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I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if I didn’t have Freddy to keep me going. Harrison tossed the cardinal toy, and Freddy tore it out of Ava’s lap to go after it. They went back to their game of fetch, and I rejoined Will on the grass.
“They don’t always like strangers, but they’ve taken to you,” he said. “Thanks for staying, they’re having a great time.”
“That’s all Freddy, I’m sure,” I answered, glowing at the slight compliment. It had been a long time since I got any nice words. He made a sour face, following Freddy with his eyes. “Not a dog lover, I take it?”
He grunted. “They’re never going to stop asking for one now.”
“Play up the imaginary angle,” I suggested, wishing I could be around to see if it worked. “Get them both a leash and make them walk it every day, and pretend to fill a bowl with food and water. I bet they’ll get over it soon enough.”
He looked at me in a way I liked way too much, and I dropped my own gaze. “Hmmph,” he said grumpily. “What if they don’t?”
I shrugged. “Then you’ll know they’re ready for a real one. Life is better with a dog, my friend.”
He laughed outright at that. It wasn’t exactly a sound that showed he found my wisdom humorous, but it was infectious, and my face broke into a smile. The food helped, too. I was full to bursting, and it felt great.
“What are you doing now, if you don’t have a nanny position?” he asked.
“Serving at a sandwich shop downtown during the day and at a bar uptown at night.” I hid a grimace, knowing I only had another hour until I needed to get back to the shelter and find someone to watch Freddy before I headed into work. I didn’t want this wonderful break from reality to end.
“Are you looking for full-time hours?”
I barely dared to hope and nodded. “Definitely full-time.”
He stared at me until his phone buzzed from his pocket. He hissed and silenced the alarm, looking over at the kids who were still happily playing with Freddy. Whoever watched him today was going to have it easy because he was going to be zonked from all the activity.
He gathered up all the food wrappers, and I hurried to help, hoping to show what a good employee I could be. When he called the kids over to leave, their faces turned stormy. I scooped up Freddy and put him in my bag where he panted happily at the children. Ava started to cry, and Will gave me a desperate look.
“I’m going to call the Morrison agency if that’s okay with you,” he said.
Ava was now a puddle at my feet, sobbing heartily. I dipped down, no longer feeling weak and dizzy and tapped her chin. “You’re scaring Freddy, Ava.”
She choked back her tears and crawled to her father, dragging herself up in a way that made me have to bite back laughter. So, a drama queen, then. Harrison stood sullenly looking at the ground.
“Bye Bailey,” he said dully.
“Chill out, you guys,” Will told them, hauling Ava into his arms. “There’s a good chance you’ll get to see Bailey again.”
Another round of cheers, which my battered ego really appreciated, and this time it was for me and not just Freddy.
I had a spring in my step and hope that I thought was long extinguished, as I headed to the shelter. If Will hired me, I’d be earning a real salary and that much closer to getting my own place. I only prayed my references from back home would be good enough.
Chapter 3 - Will
The kids were buzzing around me like loud, happy gnats, as I made a quick once over of what would be Bailey’s suite if she accepted the offer. I was desperate, not just because the kids couldn’t shut up about her during the two days it took to get her references cleared, but because maybe now I wouldn’t have to cancel our trip. I knew I was cutting it fine, and something nagged at me, like I was moving too fast. But I needed help so badly, I had a neighbor’s kid babysitting for me, for God’s sake, whose brother almost ruined Christmas. The kids had a reputation, nannies talked to each other, and it had been a month without any of the agencies being able to find me someone to so much as an interview. I didn’t like to admit I was desperate, but I was desperate.
The room looked fine, nice and clean, with fresh bedding and a new TV since Ava and Harrison had knocked the old one down and fractured the screen. I sent the kids to the kitchen to see if the brownies the cook was baking were done. Then I called my younger brother, Ben, for his advice. Or maybe just to hear him tell me to quit worrying. Either one.
When he answered, I could hear the wind blowing in the background, and I imagined him hanging over a ravine with his daredevil fiancée. He had inherited the outdoor lifestyle magazines in our family’s publishing company and, ever since he’d met Laurel, he’d gotten a new lease on life. I could barely keep up with their whereabouts since they were almost constantly traveling to find a new rock to climb or a cliff to jump off of.
“You should be here,” he shouted into the phone. “The view is amazing.” A second later he sent me a few pictures of a vast blue sky with craggy peaks in the background.
“You’re actually home?” I asked.
Home to Ben meant the tiny town in Montana where he first met Laurel when he was trying to run away from the grief of losing our dad in the same accident that took my wife from me. Now, his home was really anywhere Laurel was. I couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit of envy, which was quickly drowned out by loss. I’d had what they have. That and more. Callie had been my world, and the two years without her felt like a hundred.
“We’re here for a few weeks,” he said. I could hear scraping and then the wind quieted. “Okay, I’m on a flat surface. What’s up?”
“I can’t just call to say hi?” I asked, not wanting to admit I was seeking advice from my younger brother.
