Thwarting Cupid (11 page)

She pressed the bottle of water to her overheated cheeks. What was it with these dreams? They felt so real. Almost like memories. Or at the very least what she could have if she wanted it bad enough to fight for it. Fight? There was always something about a fight. She just couldn’t remember…

The more Carissa tried to grasp it, the more it faded. Oh well. She needed to decide what to do about the dreams. And about Hutch. She needed a plan of action.

She spotted the remains of their breakfast where she’d wrapped it and left it on the stove. Huh. She was impressed with her efficiency when she daydreamed. The sight of the food reminded her that Hutch had been called away before he’d managed to eat anything that morning. He had to be running low on fuel by now.

What was that saying? The way to a man’s heart was through his stomach. Carissa smiled. One plan of action, ready to initiate.

Chapter 11

Hutch wasn’t one to ever do much window shopping. That explained his shock at finding himself with his nose pressed to a display window at a local jeweler. Still, the diamond necklace that had caught his eye on the way to the post office grabbed the rest of him on the way back. A huge load had been lifted off his shoulders once he and the postmaster figured out the problem with the mailing was due to one of their machines. Since it appeared to be a total fluke he’d never encountered before, the postmaster agreed to reroute everything for them so the mailing wasn’t a total loss.

After resolving the business with the post office, Hutch walked back to his car. The necklace caught his eye once again and drew him to the window. It wasn’t large or flashy. It was just a simple little diamond pendant on a platinum chain. It was nothing special. And yet it was.

There was a class about it. An understated elegance. Although he was no diamond expert, he could tell it was quite valuable. Perhaps that was why his mind had linked it to Carissa. He could use those exact same descriptions in reference to her. He raised a hand to block out the glare of the sun.

Instead of the gorgeous necklace he expected to see, Hutch found himself staring at a large display of diapers. Disoriented, he frowned at them until a baby smacked him in the face. Hutch looked down and was startled to see the child strapped to his chest. Okay. So the diapers made more sense now. Where the kids had come from, not so much. He reached for a small box of the store brand.

“No, Da! No!” The voice startled Hutch. He looked at the little girl strapped into the seat of his shopping cart. The fog in his brain began to clear. Christina. He stroked the bald head of the baby attached to him. Josh. His children.

The warmth of love spread through his chest for a split second before blinding panic set in. His…children? Holy crap! He was responsible for two tiny little people. Two little kids were dependent all on him. He looked around the store. He needed Carissa. Hutch had the kids so she couldn’t be far. Except, she was nowhere in sight. He took a deep breath.

“Tho, tho, tho.” Christina bounced in the seat and pointed at a different brand of diapers. Hmmmm. Maybe help was closer than he expected.

Hutch replaced the small box on the shelf and picked up the one Christina indicated. He showed it to her. “These the right ones?”

She smiled and nodded. Hutch perked up. He could do this. It wasn’t that hard. He tossed the diapers in the almost full cart. Looks like he’d been doing pretty good so far. Now all he had to do was find Carissa and get the heck out of there.

Hutch rolled the cart to the end of the aisle and looked both ways. She had to be around here somewhere. He couldn’t imagine her letting him out of the house with both kids by himself. Sure, he could manage, but why take the chance?

Not seeing her, he picked a direction and wheeled the cart in it. He scrutinized every shopper in every aisle along the way. When he reached the far wall, he frowned and turned around. He still hadn’t seen her. Now he was starting to get a little worried. He should’ve found her by now.

Christina was bouncing around in her seat and saying “Moomm, moomm, moomm, moomm,” over and over again. He had no idea what she could want. He settled for reassuring her that they’d soon get what they wanted. Carissa.

“Mommy’s around here someplace. Daddy’ll find her.” He patted her hand and hoped his smile radiated confidence despite the abject fear deep in his gut.

Josh pounded tiny hands on Hutch’s chest in time to Christina’s chant. He gurgled and blew bubbles, all with a smile. Well, the kids didn’t seem to notice anything wrong. It was a small favor, but Hutch was thankful for it.

He headed back the way they’d come. It made sense. They’d started off in the middle of the giant supercenter. If Carissa had been on the other side, it was no wonder they’d missed her. Happy to have some kind of plan in place, Hutch wheeled the kids to the other end of the store. His hope died an abrupt, painful death when they reached that wall and still no Carissa.

His heart sped up again. Where could she be? Josh went quiet all of a sudden. Hutch assumed it was because the boy was picking up on his anxiety. Kids did that, right? He stroked the boy’s head with one hand and pushed the cart along with the other.

“Don’t worry, little man. Everything’s under control.”

The stench hit him square in the face a split second before Josh launched into a battle cry at the top of his strong little lungs. Other shoppers turned to look at Hutch. Some had accusing glares like he’d done something to the child. He had to take care of this. Now.

Instinct took over. Hutch raced toward the front of the store.

“Excuse me! Diaper emergency! Excuse me!” He wove the cart in and out of other customers and their carts, and through the few who obstinately stood in the way.

He shoved the door to the men’s room open. Hutch shielded Christina’s eyes while he looked inside. She giggled at the sudden game Daddy played with her. There was no one inside. There was no changing station either. He rolled his eyes. “That’s so sexist.”

He looked around then pointed at the first woman he spotted. “Excuse me!”

She started at his urgent tone. She darted her eyes around like she was going to bolt at any moment.

“Would you mind checking the ladies’ room for me? I have a diaper emergency and there’s no changing station in the men’s room.” Hutch was amazed at himself. He sounded like he knew what he was doing.

The woman relaxed a bit and nodded. “Sure.”

She went inside and looked around. Hutch patted Josh’s back while they waited. “It’s okay, buddy. Just hang in there.”

The woman returned with a second woman in tow who was still drying her hands. “All clear.”

“You’re a lifesaver!” Hutch pushed Christina in the cart inside the rest room. With hands that appeared to have practice, he spread a blanket on the changing station and laid Josh down. Like a pro, he kept Christina entertained and made short work of Josh’s poopy diaper all at the same time. He heard the door open when he was finishing up.

“We’re almost done here,” Hutch called out.

A female employee came in anyway. “Do you need some help? I can watch this little darling while you work over there.” She reached for Christina. Not missing a beat, Hutch hooked his foot in the bottom of the cart and pulled it and his daughter out of her reach. He smiled at her.

“No, thank you. I got it.” Please. As if he would trust some random stranger with his child.

In a matter of moments he had disposed of the diaper, cleaned Josh up and slid him back into the chest carrier. Hutch washed his hands and repacked the diaper bag. Feeling like Super Dad, he smiled at the woman.

“If you wouldn’t mind getting the door?”

She returned the smile with a nod. Maybe she was okay after all. Still, he would never take the chance. Not with his kids. Josh blew more bubbles and made happy baby noises, and he patted Hutch’s jaw while Hutch wheeled the cart out of the rest room. Hutch thanked the woman for holding the door for them and she went on her way.

He headed toward the registers. Time to get the rug rats home. But Carissa? Was she with them? He seemed capable enough with the kids on his own. Maybe he was here without her.

The cellphone vibrated in his pocket. He put it to his ear without checking the caller ID.

“Hello?”

“Hi, sweetheart. Are you still at the store?” Hutch frowned at the deep voice on the other end. Things started clicking in his head.

“You sound awful, babe. You’re still in bed, I hope.”

After a slight hesitation, she said, “Yes. I’m…resting.”

Hutch shook his head with a smile. “You’re such a liar. What else did you think of?”

“There’s a party at Christina’s preschool tomorrow. I forgot to add cookies to the list. Just grab some cute ones. We’ll put them on a plate and call it a day.”

“Consider it done. Now go back to bed. We’ll be home soon.”

“Thanks, honey. I love you.”

“Love you, too, Cara.” The words just slipped out when he prepared to hang up. He paused to think about them. He really did. Love her, that is. Hutch looked at the kids. A smile blossomed on his face. This was his family. His and Carissa’s. He tugged on Christina’s curly ponytail. He couldn’t think of anything that would make him happier than he was at that moment.

Well, maybe there was one thing. His head was a little fuzzy in that department. He smiled at the kids. Considering the evidence before him, he was a happy man all around. He turned the cart away from the registers and headed for the grocery department. He wondered if Carissa might be up for round three anytime soon.

“Da, Da, Da, Da.” Christina changed her chant, but Josh still kept time with her. He had a favorite spot on Hutch’s chest. Hutch was sure he’d find a bruise there tomorrow. But for now, he was content to let them entertain themselves. It would give him time to find the cookies.

He made it to the grocery section, but he couldn’t find any cookies to save his life. He frowned. That was like the third time he walked down the dry pasta aisle. How much pasta could one store sell?

Hutch turned the corner to go down the next aisle. More pasta. What was going on here? He reached to pat Christina’s hand. More to reassure himself than anything else.

It had the opposite effect because he couldn’t find her hand. Somehow, the cart had rolled away from him. She was halfway down the aisle while he was still at the beginning. He hated when parents did that. Didn’t they know how easy it would be for someone to grab their kid?

Hutch went after the cart. The more he tried to get close, the more it slipped away. He raised a hand to support Josh’s head so he could run after Christina. The boy wasn’t there. Panic set in. He couldn’t see Christina anymore, either. What was going on? Where were his kids?

He felt so lightheaded. He put a hand on the shelf to keep himself from falling over. He had to get to his kids. But the lights. Something was wrong with them, too. They were getting so dark. Hutch couldn’t see his babies anymore. Where were his babies?

From the darkness someone chanted, “Fight, fight, fight, fight.” He looked around, but he still couldn’t see anything.

Except…a sparkly little necklace.

Hutch blinked his eyes a few times to get his vision to clear. He looked around the bright, sunlit street. What had he been doing? He felt like he’d been about to do something important. What was it?

“Sir, can I show you that necklace? You’ve been staring at it for an awful long time.” Hutch turned to look at the tiny grey-haired woman who’d stuck her head out the door.

He returned his gaze to the necklace. Was that the important thing he was about to do? Buy the necklace? For Carissa? How crazy was it that he was considering making this purchase? He and Carissa were friends, sure. But a couple? Not even close. Except, they could be. He just needed to make the first move. Those diamonds would be one heck of a first move.

The thought seemed to make all the air disappear. For some reason, he couldn’t inhale. He took a moment to calm himself. This was ludicrous. It was just a necklace. Hutch wasn’t proposing. But why didn’t that thought bring him comfort? In fact, the thought that he might miss his shot with Carissa made him more anxious. Not less.

He didn’t want to make the same mistake as before. If he were honest with himself, it had been a huge blunder for him to run from her before. He would be a complete idiot if he did it again. If ever there was a time to step up and face his fear, it was now. What did he have to lose if he did? Not a whole heck of lot. If he didn’t, Hutch could lose out on a fantastic woman who wasn’t afraid to feed her man. Of all the things Hutch could find unbearably sexy about her, he was surprised that that was the one that put him over the top.

Or maybe it was the fact that she’d gone way out of her way to bring the food to his office while he and Deborah struggled to figure out what was going on with the mailing. Once that task had been handled, Carissa had dived right into the fray to help them get things sorted and back in order. He had been grateful to eat a quick bite before dashing off to the post office. In his book, that made her beyond awesome.

“Young man?” The tiny woman interrupted his thoughts again.

He smiled at her. “I think I’m done looking now. Do you take MasterCard?”