Page 52 of Eligible Best Friend

If he continues to sleep over, I could get a little bed for him. The bedroom I had as a kid is free. I’m storing some old furniture items for Mom that she didn’t want to bring to her apartment. I haven’t used them in the last couple of years. They could go. Then Jayden would have his own room.

I could even decorate the walls. Something Jayden would like. My gaze touches on the Paw Patrol toys on the floor. He loves Marshall. A fireman. I huff out a laugh. Figures.

A list runs through my mind. A toddler bed. A small dresser. I shouldn’t need a changing table since he’ll potty train soon enough. I’ll have to clear out the closet so he has a place for his toys.

A bedroom all to himself. He has one at Cass’s house, but this would be at my place. His own space with me.

The idea snowballs until I pack up Jayden to head to the store. I call Lia. “Want to come with me?”

“Sure. To do what?”

I chuckle. “You agreed before you even knew what I was asking?”

“Hazard of being your partner. I trust you. Besides, Mrs. Rosenthal made another comment about my flower beds and I’ll feel less guilty ignoring them if I’m gone.”

“Or…you could plant something.”

“I keep people alive, not plants.”

I don’t have to worry about surprising her with flowers then. “I’m going to redo my old bedroom for Jayden. Cass isn’t picking him up until before supper. I have time to run to a couple of stores.”

“Sounds fun. Pick me up?”

Fifteen

Lia

Ford squats next to Jayden, his hand protectively on the boy’s back while they look at various toy storage options. With each piece of furniture Ford picks, he goes over it with Jayden. I doubt many toddlers have this level of input in their bedroom design.

Ford is far more concerned about each choice than his son. Jayden wandered from bed to bed, trying to get into each one and barely looking at any photos of the ones that weren’t built for display.

He straightens and swings Jayden up on his shoulders. The boy giggles and clutches his father’s hair. Ford winces, but his mouth is tipped in a smile. He’s been loving this afternoon.

“It’s settled,” he announces. “He likes this one.”

I eye the set of multicolored bins arranged in two different rows tucked into a wooden frame. People mill around us. The store isn’t busy for a Sunday and we blend with the rest of the shoppers. We’re just a normal couple, out grabbing a few things for a kid’s bedroom. We’re not pretending, we’re not trying out a real date, and we’re not out in nature away from everyone and their prying eyes.

It’s nice. This is the normalcy I craved when I moved.

I put my hands on my hips. “It has a fire engine on it. Are you going to allow that?”

“Cops and firemen get all the glory. Besides, I lost the battle when Cass introduced him to Paw Patrol. I think it was a calculated maneuver.”

“So we have a place for toys, a bed, and a dresser picked out.” Two dressers, but the room isn’t that big and Jayden’s clothes are pretty small. He didn’t have much at Ford’s place, but our basket is full of shorts, shirts, and bib sets. We even have a little plastic plate and silverware combo with an array of sippy and regular cups. All Jayden approved. “The big question is, how are you going to get it home?”

Ford hangs on to Jayden’s feet and shrugs. “I’ll have to see if they deliver.”

Something Karoline said the night we dined together comes back to me. “Doesn’t Ryan have an old pickup from high school?”

“I think so.”

“Why don’t you call him?”

Ford stares at me. Jayden wiggles on his wide shoulders, breaking the trance. “I can’t call him out of the blue just to ask to use his pickup.”

“It’d be good if you reached out for once.”

“I’m doing that cookout. We’re doing that cookout.”

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