“I’ll double your salary and we can discuss your health benefits and retirement plans. I can contribute to those as well. If you work full time for me, we can set all that up.”
He was looking down at her with those blue eyes. She bit her lip, considering. “I really need to speak to Max about this. I don’t want to just uproot him. It would be a big move…”
“Why don’t we try it just through Christmas? It’s only a few weeks. If it works, you and Max can move in permanently. How about that?”
“Max has school for a few more weeks. The bus doesn’t come out here.”
“I’ll send Richard to pick him up. Max can come straight here after school.”
“What about his homework? I’ll be working…”
“You write your hours. You can be on call only, whenever you need to be with Max. We’ll find a way to fit it all in. I really feel strongly about having you in particular for my grandmother. She trusts you.”
“Max doesn’t have any things here. I’ll need to pack all his toys, his books…”
“Richard and the staff can help you pack them. You just tell them what you want to bring and they’ll ensure they arrive.”
“Where will we sleep?”
“I have enough bedrooms. Pick one.”
Abbey chewed on the thought for a moment. She really wasn’t sure at all. She knew she should be there for Caroline’s sake but it was a tough decision when Max was involved. Nick was wonderful with Max. Having him there, even for just some of the time, would be a great thing for her son. But then she’d recently seen how Nick could get when he was working. Would Max disturb him? Did Nick realize what it was like to live with a child in the house?
Max would love the idea, she was sure, and she could get her decorating done. She’d finally be able to relieve her mother of childcare duties. “Okay. Just until Christmas. Then we’ll reevaluate.”
A smile spread across his face, and she had to remind herself not to get her hopes up. She was there to work.
* * *
“What are you looking at, Mama?” Max asked as he stood beside Abbey in the kitchen. They’d only gotten back from her mother’s house about a half hour ago, and she was just now going through Max’s school papers. After everything else she’d had to do, she’d also had to run over and help Gramps understand why he needed to take his medicine. He’d sworn that he was the same on or off it. Finally, much later than she’d planned, she was just now looking through Max’s backpack. He was standing beside her, wearing his Christmas pajamas.
“It’s a flyer from school,” she said.
“What does it say?”
The one thing Abbey wrestled with every day was trying not to shield Max too much from the realities of life, but also not to overwhelm him with them. “It’s a list of the festivities for the school leading up to Christmas.”
“What are they?” he said, clearly becoming excited.
“Well, next Saturday is the Christmas festival. They’re going to auction off gift baskets. The basket theme for your class is ‘Stay Warm and Comfy.’ We’re supposed to donate things like hot chocolate, blankets, slippers—things like that.” She was so glad she was getting paid for decorating Nick’s house. The closer she got to finishing the job, the more comfortable she felt spending a little money. She still had his teacher to buy for as well.
“What else does it say? What’s that?” He tapped the box for Wednesday.
“The Wednesday after that is…” she paused, unsure of how to handle the situation. Should she just tell him?
“What?” Max asked impatiently. He was clearly so excited about everything going on. She didn’t want to put a damper on things.
“It’s ‘Bring Your Daddy to School Day’.” She tried to keep her face as neutral as possible.
“Everybody will have their daddies there,” Max said, his face looking anxious.
“Probably not everybody.”
“Not me.”
“How do you feel about that?”
“Sad. Like I’m different… Hey! I know! Could I bring Nick?”
“Nick?” She could hardly control her surprise. Gramps, yes. But Nick?
“Yeah. I like him.”
“What do you like about him?” There were a ton of things Abbey liked about Nick—the way he knew how to play piano, the interest he showed on his face when he looked at her, the gentleness he’d had with Max, the fun they’d had together…
“I like that he lets me show him stuff. He’s nice. And I like that he took us to see the real Santa. If I had a daddy, I’d want him to be like that.”