was no longer viewed with as a potential threat.
“Did you know Lucy slept in our room last night?” Alan asked.
“I noticed,” I said, realizing in that moment that I was also slightly jealous. My faithful companion had deserted me.
“The first time I got up to feed Athena, she was right there, sleeping under the crib.” Alan continued. “She just looked at me when I came into the room with the bottle. When I picked Athena up and brought her over to the rocker, Lucy came over and settled down on the floor beside us. When I put Athena down again, Lucy went back under the crib. Pretty amazing.”
He finished feeding the baby and then glanced at his watch. “My appointment is at nine thirty,” he said. “Marge told me she’d be here around eight thirty. How long will it take me to get to Third and James?”
“Not long,” I told him. “Just walk over to Third and catch a southbound bus.”
“Wouldn’t I be better off driving?” he asked.
“With the cost and scarcity of parking the way they are in Seattle right now, I’d say taking the bus might be a better bet.”
“All right, then,” Alan said, sounding dubious, “but would you mind holding Athena for a couple of minutes while I jump in the shower?”
“Not at all,” I said, with more confidence than I felt.
He brought the baby to me, but before handing her over, he placed a piece of cloth the size of a large hankie on my shoulder. “You’ll need to burp her,” he advised.
My usual dog-walking attire consists of a comfy sweat suit that happens to be far more washable than the dry-clean-only jacket I’d been wearing the day before, but I was grateful for the gesture. “Thanks,” I said. “Good to know.”
Moments after Alan’s back was turned, Athena delivered a very drippy burp that proved the protective cloth to be a necessity as opposed to an option. She was awake for the next little while, staring up at me with wondering eyes. Did she realize I was a stranger and not her grandpa—at least not the grandpa she was used to?
I spent the next several minutes examining her delicate features. Her eyes were a bright blue that reminded me of my granddaughter’s Kayla’s eyes when she was a newborn. So did the thin wisps of blond hair haloing her head. Her fingers were tiny beyond imaging, but when she grasped onto my index finger, she did so with a remarkably tight grip. I studied her with a combination of awe and amazement, as well as a growing sense of responsibility toward this child of a child I hadn’t known I had.
Alan was still finishing his shower when Marge marched in, all hustle and bustle, barking orders left and right as the door closed behind her. Suddenly it seemed like an excellent idea for Lucy and me to make a timely exit as well. I handed Athena off to Marge and went to shower and dress myself. While I was in the closet, I examined yesterday’s jacket. Even though it was one of Mel’s favorites, knowing the damage was beyond repair, I tossed it into the trash.
Before leaving the room, I paused long enough to give Mel a call. “How’s it going?” she asked.
“Bit of a full house around here,” I admitted. “I didn’t get much sleep because I woke up every time Athena uttered a peep.”
“And,” Mel added, “I suppose Marge is driving you crazy?”
“That, too,” I agreed.
“I’m planning to come down after work tomorrow. That way I can pitch in with the baby while serving the dual purpose of giving you a break from Marge and Marge a break from you.”
Mel understood the dynamics of Marge’s and my prickly relationship all too well.
“Eat in or out?” I asked.
“That depends on what time I get away from the office and how much traffic there is between here and there,” she told me. “We can decide tomorrow.”
“Sounds good,” I said.
“What’s on your agenda today?” she asked.
“I’m going to pay a call on the folks at Highline Development and see if I can come away with a last name for Petey Mayfield’s Aunt Lenora. If I do, I’ll see whether she’s willing to file a missing-persons report on him.”
“Good luck, then,” Mel said, “ but I’ve gotta go. I have a meeting with the mayor in fifteen.”
“Good luck to you, too,” I replied.
“Not to worry,” she said with a laugh. “Compared to the last mayor, this one is