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“Go ahead and do whatever you normally do after school while I check the basement.”

Cam frowned. “I have no idea what my mom does with Fi after school.”

Jo smiled. “I’m sure she’ll tell you.” She headed for the kitchen and opened the door to the darkened basement. She fumbled for the light switch and flipped it on.

She walked slowly down the stairs and found a tidy, well-illuminated basement. One area was clearly a play space for Fiona. There was a table and four chairs, and bookshelves that held brightly colored bins. A furnace sat in the middle of the room, with a washer and dryer against one wall. The back of the basement held a workbench filled with various tools, and planks of wood were stacked against the wall beside it. Cam also had a desk against one wall.

Assured that everything was in order, Jo ran up the stairs, her shoes echoing on the wood. Fiona and Cam were in the kitchen. Fiona sat at the kitchen table, eating a piece of orange cheese and a few apple slices.

When Cam spotted her, he asked, “You want a snack?”

“I wouldn’t mind an apple,” she said.

“Sit beside me,” Fiona said, patting the table as she swallowed a huge mouthful of cheese. “We can eat our apples together.”

Jo’s gaze darted between Fiona and Cam. Cam didn’t look happy, but she wasn’t about to tell Fiona she didn’t want to sit with her. Jo slid into the seat beside Fiona, and Fiona handed her a slice of apple. As Jo crunched into it, she saw Cam scowling at her from the other side of the room.

After Fiona was in bed tonight, she and Cam would have a little talk about her and Fiona.

Chapter 15

After she and Fiona had finished their snacks, Cam told Fiona to get started on her homework. She gave her father a pleading look and said, “Are you gonna help me, Daddy? Grandma always helps me.”

Cam nodded once. Froze and closed his eyes. Opened them a moment later. “Yeah, I can help you. Let’s sit at the kitchen table.”

He had his left hand pressed against his head, and Jo was pretty sure he didn’t even realize it. She put her hand on his shoulder. “You look wiped out, Cam.”

He began to nod, then froze again. Drew in a deep breath. “Yeah. I am. Feels like my head is going to fall off my shoulders.”

“Then why don’t you go take a nap?”Jo said. “Fiona and I will be fine by ourselves, and you need some sleep. You had a serious concussion, and you’re still recovering.”

“You’re not responsible for Fiona,” he said. “That’s my job.”

“Yeah, it is. But I think I can handle taking care of a six-year-old for a couple of hours. I promise not to give her cigarettes or booze, okay?”

Fiona giggled, then slapped her hand over her mouth as her father scowled at her.

Cam rolled his eyes. Then closed them, as if just the movement was painful.

“Fiona and I will read or work on her homework. Whatever she wants to do,” Jo said.

Cam scowled. “Have you ever taken care of a six-year-old?”he asked.

“I’ve watched my brothers’ kids a few times. All of them survived. And they all think Aunt Jo is the epitome of coolness.”

“I don’t want Fiona to think you’re cool,” he muttered. He glanced at his daughter. “She’ll be devastated when you leave.”

Jo rolled her eyes. “Really? A woman she’s known for a few days? I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that. She’ll forget all about me the next day.”

“I don’t want her to re-live how she felt when her mom… went away.” He shoved his hands into his pockets, but Jo saw them shaking. “I’ll help her with her homework.”

Jo shook her head, sympathy bleeding into the irritation she felt about Cam’s stubbornness. “Cam, you can barely stay upright. Which isn’t surprising, considering that you did a full day’s work, drove to Naperville to look at that truck, drove to school to pick Fiona up, then went to Costco. I’m exhausted just thinking about what you did, and I don’t have a concussion. Go to bed. Take a nap. Fiona and I will be fine.”

She held his gaze as he swayed on his feet. So she hooked her arm through his and walked him down the hall to his bedroom. Led him inside and lowered him onto the bed. “Sleep, Cam. You’ll feel a lot better if you take a nap.”

He stared up at her, a muscle in his jaw twitching. He began to stand up, wobbled and fell back onto the bed.

“Fiona and I will be fine.” Jo pitched her voice low, soothing, so it wouldn’t hurt his head. “When you wake up, we’ll make that mac and cheese and broccoli you bought at Costco.”