Different Circles

She took charge of Caydee five minutes later. Jake and Laura both kissed their daughter goodbye, told her that they loved her, and headed out the door. She took Caydee into the entertainment room, where she had a blanket on the floor covered in her favorite toys. There was also a mechanical swing and a standing bar that Caydee still did not use but was starting to express interest in. She put the child down on the blanket and then popped quickly back into the kitchen to let Elsa know about her impending visitor. Elsa merely grunted out a reply and went back to rinsing and cleaning the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher.

She sat down on the couch and continued to squirm back and forth, more freely now since no one but Caydee could see her doing it. Caydee played contentedly for ten minutes, at which point the intercom began to buzz out the sound that indicated someone was at the front gate and had pushed the button. That would be Danielle. Relief was here! Hopefully, anyway.

Caydee was still not crawling, so it was still safe to leave her unattended on her blanket for a minute or two. Meghan trotted to the office and looked at the computer screens. Sure enough, Danielle’s Toyota Camry was parked at the gate and her face was peering into the camera. She pushed the intercom button.

“Hey, Dannie,” she said. “I’ll open the gate for you. Pull forward just out of range of it and then stop there until it’s closed again. After that, just follow the road up and park in the circular driveway.”

“Okay,” Danielle’s voice replied.

Meghan went back to the entertainment room and picked up Caydee, hefting her into the crook of her arm. Caydee came willingly enough. She was always up for adventure and was never happier than when someone was holding her. Meghan carried her to the front door and opened it. She stepped out onto the porch. It was a beautiful central coast morning and the air smelled fresh and clean.

Danielle parked in the circular driveway and then stepped out. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a pullover shirt. Her hair was in a ponytail and her face looked tired. She carried a small, white plastic bag in her hand. It was the sort of bag that was usually found in hospitals to hold personal hygiene supplies for the patients.

“Hey, Meggie,” Danielle said. “Nice place you live in.”

“Yeah,” Meghan agreed. “It really is. Did you find it okay?”

“I missed the road on the first pass,” she said. “It’s not really all that well marked.”

“Jake and Laura don’t really like to advertise that this is their place,” she said.

“I guess that makes sense,” Danielle said. She walked up to her sister and gave her a one-armed hug. Meghan returned it after shifting Caydee a bit in her grasp. Danielle then looked at the child in her sister’s arms. “Wow,” she said. “She really has gotten a lot bigger since I saw her come into the world. I don’t usually get to see them again after they come out.”

“She’s sixteen and a half pounds now,” Meghan told her. “Caydee, this is Dannie. You probably don’t remember her, but she helped pull you out of your mommy’s tummy.”

Caydee looked the newcomer up and down placidly, showing no sign of distress or discomfort. She traveled a lot and met new people frequently and, as such, had not developed the instinctive fear of strangers that most nearly eight-month-olds displayed.

“Hi, Caydee,” Danielle said. “You really are a cutie, aren’t you?”

Caydee smiled. She knew she was a cutie. People told her that all the time.

“Come on,” Meghan said. “Let’s go inside.”

They went into the foyer and then into the formal living room and dining room beyond it. In the entertainment room, Elsa was waiting for them. Meghan made the introductions and the two women pronounced that they were happy to meet each other.

“I’m just going to show her the house real quick,” Meghan told Elsa.

“I would be happy to hold Miss Cadence for you while you give the tour,” Elsa said.

“Really? Thanks, Elsa.”

“My pleasure,” Elsa said, quite sincerely. Caydee was actually one of the joys of her life and she took every opportunity she could to interact with her.

Meghan handed her over and then turned to her sister. “Let me show you my room first.”

“Sounds good,” Danielle said. “Lead the way.”

Meghan led her out of the entertainment room and into the hall. Neither of them saw Elsa giving their retreating backs a little eye roll and a shake of the head. They were not putting anything over on her.

“So ... here’s where I stay,” Meghan told her sister once they were in the guest room.

“Not bad,” Danielle said appreciatively. “This is a guest room? It’s bigger than our master bedroom at home.”

“Yes, it’s very comfy. And I have the run of the whole house. Anyway ... did you bring the stuff?”

“I brought the stuff,” Danielle assured her, “although you could have just bought some at the drug store and saved me the trouble of swiping it from the hospital supply and bringing it all the out way here.”