Page 79 of Man Advantage

“Wednesday morning.”

“This Wednesday?” Nadine looked between them. “That’s only a few days away.”

Cole fitted the lid onto Charlotte’s container and pressed harder than he needed to make sure it sealed. Saying the date aloud made leaving Tuesday feel worse than it had the night before.

Nadine’s attention settled on him. “Don’t you leave for the road trip before then?”

“Tuesday.” Cole set the container inside Charlotte’s lunch bag before he cracked the lid. “We play Wednesday night. I checked the schedule as soon as they offered the date, but there’s no way for me to get back.”

The sympathy in Nadine’s face made his throat tighten. He looked down and reached for the fruit on the counter, though he’d already packed some.

Ford stepped closer to the island. “The next opening would mean waiting another two weeks.”

Nadine exhaled and glanced toward the stairs. “That would push everything back.”

“Yeah.” Ford set his mug on the island. “Would you be able to drive me Wednesday? They’re calling with the arrival time the day before.”

Nadine pulled out her phone and opened her calendar. Her thumb moved over the screen while Ford waited. “I have a couple of things I’ll need to move, but I should be able to. Let me make some calls this morning.”

“They also need someone to stay with me after they discharge me.”

She looked up from the phone. “For the rest of the day?”

“At least.”

Nadine nodded slowly as she considered it. “All right. I’ll see whether my sister can pick Charlotte up from school and keep her that night if we need her to. Once I talk to her, I’ll know what I can cover.”

Ford’s relief came with a flash of guilt that Cole recognized too well. “That’s a lot to ask.”

“It is,” Nadine said. She slid the phone into her pocket. “But that doesn’t mean the answer is no. Give me until this afternoon to work out Charlotte and move what I can.”

Cole turned away to add a napkin to Charlotte’s lunch. Nadine and Ford had spent years arranging their lives around road trips, school closures, illnesses, and all the complications that came with raising Charlotte between two homes. He had known she would help. Watching Ford accept it without another argument made the pressure behind Cole’s ribs ease.

“Thank you,” Ford said.

Nadine’s expression softened. “You don’t have to thank me for this.”

“I’m still going to.”

Nadine turned to Cole. “You want me to call as soon as he’s out?”

“As soon as you know anything. I don’t care what we’re doing.”

“I figured.” She glanced between them. “Have you told Charlotte?”

“Not yet,” Ford said. “We’re doing that tonight. Together.”

“Do you want me there?” Nadine asked. “She may have questions she doesn’t want to ask either of you.”

Ford looked at Cole before answering. Cole appreciated that, but nothing about Nadine’s offer made him feel pushed aside. She belonged in the conversation as much as they did, and having all three of them there meant Charlotte wouldn’t have to wonder which of them she was allowed to be frightened in front of.

“Come over after dinner,” Cole said. “We’ll tell her together.”

Nadine nodded. “I’ll be here.”

Footsteps pounded overhead. Cole closed Charlotte’s lunch bag and set it beside her backpack as she appeared at the bottom of the stairs, wearing the first sweater she had rejected.

“That one after all?” he asked.