follow the guidelines.”
“Yes, but I never said I wouldn’t question the logic in them.” Instantly, she realized that had been the wrong thing to say. “Look—” she held up her hand in an attempt to appease him “—all I’m saying is that—”
“I’ve already told you that I believe scheduling is everything,” he interrupted. “She has to learn that meals are served at regular intervals. How else is she supposed to understand the program? How else is my daughter going to learn to fit in to my life?”
“Fit in to your life?” Did he not understand how outrageous his thinking was? “We’re talking about a baby. Not a puppy. Hailey’s brand-new to this world. She hasn’t a clue about rules and schedules. As her father, you have to figure out what Hailey’s schedule is. And although you may not like it, you have to arrange your life around her for a while. New parents are always complaining about feeling exhausted and overwhelmed, but—” she shrugged “—them’s the breaks. You have to suck it up and live by Hailey’s rules. Not vice versa.”
She pointed to the rule regarding diaper changes. “You must be wasting an awful lot of disposable diapers. Hailey can’t possibly need changing every hour.”
“I would think that diaper rash is painful, and I would also think the best way to prevent it is to keep her bottom dry.” He was positively glowering. Clearly, he was not a man who was used to explaining his actions or his motives.
Her gaze darted for an instant to his lips. He had a nice mouth, even when it formed a straight, hard line. When he’d laughed in her office earlier his whole face had changed. His expression relaxed. The muscles of his smooth shaven jaw had contracted and his lips had curled into a smile. A nice smile, she remembered, trying to hold on to the image.
“And besides that,” he continued through gritted teeth, “at some time in the future my daughter has to realize she shouldn’t be wetting her diaper. If her diaper is changed often enough, she might catch on to the concept more quickly.”
The very idea tickled Sophia, and she let out a chuckle. It was only a small one, and she choked it off quickly, but her reaction only heightened his irritation; she could tell by the ire that flashed in his dark eyes.
She reigned herself in automatically, shaking her head as she said, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t laugh. I understand that this is a serious matter.”
Even as she said the words, she had to fight back the humor bubbling up in her chest. Either he didn’t know a thing about babies, or he was one of those overly diligent parents who pushed their children to the brink to achieve. The thought of anyone thinking they could potty train a newborn, though, was downright silly to her.
“Forgive me,” she said, luckily able to keep a straight face, “but I have to let you in on a little secret. It’ll be many months—a couple of years even—before Hailey is ready to ‘catch on’to the concept of potty training. And changing a dry diaper is like tossing money out the window.”
Michael couldn’t believe his ears…or his eyes. This woman was laughing at him. She attempted to hold it back, but humor was dancing in her deep, blue eyes. Not only that, but she’d questioned the schedule he’d put so much thought and effort into. She wouldn’t rest until she’d criticized each and every rule, too, he was certain.
Had she just told him to suck it up? Had she really just suggested that he let his one month old daughter make her own rules? What kind of craziness was that?
“If you’re not worried about the money,” Sophia continued, “think of the environment. It’s one thing to throw soiled diapers into a landfill, but perfectly clean ones? Come on. That’s harmful for the world and everyone in it.”
Her gaze continued to twinkle. She was obviously a people person; someone who attempted to chastise gently and without insult. A person who had been trained to work with children.
Well, he was no child.
He wasn’t offended by anything she’d said, but he did feel like a total idiot. Would it really be years before Hailey was out of diapers? He’d thought it would be five or six months, maybe, but not too much longer than that.
How could he insist that Sophia change Hailey’s diaper every hour after she’d pointed out that doing so would be harmful to the environment?
Damn, but he hated feeling inadequate and ignorant, and that’s all he’d felt since his daughter had been tossed into his arms when she’d only been a few days old. How was he supposed to know how often a baby made poo?
“May I make a suggestion?” she asked.
He remained silent. He had a strong suspicion that nothing he said would keep this woman from offering her idea.
“How about if I promise to check the baby’s diaper every hour? No, every thirty minutes.” She tilted her cute oval face to one side. “The moment I detect any dampness, I’ll whip that diaper off and clean her little bottom. Cross my heart, I will.”
She made a small x on her chest, just above her left breast. And a nicely rounded breast it was, too. He jerked his gaze to the floor, blinked and silently ordered himself to focus.
As he sat there listening to her revising his guidelines, his attention wavered. This was exactly the type of woman he’d been trying to avoid. She was personable, charming…and manipulative. Not to mention beautiful and sexy. A woman who appealed to a man in every sense of the word.
Oh, she’d shown up at his door looking much different than she had in her office. Then, her thick chestnut hair had curled softly around her shoulders, and shiny lipstick had made her mouth glisten. She’d tied her hair back and washed her face, but her sparkling blue eyes didn’t need any more highlighting other than the thick, fanning lashes and the dainty dark eyebrows arching above them.
She was an attractive woman, with or without cosmetics. And she had a body that wouldn’t quit. Her knee-length skirt didn’t hide her shapely calves and petite ankles. And there were plenty of curves beneath that jacket and blouse; a man didn’t have to possess an overabundance of imagination to envision them.
The realization that he’d become keenly aware of her physical attributes scared the hell out of him. He was a business professional who worked with women every day. He was well-acquainted with proper conduct.
“I think we should talk about Hailey’s feeding times,” Sophia said easily.
Her tone plainly conveyed that she felt the schedule was up for discussion, and that irked Michael.
She lowered the typed pages and rested them on her shapely thighs. “Don’t you think she ought to tell us when she’s hungry, rather then us telling her when she’s going to eat? It’s much healthier for her to eat only when the need arises. Don’t you think?”
Her tone was amiable and sincere enough, but that final little three-word query had been added on as if it were some sort of conciliation. If there was one thing he hated it was being placated. It smacked of collusion, and he’d been there, done that, and had no intention of repeating the experience, thank you very much.
She crossed her legs then, and the papers slid from her lap. She caught them along with the fabric of her skirt, and she ended up lifting the hem several inches, revealing cute dimpled knees. She quickly smoothed the fabric back into place. The entire incident was over in a fraction
