“Do you guys have any canned cat food?” I asked.

I could hear his snicker on the line. “I do. How’s that going?”

“Currently setting up the trap.” Avery let out a gasp and I quickly corrected myself. “The lure. We’re luring the cat home. Do you think you can make a house call with that wet food?”

He was silent for a moment before speaking. “Oakley was about to go grab us some lunch. I can have her swing by with it. Just text her the address.”

“Alright. Thanks, Len.”

“Have fun wrangling cats,” he said before we hung up.

“Wrangling cats,” I muttered under my breath.

I was never going to hear the end of this from my siblings.

***

After Oakley dropped the can of wet food off, Avery had filled a separate bowl with it, then we headed inside. She showed me her favorite toys, gave me a little tour of her room, and then asked for something to eat. Without knowing what Sage had in her kitchen, I let Avery choose and made her a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup.

She’d devoured it, and shortly after, I’d suggested we clean up some of her toys in the living room. I’d pressed that we had to be quiet in order not to wake her mom, and I had to admit, it was pretty adorable watching Avery tiptoe through the living room to gather her toys. While she was gathering her toy ponies, I’d laid a blanket over Sage, careful not to wake her. 

I cleaned up the kitchen, washing the dishes that I’d used for Avery’s lunch, then got to work spraying down the counters. I wasn’t sure if Sage would like me cleaning her house like this—not that it needed to be cleaned so thoroughly, it was a home, after all—so I didn’t want to overstep by going through cabinets and doing laundry. I thought wiping down some counters would be okay.

“What are you doing?” Sage asked from the entry to the kitchen. 

My eyes shot to her, my strokes with the paper towel pausing. “Cleaning?”

“I see that. But why?” 

“To help out, I guess. I didn’t want to wake you, and I didn’t want to leave Avery alone while you were napping, so I figured I could do a few things.”

Sage rubbed her eyes, blinking away the sleep and surveying the kitchen. “It looks…amazing.”

A smile pulled at the corners of my lips. “Thank you.”

“Mama! Did you see I cleaned up my toys?” Avery asked, running into the room from down the hall.

Sage crouched to her level, pulling her in for a hug. “I did, Aves. Thank you. I appreciate that.”

After she stood, I asked, “Did you enjoy your nap?”

She nodded. “It was much-needed.”

Avery headed back down the hall, presumably to continue playing with her toys she’d moved into her bedroom. I didn’t say every room was spotless. 

Sage glanced at the clock on the stove and cursed. “I have to get to work in thirty minutes. I didn’t realize I’d slept so long.” She turned toward the hallway and called out, “Aves, please get ready to go.”

“I can watch her,” I offered without thinking. Yeah, right. Like she was going to trust me alone in her house with her daughter when she barely knew me.

Sage faced me, her eyes wide. “What?”

“Avery. I can watch her so you don’t have to bring her to work.”

Her gaze darted around the room as she processed what I was saying. “You’ve already done so much, Callan. I don’t want to use you like that.”

I tossed the paper towel I was still holding in the trash, coming around the island. “It’s not using me if it’s something I want to do.”

She studied me for a few moments before saying, “You want to watch a five-year-old while I go to work?”

I shrugged. “I like kids.”

Sage shook her head, more in disbelief than as an answer. “I have a short shift. I’m just going in for a few hours until the cafe closes, so I should be home by five.”

Four hours. That wouldn’t be too bad.

“I can do that.”

Her brows drew together. “You’re sure?”

“Positive.”

She eyed me like she was trying to tell if I was serious. “If something goes wrong, will you call me?” 

I nodded. “I’ll send you updates every thirty minutes.”

Her brows raised an inch. “Okay.”

There wasn’t really a good way to reassure a mother that her child was in good hands because no matter what, they’d worry, so she’d just have to trust that Avery would be okay with me for four hours. 

If watching Avery for the afternoon made Sage’s day easier, I’d do it without hesitation any time she needed it.

15

Sage

“No Avery today?” Penny asked as I walked in the door to Bell Buckle Brews, the cowbell above me letting out a clang.

“She’s at home with…” Calling Callan a babysitter felt weird. He felt like more than that, like a friend doing a friend a favor. But was he my friend? “Callan.”

Penny’s eyes shot wide as I approached the counter. “Callan Bronson?”

“Why’d you say his name like that? Is he secretly a serial killer or something?” My luck, that’d end up being the truth.

The cafe was empty behind me, it's usual pace during this time of the day. 

“No. I’m just surprised he’d be watching Avery. Are you guys friends or something?”

Or something sounded like the right answer.