Page 48 of Hale Yes (Highway to Hale #1)

His hands freeze for a long moment before he answers, and I wonder if I said something wrong. “I did when I was younger, but now I just do it for exercise.”

We’re interrupted by a squawking sound and then a little voice. “Dr. Uncle Helix, come in, please.”

He grins and motions toward his hip. “Will you grab the walkie-talkie out of my pocket?” I pull out a Hello Kitty device and depress the button, holding it close to his mouth. “Go for Dr. Uncle Helix.”

“This is Doodlebug. I believe you said something about popsicles earlier? Over.”

He chuckles, and I push the button again so he can talk. “Of course. What kind would you like? Over.”

“I’m not picky. As long as it’s red or pink. Over.”

“Give me just a second, Doodle. I need to get my gloves off and wash up. Over.”

“I can get her a popsicle,” I offer. “You’re right in the middle of this. If it sits too long, you’ll have to start over.”

“Are you sure?” he asks, brows lowering over his bright blue eyes.

I pat his ass. “Positive. The sooner you can get done, the sooner you can take Miss Priss home.”

He scratches his nose on his shoulder. “Okay, thanks. I hated to bring her with me, but when I called the nanny, she has strep too. It’s apparently going around, and she said she feels like crap.”

“Aw, poor lady. Strep can knock an adult on their ass, while kids bounce back a little easier. Reecie should feel better tomorrow after the shot, but if you want to stay home with her, I’ll keep things afloat here.”

“Thanks,” he says gratefully. “Though I’m pretty sure Phoenix is going to show up back in Houston tonight. He almost had a conniption fit when I told him she wasn’t feeling good. I assured him I could handle it, but I understand where he’s coming from. She’s his world.”

“He seems like such a good dad,” I say, heading to the door and calling over my shoulder. “Be back in a few.”

I enter Helix’s office holding a cherry popsicle, one of those long ones in a plastic tube. I’ve already snipped off the top and squished it with my fingers so it would be soft for Reece. I find her at the desk, drawing away on a small sketch pad, her tongue poking out one corner of her mouth.

She looks up and motions to me with a pencil. “Come on in and have a seat,” she offers, sounding like a pint-sized CEO. She is truly freaking adorable.

“Your red popsicle, Madam Doodlebug,” I tell her in a formal voice as I hand over the treat wrapped in a paper napkin.

She takes a long slurp, and her eyes widen. “Mmm, cherry.” She licks her lips and asks, “Is Uncle Helix your boyfriend?”

Well. Uhhhh.

“We’re dating each other,” I say evasively.

“Okay,” she says easily, taking another suck of her popsicle. “I’ll call you Auntie Nicolette then.”

My heart melts like an ice cube on a Houston sidewalk. “Whatever you want to call me is fine,” I tell her.

“I don’t have a mom,” she informs me, very matter-of-factly. “Do you have a mom?”

“I do.”

“Is she nice?”

That’s a loaded question, kiddo.

I’m not sure how to answer without lying, so I keep it neutral. “She’s not the nicest mom in the world, but she’s not the worst either.”

“Okay,” she says, holding the popsicle in her mouth with one hand and picking up her pencil with the other. I sit in the chair across from her and watch her draw two stick figures, one taller than the other, as she intermittently sucks on the frozen treat.

She works diligently, adding curls to the shorter figure, and then she gives us both glasses. I think I know where she’s going with this.

“Is that Uncle Helix and me?” I ask, and she nods before adding two circles to my body.

“Those are your boobs,” she informs me before sticking the popsicle back in her mouth and adding a lot more hair to my head. I have to turn my head and stare at the wall for a long moment to hide my laughter.

When I look at her drawing again, Helix is holding something long and… Sweet Jesus! Is that a dildo?

“What is your uncle holding?” I ask tentatively, almost afraid to hear the answer.

“A test tube,” she tells me, in her best duh voice before handing me the popsicle. “Here, hold this.”

I diligently do as I’m asked, relieved that the drawing is still relatively PG rated. Reece tears out the picture with the utmost care and smiles with red-stained teeth as she holds it out.

“You can have it.”

“Thank you,” I tell her, switching the popsicle for the sweet drawing. “I’ll put it on my refrigerator at home.”

“Really?” She seems pleased by this. “You want to see some of my other work?”

“I would love to.”

She flips through her sketch pad and shows me various drawings she’s done, mostly of her family, including her dad, aunt, uncles, and grandparents.

“Who is that one?” I ask, pointing at a stick figure with boobs and a huge bubble head.

“That’s Jordie. She’s wearing her helmet.” Reece looks up at me with intent seriousness. “I think Jordie is so pretty. Do you think my daddy thinks she’s pretty?”

Yikes! Not sure where to go with that one, so I go for diplomatic.

“I think everyone thinks Jordie is pretty.”

Helix’s phone rings and Reece checks the display. “That’s my dad. Again.” She answers and puts it on speakerphone. “Hi, Daddy.”

“Baby.” His voice sounds frantic. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m good. Auntie Nicolette brought me a cherry popsicle, and it feels nice on my throat.”

I cringe, hoping Phoenix doesn’t think I prompted her to say call me that. “Hi, Phoenix,” I say sheepishly.

“Nicolette, thank god you’re there,” he gushes, sounding relieved and panicked at the same time. “How is she? You’re a medical doctor, right? Do you think my Reecie is okay?”

I press my hand to her forehead again and notice she seems marginally cooler than a few hours ago. “I think the shot helped. Her temp is lower than earlier, and the pharmacy just delivered some meds for her. I’ll make sure she takes it.”

Phoenix’s voice calms a bit. “Okay, thank you. I’m trying to get home, but there’s a storm here, and they won’t let the plane take off.”

“You’re being fussy, Daddy,” Reece pipes up. “Uncle Helix said we’re going to chillax and watch movies. Oh, and Dr. Clark said I can swim when the sun goes down because the cool water will feel nice.”

“Okay, baby, but don’t overdo it. I’m so sorry I’m not there. Daddy is trying so hard to get back. I promise.” His voice sounds full, like he’s holding back tears.

“Fussy, Daddy,” she sings in a playful but scolding tone, and I can hear him chuckle on the other end.

“Sorry, Reecie.”

“Okay, I’m gonna let you go,” she says in her grown-up voice, drumming her fingers on the desktop. “I have a lot of work to do here.”

“Okay, baby girl. I love you so much.”

“I love you so mucher,” she replies sweetly and then hangs up the phone. “That was my daddy. He can be so dramatic sometimes.”

I stand and kiss the top of her head. “It’s just because he loves you so much. You’re very lucky to have a daddy like him. I’m going to get your medicine. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

“Okey dokey,” she says, tipping up the tube holding the popsicle and draining it. “I hope it’s not the bubble gum flavored medicine. That one is gross.”

After I’m done, I report back in to Helix.

“Gave Reece her medicine and put a sticky note on it with the time so you’ll know when to give her next dose.

Warning, it’s the bubble gum flavor and she doesn’t like it, but I got her a Sprite from the vending machine to wash it down. I hope that was okay.”

He takes his gloves off and tosses them in the trash before kissing my forehead. “It’s fine. Phoenix lets her have clear sodas sometimes, and I say anything that gets her to take the medicine is okay.”

“Good because I gave her a vodka chaser afterward.”

He rolls his eyes at my ridiculousness and goes to the sink to wash up. “I’ll go check on her.”

“Phoenix called while I was in there, and she totally handled him like a champ.”

“She’s good at that,” Helix says, scrubbing his hands with the precision of a surgeon.

“And she drew me a picture of us.” I hold up the masterpiece for his viewing.

“Your boobs look great. Thank god she didn’t decide to draw me anatomically correctly.” He leans over and inspects it more closely. “Wait, am I holding a dildo?”

“It’s a test tube,” I inform him. “Also, she started calling me Auntie Nicolette. I didn’t tell her to.”

His smile is soft on my face. “It’s okay. Maybe it will be true one day.”

And with that, he dries his hands and walks out of the lab, leaving me stunned by his last sentence.