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“I agree. I’ll still watch it, and if it’s my team, I’m glad we’re winning. But yeah, I would rather finish the game exhausted from yelling and being surprised at every moment.”
“The kids really got into it. I haven’t seen them act like that about a game in a long time.” She crossed her arms and stared at the floor. “Well, I haven’t really sat with them during a game lately.”
“Oh?” Landon propped his elbows on his knees and leaned forward. “Why not?”
She shrugged. “There’s always something to be done. I just stay busy. I might catch part of the game, but I don’t sit down and relax.” She stood up. “Which is why I should be up now. The dishes and laundry aren’t going to do themselves.”
Landon stood too. “Which one can I do?”
Hailey gave him a funny look then busted out laughing. “Thanks, Landon, I needed that laugh. Just picturing you sorting through little kid socks and underwear is comical.”
He planted his feet in front of her, and the look on his face told her he wasn’t joking. “I’m serious. I’m here and I want to help. Which one do you want me to do, dishes or laundry?”
Hailey took a deep breath. Taking Carter to soccer had been helpful. Showing up for the game had felt a little bit like old times. Helping with household chores? That just felt personal. He would be in her space, doing work for her family. She couldn’t let him do that, could she?
“Landon, it’s awfully nice of you. And I know you want to help. Really, I can do this.”
“I know you can. But you just said you don’t sit down to watch a football game because there’s too much to do. So if I help, that means you got to watch a football game, and you aren’t behind because of it. Besides, what is the saying, “Two people can do two jobs faster than one person can”? He scrunched up his face.
Hailey chuckled. “I’m sure that’s the exact saying. Fine, you can do the laundry. I’m warning you, though, it’s kid laundry. That means a lot of small items.” She pointed to a basket. “I fold them into piles for each child. The boy stuff is easy to tell, but if it’s pink or purple, you have to check the size to see if it’s Charlotte’s or Ellie’s.”
Landon nodded. “I think I can handle it.”
“I fold them standing at the kitchen table and put the piles in their spot. Then they have to put them away before they can eat breakfast.”
“That’s smart,” Landon said, carrying the basket to the table.
Hailey shook her head as she moved to the sink. “You might have picked the wrong job. I didn’t cook dinner, so there’s not that many dishes.”
“I’ll do the dishes next time then.”
His words made Hailey’s heart skip a beat. Was he really planning to make this a regular thing? No, she couldn’t think about that. Sure, he was here now, and he wanted to help. But it would fade at some point, or he would be too busy. Or maybe he would finally find someone he wanted to be with. Then she would be back to taking care of everything on her own. She cleared her throat and told herself to just enjoy it while it lasted.
“So how’s everything at work?” she asked.
He glanced at her as if he was unsure about answering. “It’s good.”
“Oh come on, you can say more than that. I’m not a casual acquaintance who doesn’t know anything about your job.”
“Right. You know all about my job.” He scratched his head before picking up a pair of pink-striped pajamas and checking the tag. “Well, actually it’s going really well. Mr. Benton called me into his office yesterday, and I’m now an account manager for one of our bigger clients.”
Hailey smiled faintly. “That’s great Landon, congratulations.”
“Thanks. I’ve been hoping for it for a while now and putting in the time to prove myself.”
She nodded. “I remember when Kyle got his first lead title on a project. He was so proud, and we both felt like that was really the start for him.”
“I remember that too. The Deep South Grocers job.”
“That’s right. You were on the team. Weren’t you?”
“Mmhmm. Kyle came straight to my office to tell me he got it and asked me to work with him. I had a full plate working for Harris’ projects, but I would never miss the chance to work with Kyle. That’s how we met, you know, my first day of work.”
Hailey nodded. Of course she knew, but it felt nice to hear Landon talk about it. “Go on.”
Landon glanced at her and met her gaze. Something passed between them as if he knew that she just wanted to hear it, even though she knew the story. They had a common bond in Kyle’s stories.
“So I’m so excited for my first day, and I’m thinking I’m pretty awesome anyway. I had a brand new suit on and was carrying a briefcase my grandmother bought me for graduation. Pretty sure I thought I would be running the place by lunch.”
