Nothing Short of a Miracle Read Online Free Page A

became stable. But she had counted on Charles to help get her through. Once they married and settled in to married life, each of them getting their career off the ground, she had assumed they would be able to afford a live-in nanny to care for Nina.
    So much for planning ahead.
    So much for counting on Charles.
    “It seems like all I’ve done today is cry.”
    “You’re still grieving. It takes time to heal. Add the responsibility of taking care of an infant at a crucial time in your career, of course you’re going to think things aren’t going to get better.”
    Gabriella gulped as sadness welled up inside again. Mindy was right. She hadn’t had time to deal with the grief of losing her sister.
    “A job might bring in enough money to cover a retainer on the legal fees. Once my stipend kicks in next semester, I’ll be in a much better position to deal with everything.”
    “There you go—you have things under control already. Come on.” Mindy lifted Gabby up from the sofa by the hand and dragged her into the small kitchenette. “Let’s have some hot cocoa and see what the newspaper has to offer in the line of jobs.”
    Together, she and Mindy spent the afternoon sipping cocoa, scanning the want ads, and making phone calls while Nina slept.
    Nothing. All of the holiday clerk positions were filled . A day late and a dollar short. An apt expression her father used to say all the time. It fit her current situation. About to start wallowing in despair again, Mindy cried out.
    “Hey. Look. I found something.” Mindy swirled the newspaper around so Gabby could read it. “There’s a couple home-health aide positions listed.”
    “Home health aides? How am I qualified to be a home health aide? My major is history in case you’ve forgotten.” Gabby looked up in dismay. “What do I know about taking care of the elderly?”
    “If you can take care of a three-month old, you can take care of a bed-ridden seventy-year old lady. Just say ‘honey’ and ‘dear’ a lot, and accommodate their every need. How hard can it be?”
    “I don’t know, Mindy, you make it sound too easy. I have a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach about this.”
    “Posh. There’s nothing to it. I once took care of my Aunt Tulane for several months while my mother sailed away on a cruise to ‘get away’ as she put it. Other than being hard of hearing and having to yell a lot so she could hear me, she basically took care of herself. She was riddled with arthritis and didn’t get around much. I made sure she was comfortable, cleaned the house, and did the cooking while she sat in front of the TV in a recliner and dozed most of the time.”
    “I don’t know, Mindy. I hate it when I get those queasy butterflies fluttering around inside me. Like when I visited Charles today. I had this awful premonition before I even knocked on his door, and look what happened.”
    “You’re feeling a bit down. Losing Charles can’t be the big loss you’re making it out to be, especially knowing how he feels about Nina. Come on, I’ll call the agency and set something up for you.”
    Before Gabriella had a chance to stop her, Mindy had three appointments scheduled for the following Tuesday.
    “I’ll watch Nina in the morning, but I’m afraid you’ll have to take her with you in the afternoon—Trish and I both have labs we can’t skip.”
    Gabby’s stomach fluttered.
    ****
    Gabriella checked her watch. Great. She was already late. She tapped her fingers on the steering wheel and waited for the heavy traffic to clear. Checking to make sure it was safe, she inched her vehicle out into the left lane and headed toward the Lake District.
    The first two interviews had not gone well. What an understatement. The woman at the first interview was bedridden, needed round the clock care, and a medical professional. Gabriella knew without a doubt the woman belonged in a nursing home. The thin, white haired lady hadn’t been responsive during the entire