but she couldnât make herself feel as if sheâd made the wrong choice. Sheâd chosen a challenging path, yes, but not a wrong one. âIâm going to be fine, Melba. Now letâs drop the subject and let me hold that baby.â
Melba stood up and handed Maria to Charlotte. As Maria snuggled in against her shoulder, Charlotte breathed in the darling scent of baby-girl curls. âYouâve got the best of both worlds, Maria. Your mamaâs curls and your daddyâs red hair. You may hate it when youâre five, but guys are gonna follow you like ducklings when youâre seventeen.â
Melba laughed as she warmed Charlotteâs tea and set down a plate of cookies. âClarkâs already informed me Maria will be banned from dating until sheâs thirty. And no firefighters.â
Charlotte applied an expression of false shock. âWell, Iâll back him up on the âno firefightersâ policy, but thatâs kind of a tough sell. Heâs the fire chief, isnât he?â
Sitting back down, Melba laughed again. âI think itâs
because
heâs chief. Heâs seen a little too much of the departmentâs social life or heard a little too much in the locker room.â
âThey donât seem that rough around the edges to me. As a matter of fact, Jesse Sykes seems like a stand-up guy.â Charlotte could feel Maria softening against her shoulder. Melba was rightâthe world was always a better place with a baby drooling on your shoulder.
âHeâs an original, thatâs for sure.â Melba selected a cookie and dunked it in her tea. âI donât know about stand-up, but he sure stands out. You can trust him, though. He did some of the work here on the house. Good work, if you donât mind the singing.â
âThe what?â
âJesse has a habit of breaking out in Motown hits. If you havenât heard him yet, you will. Donât you remember he sang at Alex and JJâs wedding?â
â
That
was Jesse Sykes?â Charlotte recalled a rather impressive version of âMy Girlâ at her cousinâs wedding. She tried to imagine Jesseâs soulful voice echoing in the cottage living room, but she couldnât conjure up the image. âMostly he just made wisecracks when I talked to him this time. Funny guy.â
âOh, heâs a cutup, thatâs for sure. And a good firefighter. Clark wouldnât put up with his antics otherwise.â Melba got a conniving look on her face. âYou should hire him. I think heâd be good for you. An upbeat guy to have around in a tight spot.â
Charlotte narrowed her eyes. âOh, no, you donât.â
âDonât what?â Melbaâs innocent blink hid nothing.
Charlotte whispered into Mariaâs ear, âYour mamaâs getting ideas.â
âI am not.â
âOh, yes, you are. I know you too well. Look, I know we were discussing behavior, not profession, but heâs a fireman, Melba. I wonât get into a relationship with a first responder no matter how well behaved. Weâve been through this how many times? Nothingâs changed. Iâve got way too many memories of sitting up nights with Mom at the kitchen table.â
âYour dad was a policeman, I know, butââ
âBut nothing. Same stress, different uniform. Melba, Iâve got nothing against you and Clark, and goodness knows JJâs done terrific at the firehouse, but I know what I can handle and what I canât. Iâve never dated someone who does that kind of work and I donât plan to start now.â
* * *
A tiny war was going on in Jesseâs chestâand in his prideâas he walked up the overgrown sidewalk to Charlotteâs cottage Sunday morning. This was supposed to be his cottage. The place needed loads of work, and he knew he was the best man to complete it. Heâd planned the rehab of this place