After taking care of Remi early on Sunday morning, Austin took him to the window of their room and looked down. The bushes outside were a little too thick and unruly, but it was nice to see all that green out the window. There were even some flowers out there.
Of course Miller said it was up to Austin to get the yard in shape. Once he did, it would be even nicer to look out there.
Now that he was thinking about the chores he needed to do for Miller, Austin decided to walk around the house and outside and get a better idea of the work that was waiting for him. He brought Remi along and asked Miller if he had time to show him what needed to be done.
There were a lot of small jobs, nothing Austin couldn't handle. But for everything, Miller said, "No rush. You just moved in."
While they were taking stock of what he'd need to tackle in the kitchen, Austin called him on it. "We had a deal that I was going to work off some of my rent."
"That is our deal. I just don't want to pressure you or take you away from Remi," Miller said.
"Remi is right here," Austin said and turned to the baby curled up against his shoulder and staring at the light coming from the kitchen window. "Now I think he wants to go outside and check out what I'll be doing out there."
"All right," Miller agreed grudgingly.
"What? You don't want to take a nice, morning walk with us," Austin teased him and got him to smile.
The garden was bright green and sunny, but it needed some serious trimming and clearing out. "It won't be so bad to do some yard work out here on a nice day like this," Austin said so Miller would know he didn't mind the work.
"Not today. It's way too soon," Miller objected.
"I wasn't going to get to it right this minute. The babysitter is coming over later," Austin reminded him. "I don't want to get all sweaty."
"Sweaty. Right," Miller said and looked away.
Casey had helped Austin line up a babysitter, a younger sister of a friend of hers. Her name was Harriet. She was a college student and she had experience babysitting.
Before she came over, Austin spent some time checking the gardening and other kind of tools Miller had and made a list of supplies he needed to buy. While he did that, Miller made them lunch.
"That's real nice of you," Austin said as he came into the kitchen.
"It's just salad and grilled cheese sandwiches with pesto," Miller said as Austin looked at what he was setting out on the kitchen table.
Austin wasn't sure he'd like grilled cheese with green stuff inside, but it was good. And sitting down to eat with his roommate was totally different from how it was when he lived with Ben. They hardly ever sat down to eat together, and Ben was his cousin.
That made him wonder if maybe Miller was lonely. He did just move there. Austin didn't know the man so he couldn't tell if that was it. It could be that Miller just felt bad for Austin always missing meals and watching every last cent. Whatever his reason, it was nice to share a meal with someone. It wasn't something Austin got to do much.
Harriet came by after lunch and Austin showed her the ropes. She met Miller too, and Austin was relieved he approved of her having the run of the place while she took care of the baby. Without her, Austin would have to take another week off.
Harriet did have some bad news for him. She had an appointment early on Monday and wouldn't be able to come in until ten.
After he and Miller walked her to the door, Austin was holding the baby and thinking about what he had to do.
"I just have to let my boss know that I'll be late on my first day back," Austin said, but then Miller offered a solution.
"I could watch the baby until Harriet gets here. That way you won't be late. Would that be OK?"
Austin looked at him and how unsure he looked. "That would be a big help but it's a lot to ask."
"It's not, except I've never taken care of a baby," Miller said and got a scared look on his face as he smiled at little Remi. "Maybe I can have a lesson?"
"A lesson from me? I'm new at this, but I'm up for it," Austin told him.
"Oh, but I was going to make dinner. Unless you have plans. I mean..." Miller got so flustered, Austin had to stop him.
"You're making sure I get fed. I appreciate it, but you already made lunch. I could maybe do the cooking this time. I can't make much, but I can do some pasta."
"And I can look after the baby while you supervise?" Miller said.
"We got ourselves a plan," Austin said.
"I noticed that you introduced Remi as, well, Remi," Miller said.
"That is what I'm calling him. You said yourself Jeremiah was a little too big for such a little dude."
"Where did the name Jeremiah come from?" Miller wondered.
"That was the name of Diana's father, a man she never knew. She always thought the name was very serious and impressive, the name of someone who was powerful and important and rolling in money." Thinking of her and what she did gave him a pang. She could chase after money if she wanted, but to use his son...
"And what do you have against calling him Jerry?" Miller asked.
"When I was a kid, we had a mean, old super in our apartment building. His name was Jerry," Austin said. The name left a bad taste in his mouth, a reminder of rough times.
"He was that bad?" Miller asked.
"He was real mean," Austin said. "Kept saying how me and Mom were going to end up on the street. There was always a real danger of that, so he scared the hell out of me with that talk."
"Oh, sorry," Miller said.
But Austin chose not to look back on those days and gazed at the baby instead. "With his sweet face, my boy is definitely a Remi."
When it was time to make dinner, they moved the rocker from the living room to the kitchen and Austin set the baby in it. "Let's leave him there for now, and if he gets cranky, you pick him up."
Miller looked nervous though he already did that yesterday, but he said, "OK."
Austin had no trouble getting what he needed to make pasta. But once he had the pasta boiling and the sauce heating up, he couldn't find the cheese to go on top.
"Do you have parmesan?"
"Of course," Miller said and got a wedge of cheese from a drawer in the fridge and handed it to him.
"It's a whole piece. I usually work with the good ol' green can," Austin said as he hefted the cheese.
"I can grate it for you," Miller offered.
"I'm cooking. I'll do it." Austin was making a pretty simple meal. Dealing with a brick of cheese wasn't going to overtax him.
"You can also just sliver it with a knife," Miller said.
"Yeah, I've seen that," Austin said with a nod. "It's kind of fancy."
"Is it?" Miller said and showed him where the grater was.
"I think I'll do it your way," Austin decided and then they heard the baby crying.
"Uh oh." Miller went over and lifted him up like he was made of glass. "What's the matter?" He asked but the baby was alright now, just pouting a little.
"I think he's about ready for his bottle," Austin guessed.
"Do I get to feed him?" Miller wondered, looking scared again.
"If you want. It's not something you'll need to do tomorrow," Austin said since Miller wouldn't be babysitting for that long in the morning.
"I'd like to get some practice, just in case," Miller said and set his pretty mouth in a determined way.
Now Austin had to take a moment to ask himself why he was thinking of Miller's mouth as pretty. It was, but it just didn't seem like the kind of thing he should be thinking about.
As he got Remi's bottle, he didn't come up with an answer.
"I've got a bottle ready but you better sit with him first." Austin brought the bottle over as Miller sat at the kitchen table. "Let him rest against your arm," he told Miller then took hold of his arm to show him.
The moment he touched Miller, Austin felt funny. A jolt went through him and shook him. It was like he'd never touched anyone before and the warm feel of him was a discovery of something new. The closest thing to it was when he first held Remi so maybe it had something to do with that.
"Oh, he's eating," Miller whispered not wanting to disturb the hungry little guy.
"He eats good and that's a relief. I was worried he might be all unsettled in a new place with some strange new guy taking care of him."
"Me?" Miller said.
"No. I mean me," Austin said.
"Oh. You're not a strange guy. You're his dad. I think he likes being with you," Miller told him and looked up to give him a warm smile that made Austin stare too long into his bottomless, green eyes.