“How many brothers and sisters do you have?” she asked on impulse.
Sophie seemed surprised, but she answered, “An older sister and a younger brother.”
“Are they back home in South Dakota?”
Again, Sophie seemed surprised that Harper had remembered that. “They are,” she said. “My sister is older than me, but she… needs a lot of help from my parents. She makes a lot of bad choices.” She sighed. “And my brother is still in high school and at home. But he’s a handful. So my mom is pretty busy worrying about them.”
“Meaning she doesn’t worry about you much?” Harper asked.
Sophie pulled herself up straighter. “I don’t give her anything to worry about.”
“You’re far from home, in college, working hard. I’m sure she worries some,” Harper said.
Sophie shook her head. “Really, no. It’s a relief to her that I’m gone, and she has one less kid around.”
Harper frowned slightly. Surely that wasn’t true. But she really had no idea. “Well, I’m sure she’s very proud of you.”
Sophie just shrugged. “I hope so. I’m trying really hard not to be like my sister and just constantly be in trouble and needing help.”
Harper couldn’t imagine the straight-A, always-on-time, hardworking, bright young woman being any trouble, but again, she didn’t know her that well. Younger Harper had a lot in common with what she had observed about Sophie, but there were always layers.
“By the way,” Sophie said, “I love babies, and I’m very responsible. And I could always use a little extra cash.” She smiled. “If you ever need a babysitter, I’d love to do it.”
Harper hadn’t been expecting that, but it immediately sounded great. The girl was the epitome of responsibility, and, of course, as a college student, a little extra money, maybe a home-cooked meal, a big comfy couch with a TV she didn’t have to share with a roommate for a night, probably sounded perfect.
“You know what? I’m going to take you up on that,” Harper said. “We actually need to go out tomorrow night.”
They still needed to hit the jazz club to find some woman James had met through the bartender there. They had planned to ask Lexi and Caleb to do it, but they had their own kids, and Sophie would be able to come over and take care of Isaac in James’s apartment, so they wouldn’t have to transport him back and forth.
“I’m available,” Sophie said. “What time?”
“Why don’t you give me your number, and I’ll let you know for sure?” Harper said. “James works until seven, so it will be after that. Is that too late?”
“Not at all. Is it okay if I bring my laptop and work on a paper after he goes to sleep?”
“Absolutely.”
“Great.”
They exchanged cell numbers, and Harper watched Sophie head off across campus toward her next class.
“Well, that was very maternal,” Celia mused.
“Setting up a sitter so we can go out?”
“Yep.”
Harper grinned. “It was, wasn’t it?”
“I think you’re going to be just fine with this,” Celia said.
Harper’s heart thunked against her rib cage. She hoped so. She really did.
8
“You proposed?”
James laughed at Caleb’s incredulous expression even though he felt just as incredulous really.
“Listen, I don’t need two years with an amazing woman to realize she’s amazing and that I want to keep her around forever,” he said, referencing the fact that it had taken his friend two years to realize that his feelings for his now girlfriend were more than friendship.
Caleb opened his mouth, clearly to protest. But quickly shut it again. Because he had no argument here. He nodded. “Fair enough.”
“So yeah, I proposed. I didn’t really mean to, but it felt right. I mean I wasn’t really ready for the dad thing either, but I’m in the midst of it and I like it. Might as well jump in with both feet, right?”
They were lounging in the living room area of the fire station. James was in an armchair, one foot propped on the coffee table, a bottle of water in hand. Caleb was in a recliner across from him, tipped back, his attention half on the ballgame on TV. It had been a quiet night so far, thankfully. James was operating on less sleep than usual, but even more, his mind was miles away from Engine 29. He’d be ready instantly if a call came in. That stuff was ingrained, and he took his job seriously. But for now, he was grateful to not have more on his mind than the woman and baby who had taken over his heart in just a few days.
Who was he kidding? Harper had already been there, and it had taken Isaac about an hour to get to him.
“Hey, if you can get a woman like the professor to marry you, hell yes, you should go for it,” Caleb said. “She’s way too good for you.”
James grinned. He knew Caleb didn’t actually mean that. Well, he maybe did mean it—and he wasn’t wrong—but he thought James was a good guy, too. He’d been impressed with the way James had stepped up with Isaac. And that meant a lot. James looked up to Caleb. The other man was older and had been a firefighter for years. He was James’s lieutenant, and he ran Engine 29 with a firm command but also a sense of true concern and care for every firefighter. He demanded a lot, but he also gave a lot. He never asked anyone to do something he wouldn’t do himself, and he definitely supported the men all having lives and loves outside of the station as well. Caleb was also raising his niece, Shay. He’d lost his sister and brother-in-law in a car accident and immediately stepped up as Shay’s guardian. He was a great dad, a great boss, and a great friend.
“Yeah, I’m not above using her affection for that baby to make her stick around,” James said lightly. He knew Harper felt more for him and that Isaac wasn’t the whole reason she was around, but he meant it. If the baby allowed him to press forward with her a little quicker than he might under normal circumstances, he was going to take advantage of it.
Caleb nodded. “Well, I can personally attest to the fact that four hands make things easier than just two.” He gave James a sincere look. “It’s great to have a partner. Seriously. Single parents are amazing. I know several. They deserve all the kudos. But if you choose to do it on your own, know that you have a whole bunch of people who will be there for you,” he said. “Of course, if she’ll stick around and make your life easier and happier, then, fuck yeah, go for it.”
“Thanks,” James said. “I appreciate it.”
“So you’re just giving up on finding the mom, then?” Caleb asked.
This was where it got tricky. Because James was actually hoping to ask Caleb for some help here. “No. I think we still need to talk to her.”
“Makes sense. If you can anyway. Get as much info as possible.”
“Right. So…” James trailed off.
Caleb looked away from the TV, eyebrow up. “So, what?”
“I need to tell you something.”
Caleb sighed. “Shit.”
“You don’t even know what it is.”