“Seriously?” Xavier asked, sounding stunned.
“As a heart attack,” Caleb answered.
“Aren’t you… babysitting?” Landon pressed.
“Yes. Yes, I am,” Caleb said in a strangled voice.
“Did you call 911? Is it Lily?” Xavier asked, sounding slightly panicked.
“No, no, it’s nothing like that,” Caleb said, trying his best to reassure them. He didn’t want a full-blown panic on his hands.
“Then what is it?” Xavier pressed, sounding impatient.
“Double-oh-seven,” Caleb said, pulling out the big guns.
“What’s the address?” Landon asked.
Caleb quickly gave Sophia’s address and hung up. The bargain he had with his brothers stipulated that no explanation was necessary once you invoked the numbers 007. It was tried and true. They had only pulled it out a handfulof times in moments of dire emergencies. Caleb figured this situation qualified, since he was over his head and drowning fast. He had no idea what he was going to do with Lily for the next six hours. She was sleeping a bit fitfully, and he sensed she would soon be waking up from her mini nap.
Not ten minutes later, the doorbell buzzed, and he let out a sigh of relief.
“Reinforcements,” Caleb said as he wrenched the door open. He had never been so happy to see Xavier and Landon in his life. “I’m so stoked to see you, I could almost cry.”
They didn’t waste any time stepping inside Sophia’s house. Both of them were looking around, as they weren’t quite sure what to expect.
“So, what’s the emergency?” Xavier was looking at him with a good deal of suspicion on his face.
“Shh. Lily is sleeping,” Caleb said, raising a finger to his lips. The last thing he wanted was for Lily to pop up and start running him ragged again. She was a great kid, but having a few moments of peace and quiet was pretty awesome.
“Is she sick or something? Because you do realize neither one of us is a doctor.” Landon threw up his hands. “Start talking, Caleb. Tell us what’s wrong.”
All of a sudden he felt pretty sheepish. Maybe he was overreacting.
“I think I’m in over my head if I’m being completely honest,” Caleb admitted. “Lily is an amazing little girl, but I literally am already exhausted. And I promised Sophia I would be a rock star sitter for her daughter, so I need your help.”
Both of his brothers were frowning and shaking their heads.
“I can’t believe you invoked double-oh-seven for a babysitting situation,” Xavier said, letting out a hissing sound like air escaping tires. “You’re definitely getting soft in your old age.”
“Taken down by a four-year-old,” Landon said, letting out a snort. “Who would’ve thunk it?”
He should have known that his brothers wouldn’t understand. When was the last time either one of them had babysat a small child? The answer was never.
“You guys have no idea of how much stamina a four-year-old has or everything I’ve done to keep her entertained,” he said huffily. Humph. They had no business judging him when they had no experience of their own with little ones.
All of a sudden Lily was standing in the hallway, stretching her arms over her head.
“Caleb! Let’s play dollies,” she cried out. The nap must have done her a world of good, because she was totally reinvigorated.
“Oh, no,” Caleb said, groaning. “She’s awake!” He was speaking in a hushed tone so Lily wouldn’t overhear him. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her little feelings.
Xavier poked him in the side with his elbow. “Don’t be such a wuss.” He went over and bent down in front of Lily. “Hi, I’m Xavier, Caleb’s older brother. And this guy here,” he said, pointing at Landon, “is our baby brother, Landon.”
“Hi there,” Landon said, waving in her direction.
“Hi,” Lily said, moving toward Caleb and tugging on his hand. “Come on, Caleb. It’s playtime.” She turned toward Xavier and Landon. “Let’s play dress-up.”
Caleb shot his brothers an imploring look. “Yeah, let’s all play,” he said. “Please.”
