Cornbread & Crossroads

keep up with the young ones.”
“Oh, they’re not that young by your standards,” commented Bea.
I quirked my eyebrow. “How old are they?”
The brownie thought a moment. “I think they’re in their four hundreds. Which, for their kind, is on the youthful side.”
“Those three are older than me,” Beau mused. “I wish I possessed some of their pep. If you could bottle that kind of energy, I’d pay a mint for it. Then the ladies of Honeysuckle really wouldn’t know what to do with me.”
I patted my vampire roommate on the back. “They already don’t. You’re doing just fine in the lothario department. No need to make it worse.”
The twinkling fairy lights in floating mason jars lit the dusky sky and our way to the park. Jordy and the Jack-O’-Lanterns were jamming on the stage, and everyone milled around with drinks and small snacks from the appetizer table. Bea and I took my plates of skillet cornbread and set them with the other breads, making sure to set the dish of whipped maple butter near them. With an easy warming charm spellcast over my contribution, the cornbread would stay perfect until it was all gone.
The three pixies took off to join others flitting over the heads of the other residents, and I brought Bea over to the drinks area. After pouring some sweet lemonade into a cup, I handed it to her, and she accepted the drink with both hands. Some of the sticky liquid sloshed out because of her trembling.
“Are you okay?” I asked, handing her a napkin.
She shook off her reaction with a smile. “It’s going to take me some time to get used to someone else serving me instead of the other way around. Thank you for the drink.”
“Hey, Birdy,” Matt called out, holding on to my very squirmy niece.
TJ accompanied them, shaking a set of plastic keys at her daughter to get her to stop fussing. By the time they closed the distance between us, Rayline’s noises of discontent threatened to turn into shrieks.
“What did you do to Junior?” I accused, rubbing my niece’s back to try and help.
My brother sighed. “Nothing. She’s just going through a phase.”
“A very loud one,” TJ added. “My guess is she’s teething again. Your grandmother seems to be the only one with the magic touch to keep her calm.”
Bea’s hand reached up to touch my niece on the back of her chubby little leg. “Shh, there now, you sweet bairn,” she cooed. “The sun is shining, and you’re surrounded by love. What’s there to be upset about?”
Rayline’s sobs subsided into low sighs as she glanced down at the brownie. She stuck a finger in her mouth and gurgled as if answering the question.
Bea nodded her head and spoke directly to the baby. “Yes, I know that new bump in your gums hurts. We can help with that.”
I stared in awe at my house guest. “You can talk to babies?”
The brownie giggled at the idea. “Not directly, no. But it’s not hard to figure out what was bothering her. Back in the day, I would have suggested some soft wood of the iris root for her to chew on. Or a cloth dipped in chamomile tea and frozen to get it cold enough to soothe. However, a clean finger in her mouth may go a long way to stop her fussing.”
Matt crouched down so that his daughter was closer to Bea, taking advantage of the brownie’s ability to quiet Rayline. “Have you any experience in looking after children?”
Enraptured by my niece, Bea stroked her head. “Oh, yes. I was the oldest in my clan and had many duties to help raise my siblings. When I struck out on my own, a kind farmer needed my help when his wife fell ill after giving birth. It took all of my skills plus learning some new ones to nurse her back to health while caring for a baby, a toddler, and a man. But I did it.” She tilted her chin up with dignity.
My brother looked up at TJ, whose eyes shone with great excitement. Picking up on their unspoken wish, I winked at Matt to give him my approval.
His face broke into a relieved smile. “Bea, I’d like to talk to you about your availability to help us take care of Rayline. With TJ needing to get back to full-time work, we’d be needing a lot of your time.”
Bea beamed as bright as if the sun rose inside of her. “I would be more than happy to help with the bairn. At last, I can repay some of the kindness your sister has shown me and stop being a burden.”
“I doubt my sister thinks you’re a burden. Would you like to hold my daughter?” he offered.
“Oh, yes.” The brownie handed me her cup of lemonade and held out her arms, waiting for my niece to make up her own mind about her.
Rayline popped her finger out of her mouth and leaned forward so Bea could reach her. They embraced each other as if they were old friends, and the brownie sung a tune unknown to me low and soft while rocking the baby.
Matt stood up and watched in awe of the immediate bond. “It looks like you’ve made a fast friend.” He held out his arm for TJ to snuggle into him. “First the unicorn and now Bea. How does my daughter do it?”
“I don’t know. You were never that sweet,” I teased, sticking out my tongue at him.
My brother ruffled my hair and messed it up. “I helped take care of you, didn’t I?”
“If you call noogies and name calling taking care of me, then yes.” I batted his hand away.
TJ sighed and addressed the brownie. “Bea, if you’re amenable, I’d like to talk to you about possibly helping us care for Rayline on a full-time basis. I assure you, we’re willing to pay an acceptable fee for your services.”
Bea stopped rocking my niece but rubbed her back to keep her quiet.