Page 37 of Last Call

“It would be a terrific location for a home baseifI wanted to start something new.”

Riley suppressed a grin. “You’ve been thinking about this.”

“A little,” Fallon admitted. “I think it might be fun to offer something to tourists—passersby.”

“Something?” Riley questioned.

“Not just skiing. It wouldn’t take much for me to get certified as an instructor. If Ididwant to offer lessons, I would need to partner with some of the resorts. And I would need help.”

“You’ve already been thinking about Dave. I told you, I think he’d be a terrific person to help.”

“He would.”

Fallon’s relationship with Dave and Jacob was different from Riley’s; she had known them their entire lives. Although Dave’s bond with Andi and Billie had deepened, Fallon still felt some guilt over the rift between Andi and Dave. She had invested time and energy in her relationships with both of Andi’s boys. Recently, she helped Dave move some belongings from his off-campus apartment to Billie’s house, which gave her the chance to talk to him without interruption.She had replayed the conversation many times and had yet to share anything about it with Riley.

“Did something happen when you helped him move?” Riley asked.

“We talked for the entire ride to Vermont. It’s not like we haven’t spent time together. I don’t think about it, but I haven’t spent any timealonewith Dave since we got married—not really.”

“And?”

“And I think we might both benefit from a new project,” Fallon said.

Two Weeks Earlier

“Thanks,” Dave said, placing a box into the bed of Fallon’s truck.

“You don’t need to thank me,” Fallon replied.

“I know you’re busy.”

Fallon found Dave’s assumption laughable. Busy? Recently, Fallon struggled to find activities to fill her time when Owen wasn’t home. It felt like Owen had a more active social life than she did. He spent time with Andi, Ida, Barb, and Beth. Owen enjoyed being around his cousins. Fallon recognized that interacting with other children was beneficial for his overall development, but she missed the days when he would look for her at every turn. He would celebrate his fourth birthday in just over a month, and in the fall, he’d start preschool. Selfishly, Fallon wanted to spend as much time with Owen as possible.

Purchasing the land near Ida and collaborating with her architect to design a new house had been a distraction for a couple of months. The plans were in place, and unless the builder encountered issues, there wasn’t much left for her to do. Riley was racing against a deadline. When Andi wasn’t babysitting, she was absorbed in a home makeover. Ida had custody of Emily and Summer every day after school. Meanwhile, Carol was drowning her frustrations and disappointments over her fertility struggles in a quest to improve Murphy’s Law. Everyone was busy, leaving Fallon feeling bored and, worse, useless. When Andi mentioned thatDave planned to rent a truck to move some things to Vermont, Fallon immediately offered to help.

“I always have time for you,” Fallon said.

“Thanks.”

“Can I ask? How are you feeling about the move home?”

Dave sighed.

“Uh-oh. That doesn’t sound good,” Fallon said as she closed the gate of her truck.

“It’s not that I don’t want to move home,” Dave said.

Fallon leaned against the truck and crossed her arms. “But?”

“I don’t like everyone bailing me out.”

“Is that what you think your mom and Billie are doing?”

“I knowtheydon’t think so, but, yeah—kind of.”

Fallon weighed her response for a moment. She had spoken with both Andi and Billie about Dave’s move back to Vermont. She knew that Jake wanted Dave to stay in school full-time. She also understood that Andi felt it was important to allow Dave and Becky to make their own decisions without resistance. It made sense for Billie to offer the kids her house. Billie would have gladly given them the house for free. She also realized that Dave would perceive that as a handout. She offered them the home at a rent equivalent to her annual property tax plus utilities. Fallon told Dave she could use his help at Murphy’s Law for as long as he wanted to work there or until he found something different. Everyone was trying to strike the right balance of offering support without taking on Dave and Becky’s responsibilities. She suspected there was more to Dave’s feelings.

“You know,” Fallon began cautiously. “No one is trying tobail you outof anything,” she said, directing Dave to follow her into the truck.

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