I won’t have to ask that question when it comes to Chase. For a short time, he’s mine, and I’m his. That’s all that matters at the moment.
“Hey, I just had a great idea.”
“What?” I ask, slowly. Russ’s good ideas never end well for one of us. Usually me.
“Chase should stay here, too, in the house. You’ve got an extra guest room, and then we’ll all be together. I only have a fewdays here, and I want to spend as much time with both of you as possible.” Russ gets this puppy dog look on his face. It works, and he knows it. “Please? Unless it’ll be too hard on you.”
I suck in a breath. It will be, but not for the reasons Russ thinks. It’ll be hard because we’ll only be a few yards apart on those nights, yet still apart. We can’t do anything with Russ in the house. Or at least we can’t do anything that makes one of us make noise.
“Great idea. I’ll ask Chase now.”
“Ask Chase what?” He sticks his head into Russ’s room.
“Your brother’s suggested that you stay in the other guest room this week. That way we can all be close and together.” I plaster a smile on my face and hope it passes as genuine. Chase has been planning to get Russ alone to have a conversation. He even practiced a few pieces on me. Somehow, I don’t think doing it like this is quite what he had in mind.
Chase’s gaze darts back and forth between Russ and me. For a second, I think he might try to pass out on me again. Instead, he swallows, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “That sounds great. I’ll grab a few things from the studio and join you.”
18
NIX
“Tell me you didn’t actually do that.” I practically fall off the sofa laughing.
“Ninety percent of what I said was exactly what I told them.” I hope the other ten percent is the part that included profanity. “They needed to hear it. Their kid is great, but that’s not enough. They need to provide more support around the house. I’m there for the children, not to do household chores.”
It’s a line Russ has always drawn with the families he nannies for. He’s happy to clean up after any activities he does with the kids, but he’s not a housekeeper. Last night’s dishes and general house maintenance fall to someone else.
“So what did they say?” Chase has a serious expression on. The one that means business. He’s ready to go to battle for his brother. Their dynamic is why I always wanted an older sibling. One to step in and fight for me. Russ often hates it, thinks Chase should let him handle his own battles. Personally, I would’ve loved someone to help fight off the high school bullies.
“They were hesitant at first, but by the end of the conversation, I think we were on the same page.” Russ leans back in the chair and sips on his wine. “You know, I do have this under control. I’ve done this a few times.”
A fewis a vast understatement. I swear, he has this same discussion with every new job. Most of the time, it ends up fine. But there have been a few times when it means the end of one of his gigs. That used to be a bigger deal when he took live-in nanny positions. Then his living situation depended entirely on his employment. Now he only takes day-only jobs—no in-home living.
“So you’re good?” Chase still looks like he’s considering murder. I wish I could take his hand and provide him comfort. As things are, we’re separated by several feet, each of us taking one end of the couch. It’s terrible, being so close to him and yet so far away.
What’s worse is that I’m about to spend the night alone for the first time since my plumbing broke. I’ve never minded sleeping alone, often preferring it. Now that I’ve slept next to Chase, I can already feel the emptiness of the spot next to me in my room.
“Yes, big brother. I’m good.”
The corners of Chase’s mouth are pulled tight. Yeah, he’s not letting this go quite that easily.
“Okay, it’s been a long day, so I’m headed to bed.” Russ downs the last of his wine and stands, wobbling slightly before regaining his balance. “What time do we leave in the morning?”
“In the morning?” I ask, afraid I’ve somehow missed plans.
“Yeah, I’m the newest shop volunteer.”
“We don’t have…is eight-thirty okay?” There’s no use in arguing with him. I’ve learned that lesson time and again over the years. All I can do now is lean in to whatever he’s cooked up.
“Perfect. Night, you two.”
With Russ off to his room, that leaves Chase and me standing alone in my living room. “So,” I whisper, “big plans for the evening?”
“This is weird. Being here like this. Keeping a secret.”
“Do you want me to bring him back? I can give the two of you space.”
“No. Not right now. I’ll do it tomorrow after we’ve both gotten a little bit of rest.”
