Tessa's Wishes (Whispered Wishes #3) Read Free Page B

her to give her anything. I knew you’d be here soon.”
    Tessa nodded, trying to act surprised that her daughter was sick. The truth was, Sophie hadn’t felt well that morning either. In her heart, Tessa knew she should have kept her home, but the reality was she couldn’t. The big Schilling meeting had been on tap for tomorrow, and even though she’d had the reports done correctly and on her boss’ desk way ahead of schedule, the first time , she had a feeling he’d find something to complain about. He usually did. All that aside, however, the reality was that she was out of personal days. Mr. Abbott wasn’t one of those bosses who just shrugged and said, “ Aw, your daughter’s sick? No problem, take the day off. ” Or even, “ Take the day, but I’m not paying you .” No. He was one of those bosses who said, “ If you don’t show up, don’t bother coming back. ” The fact that she worked more than her share of hours this week was completely irrelevant. She really needed to find a new job.
    Putting her hand to her daughter’s forehead, she felt the heat radiating off it before even making contact. Crap. There was no way she could send her to daycare tomorrow. But who would stay with her when she went to work? Ava had already gone above and beyond. Tessa didn’t feel right asking her for another favor. Holly was out of the question as she worked full-time, and her parents were away on a two-week cruise. Damn you, Scott. You should be here sharing the responsibility.
    “Are you hungry?” Ava asked. “I can give Sophie some medicine, and she can rest here for a bit longer. I’ve got chicken left over from dinner. Or, I can make some tea if you just want to unwind a little.”
    Tessa was both stressed out and hungry. Starving, in fact. She hadn’t eaten anything since lunch, if you even wanted to call it that. Technically, she was supposed to get an hour lunch every day, but she rarely took one. Mr. Abbott usually scoffed at her if she left her desk to even use the restroom, let alone leave for lunch. Her afternoon meal generally consisted of stale coffee, a power bar, and an apple at her desk while her boss was out at one of his own fancy lunches—at which time, she wasn’t allowed to leave the office. God forbid she left the phones unattended, she’d never hear the end of it. Still, food was the last thing on her mind at the moment.
    “Thanks, but I think I should get Sophie home. It’s been a long day.” Picking up the daycare bag, she slung it over her shoulder and gazed at her daughter. She looked so peaceful with thick dark lashes covering her closed eyes. Her breathing was calm, almost melodic, casting a spell over Tessa as she watched the dark curls turn into waves that framed her beautiful yet delicate features.
    “Are you okay?” Ava asked, disturbing the trance. “Do you need help carrying her out to the car?”
    “No, I’ll be fine. I just want to get her to bed.” Gently lifting her daughter up to her shoulder, Sophie clutched her doll and blanket even tighter as she nuzzled into Tessa’s neck. She stopped to savor the warmth of her daughter’s closeness. It brought her a comfort no man had ever been able to duplicate.  Her daughter may not have been planned, but Tessa couldn’t imagine a life without Sophie in it. “Thank you for picking her up, I hope it wasn’t too much trouble.”
    “It’s never too much trouble.” Ava smiled at her. “Sophie’s family.”
    Was that a look of understanding or pity?
    “I hope she feels better. Will you call me tomorrow and let me know how she’s doing? I’m assuming you’ll keep her home?”
    Looking at her sister, Tessa nodded and noted how carefully worded that last sentence was. It purposefully lacked an offer to help. She didn’t blame her sister. As much as Ava loved Sophie, she had her own two children to think about first. Keeping them healthy was most likely on the forefront of her mind.
    “Yes. Hopefully my boss will