“Between jobs?” The relief in my voice is probably embarrassing, but I can’t help it. “So it’s perfect!”
She laughs. “I suppose it is. But I should mention that I’d need to bring Ash with me sometimes, when he’s not at school. And once I do find another job, my availability will change.”
“That’s fine. More than fine.” I look at Ash, who’s successfully gotten Henry out of his seat without any crying. “Honestly, I think Henry likes having Ash around.”
“He does seem to respond well to him.” Alexa looks thoughtful. “What exactly would you need me to do?”
“Everything. Teach me how to feed him, change him properly, figure out why he’s crying, and how to get him to sleep.” I realize I’m rambling but can’t stop. “I took a month off work to figure this out, but I’m starting to think a month isn’t going to be enough.”
“A month is plenty of time to learn the basics,” Alexa assures me. “Babies have patterns. Once you figure out Henry’s pattern, it gets much easier.”
“So, you’ll do it?”
“I’ll do it.” She grins. “When do you want to start?”
“How about right now? I have no idea what to do with all this baby food we just bought.”
Alexa laughs. “Right now, it is.”
As we walk toward my house, with Henry content in my arms for once, and Ash chattering about all the things he wants to show me about taking care of babies, I feel something I haven’t felt since I brought Henry home.
Hope.
Maybe I can’t do this alone, but I don’t have to. Help has been living right next door this whole time, and I was too proud to ask for it.
Not anymore.
CHAPTER 8
ALEXA
Henry’s finally asleep in his bouncy seat, exhausted from his first day of homemade baby food adventures. I’m at Jordan’s sink, scrubbing sweet-potato purée from what feels like every surface in his kitchen, when he appears beside me with a dish towel.
“You don’t need to do that,” he says, gently taking the sponge from my hands. “You’ve done more than enough today.”
“It’s no problem. We made this mess together.”
“And I can clean it up myself.” Jordan’s voice is firm but kind. “Besides, you probably have plans tonight. It’s Saturday.”
I pause, suddenly aware of how my evening actually looks. “My plans involve hanging out with my nine-year-old.” The words come out before I can stop them, and immediately I feel heat creep up my neck. “Which probably sounds incredibly lame and like I have no social life.”
Jordan sets down the dish towel and looks at me directly. “It sounds like you’re a good mom who prioritizes her child. There’s nothing lame about that.”
The sincerity in his voice catches me off guard. I clear my throat and step back from the sink. “Well, Ash is probably wondering where I disappeared to.”
“Thanks again for today.” Jordan shifts toward his wallet on the counter. “I can’t believe how much he’s eaten. And that nap was amazing.”
I watch as he pulls out a stack of bills, counting out what looks like far more than I expected. “Jordan, you don’t need to?—”
“Three hundred.” He holds the money out to me. “For today.”
My eyes widen. “That’s way too much. We were only here for six hours.”
“You saved my sanity.” Jordan presses the money into my hand despite my protests. “You’re worth it.”
The bills feel substantial in my palm. More money than I’ve held at one time in months.
“For tomorrow,” Jordan continues, “how does fifty an hour sound?”
