A Summer To Remember

Chapter 4: Planning

We arrived home, and just as I was about to get ready for dinner, I heard someone throwing up. I walked away and Amara showed up at my bedroom.

"Bella is throwing up."

I made a run to her bathroom and she was tossing her cookies.

"Mommy, make it stop." Bella cried.

"What did you ate at the bakery?" I asked while wiping her mouth with a towel.

"Just cake." She sobbed. "And cookie dough."

"As in ice cream or the raw cookie dough?"

"The one for cookies."

I sighed, "Bella, raw cookie dough can make you sick. Who gave it to you."

"I was very sneaky and ate it."

I chuckled at her comment.

"Let's get you clean." I took off her clothes and put her in the shower. "Amara, tell nana to call the doctor please."

She nodded and left.

"My tummy hurts" She rubbed it

"You will feel better soon." I smiled.

I gave her a bath and then changed her to pajamas.

"Knock knock." We turned to see the doctor. "I heard someone has been eating raw food."

"Doctor, it was cookie dough." Bella told him causing him to chuckle.

After a few minutes, he was done examining her.

"She indeed, got a little food poisoning. She should be fine in two days. Just rest well, drink lots of liquid."

"No medicine?" I asked.

"No, her case isn't grave, medicine would be if she would be throwing up non stop and chronicle diarrhea." He told me and then look at Bella, "You got lucky this time, little one."

"Daddy is protecting me." She smiled at the doctor.

"That he is." He smiled back. "Call me if anything happens."

I nodded. He stayed for dinner to talk to papa. They're best friends.

After dinner, I went to Bella's bedroom, she was sleeping while hugging the teddy bear that Aaron gave her for her first birthday.

"How is she?" Nana asked.

"She hasn't throw up, which is good. Sorry about your dinner plans to eat outside."

"No worries, family comes first. Dinner outside can wait." She told me.

"Didn't you say your friend was joining us too?"

"Already called my friend and told him there was a family emergency. They understood."

I nodded. Nana left and I got in bed with Bella.

"Baby girl, you're something else." I caressed her little face.

..........

Two days went by, and Bella was feeling well. But I told her to stay away from sweets and any junk food for a week. She huffed.

I was outside reading a book and enjoying the weather. Meanwhile, nana and Bella were inside talking.

"Nana, plan A, was poop."

"Then plan B. We send your mom to buy something and what do you know, he is also shopping." She told Bella.

"Ooh, I love it." She giggled.

"And if that doesn't work?" Amara asked them.

Bella and nana looked at each other, "plan C."

"Hales." Nana called me.

I went inside and she was watching movie with the girls.

"Yes?"

"I'm going to make some tacos, but I ran out of ground beef and sour cream. Could you go to the store that's only five minutes away in car?"

"Sure thing." I grabbed the her car keys and left the house.

"You three should let things happen naturally." Papa told them.

"It will happen if we push things. Sometimes we all need a push." Nana told papa. He just shook his head.

.........

I arrived at the store and grabbed the ground beef and sour cream. And since I was craving ice cream, I grabbed, vanilla and chocolate.

"I prefer, strawberry, my favorite fruit."

I turned to see the same man from the bakery.

"Good for you." I answered while putting my ice cream cartons in the cart.

"Who peed in your cheerios?"

I rolled my eyes. "Can I help you?"

Archer

This little person is really difficult. I thought Kelly was exaggerating.

"I definitely did something that pissed you, so let's start again. I'm Archer Ricci." He extended his hand.

She looked at it and then at me. "Hailey Lockhart." She shook it.

Her hands are really soft, I wonder how it would be to have her under me.

"That day at the bakery, you just took off, no hi I'm Archer bla, bla." That made me chuckle.

"Would you have told a stranger who you were? I questioned her.

"No, but now I'm wondering why I told you my name." She pursed her lips and tapped them.

"Because we're no longer strangers, we already met, a few days ago." I wiggled my brows.

I could see a smile forming on her lips.

"I see a smile, we're making progress."

"Okay Archer, what is it that you want?"

"For you to join me for lunch tomorrow."

Hailey

That took me by surprise. Meeting men and going out wasn't in my plans.

"Can I give you an answer later or tomorrow morning?"

"Sure, I hope you say yes though." He gave me a devilish smile.

We exchanged numbers.

"We'll see. I have to go pay for this, see you around." With that said, I left.

"See you soon, Hailey." He said to himself while smirking.

........

I arrived home and nana was in the kitchen making tacos.

"Thought you didn't have ground beef?" I gave her a look.

"Turns out, it was hidden between the fish and the chicken. Sue me." She retorted. I chuckled at that.

I placed the the beef and ice cream in the freezer. I walked to the kitchen island and took a seat on the stool as I watched Nana cook.

"What's wrong with you?" She asked.

I told her what happened at the grocery store.

"If I go out with him, it just makes it more real that Aaron is gone, and will never come back."

"Sweetie, I know is scary. But if you don't give someone else a chance, you'll be scared forever. Before I met your papa, I was married to someone else. And I love him, sadly he passed away three years into our marriage. Then your papa came into my life, and healed my heart. A year later, I got pregnant with your mom."

"And that was the happiest day of our lives." Papa said while entering the kitchen and gave nana a kiss. I smiled while looking at them. They have the kind of love everyone wants.

"Will you give love a try?"