Page 6 of Never Bargain with the Boss

“I’ll have an answer for you about Austin when you arrive.”

After saying goodbye, I go back to looking out the car’s glass roof at the sky. It’s a beautiful, clear blue with only a few white clouds, and the leaves on the nearby tree are already starting to turn. Another sign of change on the horizon.

I slouch down in my seat, thinking. A couple of days snuggling a new baby will be nice, especially at double pay.That’ll be enough cushion to give me some time to figure out what’s next, with a clear conscience about Austin’s foster kids.

CAMERON

I’m at Uncle Cole’s with Aunt Janey and baby Emmett.

The after-school text from Grace is a welcome distraction from my long workday, and the accompanying picture, even more so. The image shows Grace curled up in the corner of a couch, holding her baby cousin and smiling softly at him. She’s a wonderful cousin and does an amazing job every time she’s with him.

I have hours left before I’m done at the office, so I’m glad Grace is in good hands with my brother and sister-in-law. I wasn’t sure they’d be up for it, given their three-month-old little one, but Cole didn’t hesitate to say yes when I asked. I’m immensely grateful that my family is always ready to help with whatever Grace or I need, like today’s school pickup and hangout.

I respond with a heart-eyed emoji, something she taught me to do, then stare at my phone, mentally composing a text that says everything I want to say.

Make sure you do your homework too.

I send the text back hoping she remembers Emmett’s not the only person who needs taken care of and that she shouldprioritize herself too, not spend the whole afternoon snuggling with her cousin.

Mostly, I want her to not get in the way and hinder things for Cole and Janey, who are still adjusting to their new roles as parents.

Janey will do great. My brother, Cole? Jury’s still out. He’s a bit rigid in his thinking and probably has a checklist on how to stop the baby from crying. The only problem with that is babies don’t go by a checklist. I remember holding Grace in my arms as a newborn. She was the cutest, sweetest thing, but man, the lungs on that girl could rival a heavy metal concert screech.

A smile ghosts across my face at the happy memory before the rest of that picture pops up in my head—Grace’s mother, my wife,Michelle…

My smile instantly melts away, blackness threatening to overwhelm my thoughts. Nope, I amnotdoing that right now. Or ever. Those images are tucked away in a box, secured with a lock I’ve forgotten the combination to, wrapped in duct tape, and shoved in a dark corner in the recesses of my mind.

I force down the memory—and more importantly, the unwelcome emotions that try to bubble up with it—and turn my attention back to my computer. A scan of the latest figures tells me that it’s time to divest from some of our current holdings. I type out a quick memo to that effect and send it to one of my investment managers and let myself get carried away with work the way I always do.

Work is… well, I’d say my happy place, but I don’t really dohappy, so it’s more like my safe space. The place that keeps my mind so busy that I don’t have time to think about the black void in my chest where my heart used to reside.

By seven, I’m pulling up to Cole and Janey’s. I’m ready to eat dinner, hang out with my Gracie girl, and make sure she gets to bed at a reasonable time.

It should be a pretty easy evening, I think to myself.

Which of course the universe laughs at. Because if there’s one thing I should know by now, it’s that expectations invite chaos, and me and chaos are not friends. Never have been, never will be. It’s the antithesis of who I am.

Cole opens the door with Emmett in his arms and a look of exhaustion on his face. But he’s smiling, which is a good sign. Behind him, my daughter is standing on the coffee table, getting ready to launch herself over the couch. “Peanut Butter! Give me that back!”

“What the?—”

“Fudge,” Cole snaps, harshly correcting me before I even curse, and I give him an odd look. Is he seriously worried about foul language when my child is…

“Grace Marie!” I shout, “Get down!”

She freezes for a split second and then simply jumps the other way, not over the couch, but beside it, and immediately begins chasing my other brother, Kyle’s, wayward mutt of a dog. The brown, fluffy beast has a solid case of the zoomies, making fast laps around the living room with a piece of white paper in his mouth. I thought dogs were supposed to age out of this, but in PB’s case, apparently not.

“Give it back!” Grace yells at Peanut Butter. To me, she adds, “It’s my math homework, and if he eats it, I’m not doing it again.”

Fair enough, I think. Honestly, Grace is great at math, thanks to yours truly, so one zero on one homework assignment isn’t the end of the world. As long as she understands the material, it’s good enough for me as long as it’s a one-off, not a usual thing. But given her recent bombing of a test, I’m not sure her grade can withstand a zero, so I make a fast grab for the dog and manage to carefully untangle the paper from hismouth. “Here,” I tell Grace brusquely, pushing the wrinkled—and slobbery—homework her way.

She gives the smiling dog a dirty look. Yeah, Kyle’s dog actually knows how to smile. He can roll his eyes too. He’s weird like that, but it’s not surprising given my brother is a piece of work too.

“Chill evening at home?” I taunt Cole wryly, and he shrugs, his attention never leaving the adorable bundle of his baby.

Emmett Nash Harrington is the latest addition to our large family, coming not too long after Cole and Janey got married, and as the second grandchild, he’s got a lifetime of being spoiled rotten ahead of him. Not only by his parents and grandparents, but by all of us Harrington brothers who’ll battle for ranking as the favorite uncle. My sister, Kayla, who got off easy as the guaranteed favorite aunt when Grace was born, now has competition with my sisters-in-law, so that’ll be entertaining to watch. Though, let’s be real. Kayla’s going to win. She always does.

“Not too bad, actually,” Cole answers. “Janey and I got to take a shower, a nap, and eat today since Riley was here, so we’re ready for tonight’s no-sleep rave.Boots and cats, and boots and cats.” He bounces Emmett like they’re dancing even though the baby is fast asleep.

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