It’d taken until this week to finally feel like they were getting somewhere, and now she would be indefinitely distracted by the situation with her daughter. And rightfully so.
That’s where her attention needed to be.
He felt like a dick for wondering where that left him or how he fit into this new scenario.
At ten, he took a break and went inside to use the phone in the loft where Lucas had lived before he met Dani. Now that they were happily living at Dani’s, Landon doubted that his brother would come back to the loft.
Landon dialed the number to his house and waited while it rang.
Amanda picked up on the third ring.
“Hey,” he said. “Did you talk to the agency?”
“I did. They said they’ll contact Stella’s mother to arrange a time for us to talk on the phone. If that goes well, we can FaceTime.”
“That’s great.”
“The lady I talked to at the agency said she was so relieved to hear from me. I guess they were concerned after Stella and her mom pitched this idea to them. The agency had advised them not to get their hopes up because there was no guarantee I’d be willing or able to get involved.”
“Stella and her mom will be relieved to have something in place for when the time comes.”
“I’m going to have to go to wherever they are, I suppose. I should meet her before she comes to live with me.”
Landon’s heart sank at the thought of her ending up somewhere far away from him. “Probably.”
“Would you go with me?”
And just that quickly, his heart soared again. “Yeah, of course. I’d love to meet her.”
“Really? You would?”
“I would, Amanda. She’s important to you, so she’s important to me. I told you I want to be there for you through all this, and besides, I’m your partner in crime, right?”
“Right.” He heard a sniffling sound. “I appreciate that so much.”
“Are you crying?”
“Maybe a little.”
“How come?”
“Because you’re so amazing. A lot of guys would be running for their lives from this situation.”
“I’m not going anywhere, except with you to meet your daughter.”
“I should have more info by the time I see you.”
“Sounds good. I’ll be home by two to go to Montpelier, and we’re due at Hunter and Megan’s at six thirty.”
“I’ll see you when you get here.”
Landon put the phone back on the charger and returned to work, feeling encouraged by the conversation. She wanted him to go with her when she met her daughter. That was a good sign. In this confusing and unpredictable situation, he took the good news where he could find it.
Chapter Sixteen
“Great works are performed not by strength
but by perseverance.”
—Samuel Johnson
After the call from Landon, Amanda’s next order of business was updating her mother on what was going on. Her nerves were all over the place as she made that call. She and her mother never discussed Stella. Her mother never asked about her or wanted to see pictures. It was like she’d wanted to pretend the baby had never happened, probably because the loss had been so painful for them both.
“Hi,” Joyce said when she picked up. “I was just going to call you. How’re you feeling?”
“Much better.”
“That’s good news. Did you get the email about the trade show schedule? As our senior sales associate, you get first dibs on what you want to do.”
“Yes, I know.”
“Is there a problem?”
“Not a problem so much as a challenge.”
Joyce sighed. “What kind of challenge?”
Amanda closed her eyes and forced herself to say the words. “The kind where my daughter gets in touch to tell me she’ll soon be orphaned and in need of a home.”
For the longest time, Joyce said nothing.
“Mom? Did you hear me?”
“I heard you.”
“And?”
“I’m not sure what I’m supposed to say to that.”
“You could say, ‘It’s amazing that she reached out to you and that you’re going to have your daughter in your life.’”
“So you’re going to do it, then?”
“Of course I am.”
“You know you don’t have to, right?”
“I do know that, but it never occurred to me not to step up for her. Why wouldn’t I when I can certainly provide a loving home for her now?”
“Where’re you going to do that? You live out of suitcases on the road two hundred days a year.”
“I’m well aware of how my life was.”
“Was? Past tense?”
“I think so, Mom.”
“Are you giving me notice?”
Amanda hadn’t intended to do that today, but what was she waiting for? She already knew she wanted to change her life, and in order to have any kind of meaningful existence for herself, her daughter and Landon, she needed to change jobs. “Yes, I guess I am. I want you to know how much I appreciate the opportunities you gave me with the company. I’ve appreciated it so much, but I want something different now.”
“Because of Stella?”
“Partially, but also because of me. I’m tired of living out of suitcases and not having a real home or a life outside of work. The fire was a huge wake-up call that I need to make some changes. I’d had that epiphany before I heard from Stella. And now that she’s in the mix, I have even more incentive to figure out my shit and decide where I’m going to live.”
“You’ll be coming home, then?”
Amanda took a deep breath and held it for a second. “I don’t think so.”
“Where will you go?”
“I think I might stay right here in Butler, if Stella doesn’t mind moving to Vermont. They live in upstate New York, so I could take her there a few times a year to see her friends.”
“What’s so exciting about that small town in Vermont that you want to stay there permanently?”
“So many things. It’d be hard to sum it up until you see it.” She didn’t want to tell her mother about Landon. Not yet. She didn’t want her mother to think she was making life decisions based on a man. He was definitely part of the equation, but she was the bigger part of it. This was about her, first and foremost. She wanted to be someone her daughter could be proud of and set the right kind of example. To do that, she needed a job that didn’t require her to travel constantly and a home in a place where a child could grow and thrive.
Butler felt like that kind of place.
“What will you do for work?”
“I’ve inquired about a job with the Abbott family’s business. They’re launching the catalog and warehouse this fall.”
“Won’t you find that boring after what you do now?”
“Not at all. They’re building the catalog and warehouse from the ground up, so it’s an exciting time for their company. This week, they’re launching our product line and doing a family photo shoot for the catalog. I haven’t been bored one minute since I’ve been here.”