Page 72 of You Fall First

“But I don’t have any of my stuff here,” she counters. Her tone is bright now, as she changes gears to a practical argument. “My toothbrush. My pajamas. My pillow …”

“My stuff’s not here, too,” he says, sitting all the way up now.

Checkmate.

“You go get it now, please,” he says. “Thank you.”

She blinks. “My pillow?”

“Your stuff.”

A tiny laugh slips from her, like she knows she’s beat. Like maybe she’s even accepting defeat. But this is not how I saw the night of the Happy Meal bribe going. And I can’t let Jo be pressured into staying here.

I have to find a way to let her off the hook.

“Why don’t we do this? Miss Jo can go home and pack a bag with her important stuff. Then tomorrow, if everybody still thinks this is a good idea, we can talk about her staying. How does that sound?” I shrug as if Dutton’s response is no big deal, although a lot hinges on it. “This is what we grownups call a compromise,” I add, but even as I say this, I realize the word “compromise” comes with “promise” inside it. So I really hope I’m not making a mistake here.

After all, I’m one of the grownups.

“That sounds like a good plan,” Jo says, trying on a half smile. No dimples, this time. “What do you think, Dutton?”

His gaze travels between us, then he gets quiet for a moment, like he’s considering all his options. That’s what four-year-olds do, right? Sometimes. Other times, they go way off the rails, and there’s no telling which time we’re in now.

“Tomorrow?” He looks down at Jo’s rabbit, blows out a long breath. “Bugs says a com-prom-miss is okay.”

“Nice work, Bugs,” Jo says. She’s already moving toward the door. “So I’ll head out now, and then I’ll see you and Bugs in the morning.”

Dutton blinks at her and nods. Big concession there. Jo and I dodged a much bigger potential tantrum.

For now.

While Dutton gathers Bugs and Rex for dinner, I walk Jo to her car as usual. But this time, she stops me at the curb before I jog around to open her door.

“So tomorrow night is the rehearsal dinner,” she says. “For Landry and Brock,” she adds, like I don’t already know who she’s talking about.

“Yeah, I remember.” I drag a hand over my head. “I wanted to give you an out for tonight, and I’m kinda hoping Dutton would forget all about you staying over by the morning.”

“Forget?” She wrinkles her nose. “Have you even met your nephew?”

This pulls a reluctant chuckle out of me. “I have indeed, and I’m sorry, Jo. Really. I was desperate.”

She glances at the house, then brings her gaze back to me. “I get it. He’s going through a lot right now. And honestly, if me staying here helps, I’m okay with that arrangement. It’s only temporary, right?”

My throat goes thick. “Yeah. Of course.”

“So, I’ll bring a bag over in the morning and spend the day with Dutton like always. Then I can come back after the rehearsal dinner to spend the night.” Her shoulders hitch. “No big deal.”

“That’s great,” I say, “except your sister’s wedding is the next day.”

“Yes, but the bridesmaids aren’t meeting for hair and makeup until noon. And since you won’t have work, you can take care of Dutton. Me staying here is barely a tweak to the plan.”

Jo Michaels, sleeping one wall away from me.

Barely a tweak?

Not likely.

“Are you absolutely sure?”