here at Boots and Toots,” suggested Charlotte.

  “What? Really? But J.D. is the other half-owner.”

  “She’s so busy working at the police station and tending bar at night that she doesn’t have time for this place anymore. Think about buying her out.”

  “I – I’m honored that you would even ask, and yes, I am interested. How much would it take to buy her out?”

  Charlotte told her and, suddenly, Tuesday’s hopes diminished. “Of course, you can just do a portion of it at first. Kind of like a down payment. Maybe fifty percent?”

  “I don’t even have enough money for that,” she told her. “And unless by some miracle I come into a lot of money quickly, I’m probably going to have to decline, as much as I hate to do it.”

  “Have faith,” Charlotte told her. “It might work out after all. My marriage to Dan was something I never thought would happen, but it did. Then my dream of opening a daycare came true as well. It’ll happen for you in time. Something is bound to change for you for the better. Just you wait and see.”

  Cal Reeves stepped inside the Boots and Toots Daycare in the basement of the church with little Magnolia squirming and crying in his arms. He knew he looked like hell, and felt like it, too. He hadn’t slept much last night because of all the infernal crying. He needed a shower and a shave and couldn’t even seem to do that anymore since Magnolia came into his life.

  The baby had done nothing but wail, with the dog howling along with her until nearly daybreak. The walls of his truck seemed to close in on him as he’d tried to rock Magnolia with nowh
ere to go. He’d even laid down with her in the small back bunk, singing to her, but that only seemed to upset her more. If only he knew what was wrong, maybe they could both get some rest.

  Cal finally come to the conclusion Margery and Aunt Cappy were right after all. He needed assistance with this baby or he was going to lose his mind. He had a shipment to pick up and deliver first thing tomorrow morning, plus had a back to back job and needed to get to Texas quickly. He had no idea how that was ever going to happen with Magnolia along for the trip.

  “Hello? Can I help you?” asked the young woman at the daycare as he walked into the room. If his senses weren’t assaulted enough already with a crying baby in his arms, they most certainly were now. About two dozen little kids swarmed around him, screaming, jabbering, crying, and making his head split in two.

  “Pick up your blankets from nap time before you play,” called out another girl from across the room.

  “I’m looking to hire someone to help me with the baby,” he said loudly, trying to be heard above the noise. One small boy ran between his legs with a girl chasing him, holding what looked like a pink feathered boa.

  “Put it on!” shouted the little girl.

  “No!” the boy screamed. He held on to Cal’s legs, dodging the little girl who was insistent that he wear the stupid thing. Already, at this young age, he could see the girl trying to sway the boy into doing what she wanted. It didn’t surprise him in the least. Weren’t all women this way?

  “What is your name, sir?” asked the young woman. “And why does that baby look so familiar?”

  “My name’s Cal Reeves, and this here is my niece, Magnolia. My late sister used to bring her here, so I’m told.”

  “Oh! I’m sorry about the death of your sister.” The girl held a hand to her mouth. “I’m new here and didn’t recognize the baby at first, but heard all about it. Let me get the owner or Tuesday. I’m sure they can help you.”