“It’s got to be tough for you,” she added. “We all have a routine and you didn’t get a say in how we established it. I hope Harris is taking the time to explain things to you.”
“He showed her where all the stuff goes in the kitchen,” Gentry said. “Shawna’s with you, Mom. She doesn’t think the colander should go in the pantry, either.”
“Harris doesn’t believe in putting things back in their place,” Jax said. “It’s challenging for sure.”
“It is. I told him it would be easier for me to be the one to empty the dishwasher. That way things get put where they belong.”
“Yes, but then you’re the only one doing the work,” Jax said before she could stop herself. “You need to share the chores so it doesn’t all fall on you. Gentry and Xander take turns setting the table so maybe they could take turns emptying the dishwasher as well.”
“Oh, they don’t set the table. I do that.”
As Shawna spoke, Xander pulled a nearby book off a shelf and pretended sudden great interest. Gentry studied her shoes.
Jax looked at both of them. “You’re not setting the table when you’re with your dad and Shawna? I’m speaking to both of you and I expect an answer.”
“She was doing it,” Xander said, sliding the book back into place. “I said I could help but she said she wanted things a certain way.”
Gentry nodded vigorously. “She said on Xander’s day he didn’t have to so I didn’t do it on my day. After a couple of times, I forgot to ask.”
“That is not okay. I’m disappointed in both of you.” She pointed. “Go wait in my office. I’ll speak to you in a few minutes.”
They sighed heavily but walked away, shoulders slumped. Jax waited until they were out of earshot to turn to Shawna.
“Look, I know you want them to like you and I’m sure you do have a special way of setting the table.” Mostly because she was young and enthused and hadn’t been overwhelmed by parental responsibilities and a futile attempt to find a work-life balance. “That’s great, but don’t keep the kids from helping. If you start that, they’ll never want to do anything. You’ll end up doing it all.”
“But I’m the mom. That’s how it’s supposed to be.” Shawna pressed her lips together. “I meant the wordmomgenerically, of course. You’re their real mother.”
Jax waved the comment away. “That’s not the point. They need chores. They need to learn responsibility. Everyone in the family needs to work to support the family, even if it’s just emptying the dishwasher. We’re a shared unit.”
She deliberately softened her tone. “I need your help in this, Shawna. I don’t want my kids to be spoiled and entitled. Everything happened so fast.” She swallowed against the sensation of rising bile as she murmured, “The three of us should probably sit down and come up with house rules that work for all of us, including chore lists. Harris and I did that, but now you have a place in our, um, family.”
Shawna stunned her by surging forward and hugging her. “You’re amazing. Thank you for being so kind. Ithasbeen hard. I don’t know if I have unrealistic expectations or if Xander was testing me, but he was doing such a bad job that I said I would do it myself. I knew I was making a mistake, but I couldn’t seem to stop myself. So now I’m doing it all and I’m busy every second of every day.”
She stepped back, her eyes damp with tears. “Please don’t hate me but I’m counting the minutes until it’s your turn to have the kids again.”
Jax thought that if Shawna felt she was overwhelmed now, she should wait until she was doing all this with a newborn, butkept that nugget to herself. Instead she said, “Tonight when you get home, why don’t you go upstairs to your bedroom and do some deep breathing while Harris cooks dinner?”
Shawna’s surprise was almost comical. “Harris doesn’t cook dinner. He doesn’t know how. I mean he can make a few simple things, but he can’t pull a meal together.”
Holy shit! Jax felt her mouth drop open. “Did he tell you that? We split up nearly two years ago. He’s been living with the kids every other week since then. Who do you think has fed them all this time?”
“I don’t know.” She frowned. “Okay, he never actuallysaidhe couldn’t cook, but it was kind of implied and I...” She blinked. “He can cook?”
“Yes, he can. And clean up the kitchen and load the dishwasher and do laundry. He’s practically a 1950s housewife.”
She supposed she could have felt guilty about throwing her ex under the bus, but she didn’t have it in her. Bad enough Harris was being a weasel about the engagement but worse that he was making Shawna do all the work.
“I didn’t know,” she whispered.
“Now you do and you might want to talk to him about what he has and hasn’t been doing. In the meantime, I’m going to lecture my children on the fact that they have chores to do. I’m going to emotionally crush their little souls and they’re going to feel bad. Tonight you’re going to let them set the table and empty the dishwasher. Agreed?”
Shawna nodded. “You’re amazing.”
“I have experience and sometimes I’m cranky. You’ll get there.”
“I hope so.”
“Now, about the pictures,” Jax said.
