“I can’t even manage today.” Rachel threw her hands up as though their surroundings were proof of that.
The house looked like the boys had fought a war in the living room and the other side won.
“I’m still getting through today. I’m not thinking about the summer yet,” she continued.
“What can we do to help?” Dave asked. “Today. To make things easier for you. We can talk about summer later. Let’s deal with today first.”
Travis might as well hop up on the bannister and watch Denver’s king of solutions at work.
“Well, first I need someone to count up the calendar sales for the PTA and submit the order.” Rachel started a countdown on her fingertips. “Then I have a new client who needs updates done for his website, but we’re still trying to track down the login information from his former assistant. I have four ad accounts to check. Two bookkeeping files to update. And about two dozen phone calls to respond to.” She kept her voice neutral, as though reciting a grocery list. “Somewhere during that I’ll be figuring out how to explain the lake vacation situation to my boys without causing too many questions about why their dad won’t spend time with them. Oh, and I’ll need to get everything set up, managed, and torn down for the party.” She lifted her chin in that take-no-shit way of hers, but her lower lip trembled a touch and fuck it, he knew, she was barely holding it all together.
She needed a massage or something.
Dave had clearly been thinking more like: take the boys to Chuck E. Cheese for dinner. That’s what Travis would’ve offered up,anyway.
“Rach.” Travis did a slow walk toward her. He shoved his hands into his pockets so he wouldn’t reach out and do something ridiculous like try to comfort her. “Has Gavin helped with any of the stuff for the boys? The PTA, the party?”
She got the lip wobble under control as she said, “He offered to hire a party planner.”
Dave whistled a low sound that somehow came out like the word “fuck.” Which was apt. Even Travis knew what a blow that offer must’ve been to Rachel. She wanted help, yes, but she didn’t want it done for her.
Gavin helping was one thing. Gavin hiring someone else to help? That was a big ol’ middle finger to the way Rachel liked things done.
“Dave and I can help with the party. Mom and Dad, too. We mean it, whatever you need,” Travis said as Dave looked like he was still percolating on the summer solutions. “Same thing for the summer. I get it, you want the boys to be with their parents. You come along with us. Whatever you need. We’ve got your back.”
Rachel shook her head. He could practically see the mental gymnastics she was doing in her mind to sort out the summer without Gavin and the family sabbatical, which he guessed was a break she looked forward to. Even if she wouldn’t admit it. “This summer is out. I’ll keep the boys here, find them a day camp or something while I’m working.”
Well, that was going to make Meemaw very unhappy. First, she lost Gavin at her summer summit. Now she was losing her only grandchildren, too.
“Can you work from the lake house?” Dave asked. “Built-in childcare with a twenty-four seven Meemaw, Pawpaw, and the uncles. There’s a big office in the library you can have all to yourself when you need to work.”
Where Travis was clipped and brusque and to the point, Dave was smooth and calm and logical.
His tone got Rachel to pause.
“Free wifi,” Travis added.
Dave glared at him as though this was precisely why he didn’t invite Travis on sales calls.
Before Rachel could answer, the doorbell chimed. Kellan and Brady barreled down the stairs like the house was on fire, and if they got outside, they could meet a real-life firefighter.
Color Travis impressed that even with their enthusiasm and the abundance of elbows thrown to the other, neither took a header into the railing.
“Mom!” Kellan bounced toward the door, screeching to a stop as he ran smack dab into her chest. “What did he send?”
Rachel placed her hands on Kellan’s shoulders as though to make him stop bouncing. It didn’t work, but she tried. “I don’t know. The door is still closed.”
He skirted to the left and around her, not even pausing for her to answer as he threw open the door. Brady cautiously followed.
Travis held the door as Rachel and Dave trailed after the boys. Rachel paused. Dave kept walking.
Travis stilled behind Rachel as the driver of the van removed two animal crates with a puppy in each one.
A golden retriever puppy in each one. Purebred if Travis had to guess.
Travis glanced at Dave. Dave,who now got to figure out what the hell to do with two puppies at the very-specific puppy-free Twin Lakes residence.
The only animal allowed there was his mother’s fake cat.
