“Yes, you.” Mr. G. folded his arms. “You’ve been an exceptional and loyal employee, always looking for the best way to serve our customers while making the best use of our resources. I might not be talking to you if you hadn’t made the decision to return to school and major in business.”
“Yeah, but Mr. G.” Fighting a sense of panic, Dylan leapt to his feet. “I’ve just started back. It’s going to take me years to get my degree, and you know how much money I make.”
“What’s important is how you’ve stepped up in other ways. You’ve taken on responsibility for your nephew, and I’ve seen how you’ve helped Rae with her children since her husband passed. In spite of all that, you went back to school. You’ve continued to carry those burdens, and your work here hasn’t suffered.” Mr. G.’s expression turned somber. “I know it’d be asking a lot, but the alternative is to sell out.”
The words Dylan had meant to speak in disagreement froze on his lips. If they were swallowed up by a bigger company, everyone’s jobs would be on the line.
“How would someone like me convince a bank to loan the money?”
“We can work around that if you’re willing to take it on.” The older man patted Dylan on the shoulder and said, “I know this is a lot to throw at you, and we do have time. Just give it some thought.” He went back to his desk and sat down, giving Dylan a wave.
Feeling like he’d just walked into an alternate reality, he left the office.
“You all right?” Rae asked, her voice laced with concern.
“I . . .” Even if Dylan could get his head around what had just happened, he had no idea how to put it in words. “I’ll talk to you about it after class tonight.”
“Okay,” she said, looking worried for him.
As he walked away, he could feel her gaze on him. Whatever he chose to do, it seemed things were changing at Green Pest Control. How was it going to impact his plans to win her?
2
Rae nuzzled Beth’s neck, and the toddler gave a little giggle. She’d finally started to speak a few words again. Her vocabulary hadn’t been very big, but after Mike’s death, the poor baby had gone silent. Then Dylan had moved in next door and changed that. Even though he’d been new to the surrogate father thing with his nephew, Dylan hadn’t hesitated to take Preston and Beth under his wing too.
What would Rae have done without him these past months? He was always there when she needed him.
“I love you, baby,” Rae whispered as she put Beth in her bed and covered the child with a blanket.
“Mama,” Preston called from his bedroom. “Are you going to read us a bedtime story?”
Rae turned out the light and hurried into the other bedroom. The Littles were waiting on the bottom bunk with five picture books each. She laughed and squeezed in between them. Dylan’s nephew, Jayden, was eight months younger than her Preston, and they’d become fast friends the first time they’d met.
By the time she’d finished the fourth book, both boys were asleep. She didn’t bother to shift Preston to the top bunk. He’d be going to kindergarten in the fall, and she had a hard time lifting him up there now. She shifted them so one boy’s head was at each end of the bed and spread a quilt over them.
As she was coming down the stairs, a knock sounded on her door. Rae paused to listen for stirrings in the bedrooms upstairs but heard nothing. She hurried to the door and looked through the peephole. Amelia. Rae unlocked the door.
“What brings you over this fine spring evening?” Rae asked, moving aside to let Amelia enter.
“I made some cookies and knew you’d be babysitting.” Amelia stepped in and glanced around the room. “Ah, they’re already in bed. Well, I suppose they can enjoy them just as well tomorrow.” She handed over the plate.
“Or Dylan will eat them when he comes back.” Rae headed toward her kitchen. “He’s always hungry after class, especially on nights with tests.”
“He’s a good man.” Amelia sat at the table next to the laptop Rae had been working at earlier. The older woman folded her hands in a familiar position Rae had come to recognize as her “I’m about to dispense motherly advice” posture.
Resigned, Rae set the plate in the middle of the table and took a chair. She’d lost her mother as a teen. While she loved her father dearly, he was emotionally distant. Over the years she'd come to rely on Amelia for a lot of things a mother would have provided, especially when Rae had lost Mike.
“It’s time for you to start dating, hon. You’ve shut yourself off with your children long enough.” Amelia nodded. “It was appropriate while the three of you were grieving, but it’s time for you to start living again.”
“Just because I’m not dating doesn’t mean I’m not living. Besides, I’m not interested in a romantic involvement.” Rae didn’t know why she kept her main reason secret. Maybe because the memory of her friend’s tragedy was too scary. It could also be because she expected an argument from Amelia and didn’t want to go there. Rae said, “It wouldn’t be fair to the guy. I still see Mike everywhere.”
“And you’ll continue to see him everywhere. He was a big part of your life. You had two beautiful children together. That’s not ever going to change. But the fact that you’ve loved deeply before should help you to love deeply again.” Amelia held up a hand to stop Rae’s argument and said, “I’m not talking about finding yourself a boyfriend right now. I’m talking about socializing. You need a life outside of your children and work.”
Rae shook her head. “When I count their waking hours, their babysitter and I split their time nearly fifty/fifty. I agree I need to have some other outlets, but I’m not going to leave my kids to be raised by my sitter during the day and then again at night so I can play. They’re only going to be little for a few years. I won’t lose that time with them.”
“I’m not suggesting you should. But I also know if you don’t take time to fill your own vessel, you won’t have anything to give to your sweet children. I think it's been great that you've been watching Jayden for Dylan while he goes to class. Now that he’s taken on the responsibility for that little guy, it’s good he’s trying to improve his own situation. I know he’s also offered to reciprocate with the babysitting. I think you should take him up on it.” Amelia pulled Rae’s laptop between them. “It’s time to get you set up on a dating site or two.”
“No. Not that.” Rae tried to push the computer away from them. “You think I don’t hear some of the single girls at the office talk about ‘hit it and quit it’? They get sent unsolicited pictures of naked men and invitations to hook upall the time. It’s like they’re on some list for free call girls where the guys don’t even buy them dinner first. That’snotfor me. I’d rather be single and never go on another date in my life than subject myself to that kind of thing.”
