“Don’t get an attitude with me. I didn’t know you had an interview today, and it’s no one’s fault she’s sick. I can talk to my boss and see if I can get off. We’re shorthanded today, though. You might have to reschedule.”

Because rescheduling a job interview was a great idea. It wasn’t as though Blackcreek and the surrounding areas had a plethora of hospitals for him to choose from. “Dammit. Why did she have to get sick today? I did everything right. I scheduled the appointment when she’d be in preschool!” He’d wanted to do this without help. He could have tried for the afternoon when Lydia would be off work and could watch Jessie, but Chelle had left Jessie to him, not Lydia. He wanted to do right by her, and the first time he tried, things got fucked up.

Wes fell into the chair, elbows on his knees, leaning his head into his hands.

“These things happen. I know it’s tough, but it’s part of being a parent. Let me talk to my boss. I’ll see if I can leave early. You’re doing a good job, Wes.”

Yeah, he wasn’t so sure of that. “No. It’s not fair for you to have to figure this out. I’ll...I’ll take care of it.”

Wes ended the call, rolling his cell around in his hand. A low cough came from the bedroom and he jogged over, peeking in to see Jessie still sleeping. Maybe he should cancel the interview. What if she needed to go to the doctor? What if she was really sick?

He shook those thoughts from his head. Her fever was only one hundred point four when he’d given her medicine. Lydia would have told him if he needed to take her in.

That didn’t help him with the interview, though.

Wes went back down the hall. Fuck the job. Jessie was more important. If they didn’t understand, then he probably wouldn’t do well working for them anyway.

Though he guessed he could ask Noah. He trusted him with Jessie. Jess did well with just about anyone. Noah was really the only person he knew well enough to want to leave Jessie with. They didn’t come more responsible than him.

He tried Noah’s cell first but he didn’t answer. Their home phone rang for times before, “Cooper and Noah’s love shack.”

“You dumbass!” Cooper yelled as Wes said, “Braden?”

“Aw, miss me did, ya? Calling all around town looking for me?” Braden asked, his voice a mixture of sex and humor.

“I don’t have time to play games. Is Noah around?”

“He’s at work. What’s wrong?” Braden spoke much more seriously that time.

“I have a job interview in forty-five minutes. It’s a thirty-minute drive. Jessie’s sick, Lydia’s working, and now Noah is, too. Fuck!” He’d only been at this a few weeks and he already didn’t know what to do. Wes leaned against the wall, dropping his head back to rest on it.

“Gimme ten and I’ll be there.”

At Braden’s words, he jerked his eyes open. “You just answered the phone ‘Noah and Cooper’s love shack’ and now you want to babysit my sick niece?”

“Actually, I said Cooper and Noah, but yeah. And too bad for you, you don’t have time to argue.” The line went dead.

Wes squeezed the cell in his palm, almost throwing it across the room. Couldn’t one fucking thing go right?

He shoved his feet into his shoes and went to the bathroom to fix his tie, hoping the distraction would help him forget that he had no choice but to leave Jessie with Braden Roth.

A few minutes later there was a knock at the door. It wasn’t until he opened it that he realized he’d never told Braden where he lived. “How’d you know where our house was?”

Braden slipped inside, brushing against Wes as he did. He wore a long-sleeved shirt, camo, with a leather necklace around his neck. For some reason, Wes wondered if he wore the black leather bracelets that he usually had on his wrists. He couldn’t see because of his shirt. But he did notice the scent of soap drifting around Wes when Braden passed.

“I asked Coop, who had to call Noah at the shop. I drove, he called me with the address as I did, and abracadabra, I’m here. Where’s the Squirt?” He crossed his arms, looking completely comfortable leaning against Wes’s deep green couch.

How in the hell did they get here? He’d fucked this man after knowing him for an hour, and now he would babysit Jess? He’s Cooper’s friend. He works for the fire department. He could trust him.

“She’s in the second room down the hall. She’s sleeping right now. Maybe go check on her like every ten minutes or so. I gave her medicine two hours ago. She gets a teaspoon every four hours, but only if she’s not feeling well or has a fever. It’s on the bathroom counter. I’ll keep my phone on vibrate. Text me every little while to let me know how she’s doing. If you need me, call. I don’t give a shit if she just has a runny nose and wants to talk to me. Call.”