Page 15 of Last Call (Open Tab #5)

“It is true. You’re naturally coordinated and intelligent.

You’re also curious. But it’s the effort you put into things that makes you successful, including the things you enjoy.

I know how much Murphy’s means to you, and I also know all the reasons why.

What it meant to your dad and what he meant to you was the catalyst for you to take on that project.

It’s become a gathering place for the people you love most. Learning to structure, design, and operate a restaurant wasn’t your childhood dream.

It’s not something you knew about when you started.

You had to work at it, and it presented constant challenges for you to maneuver and conquer.

I know the sense of pride you feel. You gave Carol a chance, taught her what you learned, and be honest— she has the talent for the business.

She worries she’ll overstep. The truth is that you take a lot of pride in how terrific she’s been for that place. ”

Fallon smiled.

“Murphy’s isn’t a challenge for you any longer,” Riley said. “You need something new, babe.”

“What does that have to do with you stepping back?”

“I need something, too. I’ve always worked. The truth is that meeting deadlines can be challenging. I feel torn constantly. I don’t want to feel that way when there are two children in our house.”

“Riley, you can quit your job whenever you’re ready.”

“You need a challenge. I hate feeling dependent on anyone.”

“You don’t say?” Fallon asked lightly.

Riley groaned.

“I know you, too,” Fallon offered. “I’ll support whatever you choose,” she said. “Are you sure about this?”

“I am. I can’t explain it.”

“You don’t need to explain anything.”

“Maybe I don’t. Time passes so quickly,” Riley said. “I enjoyed editing for a long time. Now? I don’t know. It feels like a task—just a task. I don’t spend time writing. I don’t even spend time reading . My work has become a chore . I don’t have the same feeling of accomplishment I once did.”

“I get the feeling this is about more than having another baby.”

“Maybe it is. I want to enjoy putting the house together. I want to have the time to make it our home. I want more time to spend with the kids—all of them—not only ours. Not forever. For now.”

Fallon smiled. “I know that wasn’t easy for you to tell me.”

“It’s even harder for me to do .”

“Quit,” Fallon said.

“What?”

“Finish the projects you’ve committed to and quit.”

“Fallon, I meant that I’d like to step back when we’re closer to having a baby—maybe when I am pregnant.”

“I know what you meant . I don’t think that’s what you want . Look, I’ll be totally honest. If it were up to me, we would start working on adding to this family now.”

“I know.”

“But I also realize we both need to feel that way.”

“I’m ready, Fallon, I just…”

“You want a little more time with me and Owen. We barely got married, and life went all Helter Skelter.”

“That’s one way to put it,” Riley said.

“We’ll talk to Jacob after I talk to Andi. I need to know how she feels about us accepting Jacob’s offer.”

Riley nodded.

“Maybe we should agree that we table any plans for you to try to conceive until we’re living in the new house,” Fallon suggested.

“Are you going to be okay with that?”

“Yes.”

“Fallon?”

“I promise,” Fallon said. “You think I should look into starting a new business.”

“I don’t want you to hold yourself back. There’s a difference.”

Fallon scratched her brow.

“What haven’t you told me?” Riley asked.

“I haven’t been keeping anything from you.”

“But?”

“There’s a piece of property for sale in Jeffersonville,” Fallon said.

“Go on.”

“It would be a terrific location for a home base if I 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 I did want 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 time alone with 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 that Dave 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 know they don’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 to bail you out of anything,” she said, directing Dave to follow her into the truck.

“Do you really need my help at the pub?” Dave asked, fastening his seatbelt.

“Me? No. Carol, on the other hand.”

Dave chuckled. He looked forward to being home more than he was willing to admit. He liked the idea of helping out at Murphy’s Law. He had grown up playing the jukebox, sipping sodas, and munching on fries while his mother and Fallon joked with their friends.

“You love to give her shit,” Dave said.

“I only give as good as I get,” Fallon said.

Dave sighed.

“You can talk to me, you know?” Fallon offered.

“Yeah. I don’t know what to say.” Dave took a deep breath. “I didn’t want to go away to school.”

“You mean to Connecticut?”

“No. I mean, I didn’t want to go to college.”

Few things Dave might say would surprise Fallon. She had always assumed he wanted to move out of state for college, and she was certain Andi thought the same thing.

“This is why I never say anything,” Dave mumbled.

“Shit. I’m sorry. No judgment,” Fallon said. “I always thought you were excited to go to UConn. I’m as sure as I can be that your mom thought the same thing. Why didn’t you tell her how you felt?”

“I told my dad.”

“I take it that didn’t go so well?”

“Understatement,” Dave said.

“What did you want to do? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“I wanted to join ski patrol, maybe work off-season with Jerry or Pete. I don’t know. Dad said working on a mountain was a dead end. One injury and I’d be done.”