skills.’”
“I agree.” Melissa nodded. “That’s why we’re not signing Archie up.”
“Good,” Stacy said. “If Archie’s not playing, Connor won’t want to. We’ll figure something else out for next year.”
“Well, expect a phone call from Chad. Denise and Lynn have already signed up their boys and Chad is really pushing for the whole team to practice together. Wait until you read that email thread.”
“This is the last of it.” Ryan grabbed the last bag. “I’ll bring it down.”
Melissa smiled. “Thanks Ryan.”
“Melissa, you want some coffee for the road?” Stacy asked. “Ryan brewed it fresh a little while ago.”
“I would love some. I don’t have nearly enough caffeine in my system.” Melissa groaned and followed Stacy to the kitchen. As Stacy poured, Melissa asked, “How are you feeling?”
“Good.” Stacy brought her fingertips to her stomach. “Much better actually. Morning sickness has passed, thank goodness. Now I’m just tired, so that’s progress I guess.”
“Why don’t you let us keep Connor overnight? He can wear a pair of Archie’s pajamas and Jerry can bring him home in the morning.”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that—” Stacy began, before her friend interrupted.
“Honestly, it’s no trouble.” Melissa reached for Stacy’s arm. “I expect the boys’ll be exhausted from the game anyway. We’ll order pizza and put in a movie. They’ll be asleep in no time.”
Stacy laughed. “You’ve got this all figured out, don’t you?”
“Blended family. Six kids,” Melissa said. “Our lives are just a matter of controlling the chaos. And honestly”—she gave Stacy’s arm a gentle squeeze— “one more is not any trouble at all. So, what do you think?”
“Awesome. Great,” Stacy replied, imagining a long morning nap.
Melissa left, fortified with a fresh cup of coffee and with the boys trailing in her wake, chattering about the upcoming game. Stacy wondered if managing her own family would ever be as easy as Melissa made it appear—Stacy could barely coordinate the schedules of two children. What was she going to do in the fall when the new baby arrived?
After Melissa left with the boys, it was time to get Sophie ready for ballet. Stacy returned to the kitchen to clean up, tossing orange peels into the compost bin, throwing away the packaging from the string cheese, and wiping down the counters.
Ready for round two.
Thankfully, all she had to prep was a single snack bag, then help Sophie into her leotard. Ryan had offered to drive Sophie to her lesson and to take her out for lunch afterwards, which meant at least two blissful hours all to herself. She planned to read for a bit and then take a long nap while the house was quiet. To be honest, she did feel a twinge of guilt asking for Ryan’s help with the children. It had been her idea to have a big family and she had pushed for it to happen quickly, probably before he was ready. It was only fair that she be the one who took on most of the responsibilities, even if she had to quit a job she loved to make it happen.
She peeled a few carrots and cut them into the coin shapes Sophie liked, then tucked them into the bag. Before zipping it closed, she added a packet of hummus and a bottle of water, just in case. The lesson was a short one, only about an hour, and with lunch right after it seemed ridiculous to pack a snack. But the other ballet mothers packed a snack bag, so Stacy did too. At the last minute, she tossed in a square of chocolate because her daughter loved chocolate.
She glanced at the clock again and called out a reminder: “Sophie, time to get ready. I’ll be there in a second to help you with your tights.”
Ryan entered the kitchen, the glow of his cell phone reflecting off his glasses as he typed a message on his screen.
“How important is it that I take Sophie to her lesson?”
“Pretty important, why?” Stacy felt a tingle of dread as she turned toward her husband. She had so been looking forward to that nap…
“Something’s come up and I can’t get a hold of Jeff. He hasn’t been answering texts or email on his work account.” He squinted as he flicked through the screens on his phone. “It’s really weird that Sean’s location puts him in Seattle,” he muttered to himself.
“Everything okay?”
“Fine. It’s fine.” Ryan frowned. “Just Todd doing some saber rattling—showing off in front of the money guys.”
“What does Todd want?”
“A chart—and Jeff has the data.”
“A