Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 84071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
“Why are you at work at seven?” Caine barks, and his voice doesn’t even sound like he’s just woken up.
“I got here an hour late yesterday,” I fill him in, “so I came an hour early to make up for it.” I take a sip of the coffee. “Good morning to you too, by the way.”
“I’m not coming in this morning. I’m going straight to the meeting,” he huffs.
“Let me know if you need anything,” I offer, and he hangs up. I shake my head. “And he’s still a dick,” I say to the phone, hanging it up. Slowly people start to trickle in, and everyone says good morning like normal people do.
The morning flies by with Sofia and I planning the gala. I pick up the phone just after noon. “Hello, is Mr. Griffin in?” the lady on the other end inquires.
“He isn’t. Can I take a message?”
“This is Matilda from the daycare center. I’m calling about Meadow.” I sit up straight now. “I’ve tried to call him for the past thirty minutes, and there hasn’t been any answer.”
“He’s in a huge meeting,” I inform her. “Is she okay?” I ask, worry now filling my body. “I know she wasn’t feeling well two days ago.”
“She’s complaining of a tummy ache, and she has a low-grade fever,” Matilda answers.
“Can you hold on a second?” I ask, putting the phone on hold and rushing to Loren’s office.
I knock on the open door, and she looks up at me. “Hi,” I say, and she must see the panic on my face. “I need the number to Caine’s wife.”
“Um,” she says.
“The daycare is calling because Meadow isn’t feeling well. She was sick a couple of days ago, and now apparently she isn’t feeling well again.” I put my hand to my head. “They called Caine, but he’s in that huge meeting.”
Loren gets up. “See if you can go get her.”
I rush back over to my desk. “Hi, Matilda, I can’t get ahold of him. Can I come and get her?”
“I’m afraid not,” she says. “I would need his permission, or is Nash there?”
“He’s not,” I groan, “but hold on. If I get him on the phone, would he be able to give me permission?”
“Well, I suppose so,” she says. “He’s the only other contact for her.”
“Can you hold?” I ask her and put her on hold before calling Nash. “Pick up, pick up, pick up,” I chant.
“Yo,” he greets, and I have to smile at the difference from his brother.
“Nash, it’s Grace,” I ramble in a frenzy. “Meadow is sick, the daycare just called for Caine, but he’s in the big meeting. She’s not feeling well, and they won’t let me get her because I’m like no one, but you are on the list, and I was wondering if you could maybe call them, and I’ll go get her and bring her here until we get ahold of Caine.” I don’t even breathe between words.
“Whoa,” Nash says, “calm down there. You’re going to give yourself a heart attack. I’ll call her now so you can go get her.”
I hang up with him, going back to Matilda, who puts me on hold when Nash calls her. In five minutes, I’ve got the address in my hand, and I’m rushing out. Only when I get there do I laugh.
“Hi,” I greet, walking in and seeing Maddy, or as she called herself, Matilda. “I didn’t even put two and two together. I mean, I do call you Maddy, so that could be why I didn’t, you know, connect the dots.” She also laughs at me.
“I didn’t even think,” she says. I’ve been here once before when I had to pick up Levi and Eva’s little girl a couple of weeks ago when they were both running late getting back into town.
“You work for Caine?” she asks, and I nod. “Well, I feel better now that I know you,” she shares as we walk down the hallway toward the door.
The lights in all the classrooms are off since it’s naptime. “Meadow,” she calls her from the doorway, and she comes out, holding her bunny in her hand. She’s wearing a skirt and a white T-shirt with the word Princess in the middle, with a crown on top of the I. Her pigtails are lopsided, and one is almost out.
“Hi,” I say, squatting down in front of her, “do you remember me?” I smile at her as she nods her head.
“You’re Daddy’s fairy,” she states, and I just laugh quietly.
“Yeah,” I confirm. “He’s in a meeting, so he couldn’t come and get you,” I tell her softly in a whisper. “So, we will go to the office and wait for him there.”
“Okay,” she agrees, rubbing her eyes, “my tummy hurts.”
“I’m sorry.” I get up and hold out my hand for her. I thank Matilda before walking out of the daycare. “Maybe we can get you something to eat,” I suggest to her as I open the back door of the SUV and get her in the back. I put her in the car seat that my family had installed in my SUV to always have just in case I need it. It’s a weird thing to have, but with all the kids in the family, it’s easier to just have one instead of getting it from someone.