“I rarely freak out,” she countered.
His snort of disbelief spoke volumes.
“So?” he asked. “Will you do it?”
It would be so much fun to make him squirm, but this wasn’t the kind of situation to do that.
“That depends.”
“On?”
“How much are you paying?”
His eyes went wide, but he didn’t seem to have an answer.
“I think on the weekends your siblings should be able to help out,” she said rationally. “And I’m willing to commit to thirty hours a week at $15 an hour.”
“Are you crazy?” he snapped. “To sit around and watch an infant sleep? Absolutely not.”
“Um…” Ryleigh slowly raised her hand before passing her phone to him. He read whatever was on the screen and his shoulders drooped.
“Thirty-five hours,” he countered, “at $15 an hour. Final offer.”
She wanted to laugh, but right now, beggars couldn’t be choosers. “You’ll need to keep food in the house for both me and Asher. I’ll give you a list of requests.”
“Now I have to feed you too? What the hell, Fallon?”
She shrugged. “I don’t think it’s a big deal to keep some fresh fruit and produce in the house and maybe some lunch meat. It’s not like I’m asking for surf and turf.”
“Ugh…if he won’t do it, I’ll shop for you,” Ryleigh said, shooting her brother a dirty look.
“Fine. Give me a list and I’ll make sure there’s stuff here for you.”
“Thank you.” Then she paused. “We’ll need a car seat and a stroller so I can take him out for walks or if we need to go to the store or if you need me to drop him off at the pub for you.”
He nodded. “I think that’s what Ari and Will are out shopping for right now.”
“Jenn didn’t leave any of that stuff?”
“Just the carrier, but I’m not sure if that’s part of a car seat or not.” He leaned back in the chair and let out a long breath. “I don’t think I’d know what a proper car seat was if you paid me. This is all just…it so much.”
His eyes closed, and for a moment, Fallon actually felt bad for him. This was a major, life-changing event and he had zero time to prepare. He was lucky that he had such an amazing family.
“Can I ask something?” she said to no one in particular, and they both nodded. “What did your parents have to say about all of this?”
“Oh, um…we’re not telling them,” Ryleigh said.
Fallon stared at her in disbelief. “Um…what?”
Jamie sat back up. “Considering that things might get messy when Jenn gets back, we didn’t want to do or say anything that might ruin their trip. Right now, they’re off on the trip of a lifetime and I don’t want to be the one to make them miss it. Once things get worked out when Jenn gets home, then I’ll figure the rest out.”
It was crazy, but Fallon couldn’t help but read between the lines.
He didn’t want to put Asher up for adoption.
So maybe he wasn’t the actual worst person in the world.
Maybe there was hope for him yet.
For the next thirty minutes, they came up with a tentative schedule that would start tomorrow. Today, she was there as part of the family to help get everything set up and just spend time with friends.
Arianna and Will got back first and had a ridiculous number of packages with them. They had clothes, diapers, formula, toys, bottles, a tiny bathtub, a crib, a changing table, a mobile, a car seat, a stroller…
“How did you fit all of this in your car?” Fallon asked.
“Oh, we took Will’s Jeep and Jamie’s truck so we could get it all home,” Arianna said after hugging Fallon. “Most of the big stuff has to be assembled, and now all the clothes, towels, and bedding need to be washed. Thank God Jamie has a washer and dryer in this tiny house.”
Fallon had to agree, and while Ryleigh was holding Asher, she went to work on opening packages and taking tags off of things and sorting it all for the laundry. Once the first load was in, they went to work on all the bottles—making sure to wash and disinfect them. That’s when Ryleigh joined them because Asher was asleep again and she knew the kitchen was going to need to be reorganized too.
“You are such a weirdo that you enjoy doing this,” Arianna joked.
“And yet you have all reaped the benefits of my weirdness,” Ryleigh said as she began emptying an upper cabinet.
“It’s sad but true,” Ari said to Fallon. “Watch her work. It’s like a thing of beauty.”
“Well, I should also watch so I’ll know where to find anything tomorrow,” she said with a small laugh.
All over the house, people were in motion. When Patrick and Ryker returned with a bed, headboard, and frame, they went right to work putting it all together in the guestroom.
“A second bed?” she asked Ryleigh. “Why?”
“Well, I have a feeling the overnights might become an issue and it’s just smart to have a place for anyone helping out to crash rather than making them sleep on the couch.”
It made sense, but…
“So then Asher is sharing a room with the guest?”
“It’s not ideal, but…as you can see, the house is small. I think it’s only like 1,200 square feet. The rooms are all a decent size, and realistically, once Asher’s a little bit older, he can use the bed that’s in there and anyone coming to visit can stay with any of us. They’d have like…five other households to choose from. This is just a temporary setup.”
Again, it made sense. The only reason anyone would be staying over was to help with the baby, so putting the bed in the same room made things easier.
The snarky side of her wondered if Jamie would ask someone to stay over so he could have company of his own in his bedroom without being bothered. Or…so he could stay out all night without having to worry about coming home and taking care of his son.
Don’t go there…don’t go looking for trouble.
Only time would tell how this was all going to play out and really, it was only her problem for the next three weeks. By that time, this Jenn person would be back and hopefully they’d work out a co-parenting situation and perhaps get Asher into a daycare.
She made a mental note to start researching ones in the area, so maybe she could present it as an option for Jamie down the road. Right now, it was probably the last thing on his mind. Having someone caring for the baby here at home was the smart thing to do right now. But eventually, they were going to need to make alternate plans. Fallon didn’t mind helping on a short-term basis, though she had a feeling by the end of three weeks Jamie was going to be happy to see her go.
And there wasn’t a doubt in her mind that by that same time, she would be thrilled not to have to deal with him on a daily basis.
Then she looked down at Asher. Ryleigh had put the carrier close by on the kitchen floor so they could keep an eye on him while they worked.
He was going to be the one she would miss seeing. That was a given. Fallon had always loved babysitting and being around babies. In her mind, she saw herself getting married and having a bunch of kids. This little unemployment detour was messing with her five-year plan, but hopefully she’d get back on track soon.