Page 40 of You Fall First

Also an obstacle? I don’t have her number, and I’m not on social media, either, so I can’t DM her. Which leaves me with Dex, who may or may not be in class right now or in a meeting of his own. Dex is the kind of guy who’d almost certainly answer a call from me, but I text him first to see if he’s free. For better or worse, he calls back immediately, because he’s that kind of friend.

“Hey, sorry to interrupt you at work,” I say.

“No problem. You caught me during prep period. I’m just working on our equipment budget, so thanks for the distraction. Budgets suck.”

I press out a laugh and glance at Dutton, who’s currently disassembling an old DVR box. Will my cable company eventually want that box back? Probably. Will the damage be irreparable? Most definitely. But Dutton is focused on a task and content for the first time all morning. Who am I to stand between a future engineer and a fantastic learning opportunity like this?

“So, yeah, anyway,” I hedge. “I was wondering if I could get your sister’s number.”

Dex chuckles. “You’re gonna have to be more specific.”

“Ha.”

Silly me. Just because my brain is laser-focused on Jo doesn’t mean anyone else can tell she’s dominating my mind. And this, I realize, is the best news ever. Nobody needs to know how much I’ve been thinking about the youngest daughter in the Michaels family.

I inhale. Exhale. “Jo.”

A pause follows. “Little Jehoshaphat, huh?” Dex’s unspoken bewilderment hangs in the air. As far as he’s concerned, Jo is his baby sister who barely knows me.

I’m his friend, not hers.

“Paige had complications,” I say. “In her surgery.”

“Oh, no. Man. I’m sorry to hear that. Can I help? What’s the story?”

“Her appendix burst before the doc could remove it, and her body needs time to clear the infection. She’s stuck in the hospital for now, and when she’ll be able to fly is unknown. Probably a couple weeks.”

“Damn.”

“Yeah. And in the meantime, Dutton’s stuck here with me.”

Dex lets out a low whistle. “Man. Kendal would be beside herself, separated from her kids that long.”

“Believe me, Paige isn’t happy about it. I offered to bring him to her, but she needs to heal, and Dutton’s just getting used to being in Harvest Hollow. Taking him back would only confuse him and make recovery more difficult for Paige. So it looks like I’m on full-time Uncle Noah duty for a bit.”

“I’d do the same for my niece and nephews,” he says.

“I know you would. Except you’ve got Sayla, and I’m alone. I can’t be away from work for two weeks or drag Dutton to Havenwood with me every day. So.”

“So … ?”

“I was gonna see if maybe your sister could help me out. Before her new job starts and all.”

“Ah. Right. Jojo. That’s why you need her number.”

“Did she tell you we ran into each other after dinner?”

“Uh, no. Can’t say that came up.”

“I was getting Otter Pops for Dutton, and she was getting … Anyway.” I cut myself off to swallow. “I ran through everyone else on a potential helper list, and Jo’s the least bad choice. And by that I mean she’d be a great choice. Your sister is great. For Dutton,” I add. “And he really seems to like her, too. Dutton does. So if you think⁠—”

“Dude.” Dex finally interrupts, saving me from myself. “You don’t have to sell me on the idea. I’ll call her for you right now.”

I blow out a breath. “Thanks, man, but I’d rather talk to her about this myself. If you ask, she might feel obligated to say yes, and I want her to be honest about whether or not she can do this.”

Dex snorts. “If I ask, she’s way more likely to say no. So you’re right. You should definitely be the one to reach out.”

“The last thing I want to do is impose.”