Chapter 26: Claire’s job.

-Edward's POV-

As I was waiting for the sister's duo to answer, I walked to the wall and rested my back to the wall. On the other side of the wall, Jay and Claire were talking quietly about the matter. This way, I could hear what Jay and Claire were talking about.

Manny and Luke stared at me as I was standing motionlessly over there. I didn't notice why at first, but I would know why soon after.

"There are some toys in the back lawn I had prepared. You guys should go play first. I will be there soon."

Manny and Luke answered together, "Okay!" They excitedly ran toward the back lawn and left me there alone with Gloria – who's been standing next to me from the start.

I was startled when I noticed her and flinched a little. 'How the hell could she move silently while wearing those heels?' I thought in surprise and astonishment.

"What are they saying?!" Gloria whispered, not acknowledging whatever it was I was thinking about her.

"I don't know yet." I replied and we tried hard to listen to the father and daughter's conversation together.

On the other side of the wall.

"Are you thinking of rejecting the job offer?" Jay asked. I have no idea what they were doing at this moment, so I just imagined both of them were standing facing each other.

"Yes dad. Is it so obvious?" Claire said with a dejected tone. I realized that she was depressed about the matter, and she needed more reassurance that she could do the job.

Jay continued asking, "Yeah. You clearly want to accept the job. So why did you decide against it?"

"Because…my family needs me." Claire replied evasively.

Jay could see through her immediately. "Nah. That's not it."

Claire was confused by the sudden development.

"It's because you're afraid to get back out there. Stay at home mom for 15 years, what value can you make in the company? You'll probably just ruin whatever it was Edward was working for."

Flabbergasted, Claire decided to defend herself, "I'm NOT going to do THAT, DAD! If you've forgotten, I have a college degree in marketing, and was making quite a splash… in my work before I quit to take care of my family."

"Really? I must've forgotten that." Jay said in agreement, making Claire nod her head in satisfaction and wanting to walk away after setting the record clear, but Jay continued, "Still doesn't mean you're not afraid."

Claire quickly returned to face her father, anger filled her entire being from being looked down on. She opened her mouth to say something, but then she realized that Jay was being like that on purpose.

"You know what? I will do whatever I want. I'm an adult. If I decided to not take the job, then that's it." Claire said and then ran away quickly from her dad so as to not let her dad instigate her any further.

"An adult would've taken the job." Jay said, causing Claire to stop pausing for a moment before she walked away. I stopped eavesdropping and saw that Haley was standing in Claire's path.

"What?" Claire asked Haley with an angry look on her face.

"N-Nothing." Haley said and quickly walked away from her mother.

-Alex's POV-

As I realized that mom wanted to reject the job, I knew that I needed to do something to make sure that she wouldn't do so. I brought Haley to have a private talk together while Edward was eavesdropping on my mother and grandpa's conversation.

"Haley, I…need to tell you something. But…you need to promise me not to tell anyone!" I said decisively.

Seeing that I was serious about the matter, Haley said, "Okay. I won't tell anyone."

I nodded and I said, "If mom didn't take the job, then Edward's family is going to move to Wisconsin and stay with his grandparents."

"WHAT!" Haley shouted, but as I expected her reaction, I quickly closed her mouth with my hand. She calmed down a bit and then I released my hand that was covering her mouth.

"How did you know?" Haley asked me with a shaky pupil. I wonder why that was.

"I saw his future plans in his laptop before this. He needed mom to take the job to save his father's business. We need to step up and show mom we're going to be fine if she isn't around. I'm sure you want to get more freedom too, right?"

"Shouldn't we tell mom about this? I'm sure she will understand and take the job if she knows." Haley asked. I understand her train of thoughts, but it would be bad for Edward if mom knew about it.

"No. Edward doesn't want to pressure mom into accepting the job. That's why he didn't tell mom." I explained.

"T-that's…" Haley fumbled in searching for the next sentence, so I interjected, "Call dad. We need to make sure that dad isn't getting on mom's nerve any longer. We also need Luke to make mom calm down. Is getting your dress really that urgent?" I asked.

"N-No…But the dress..Is really pretty…" Haley said with a dissatisfied tone. I rolled my eyes and said, "What's more important here? A man's life, or your pretty dress?"

"Both." Haley replied unexpectedly…or should I say as expected? I actually didn't think she would care that much to actually put Edward's life and her dress at the same level. But whatever, as long as it's useful to the current situation, I'd take it.

"Good." I said. "Let's go to mom and show her that we're fine. We may need to pretend to get along for a while. As soon as she accepts the job, we can go back to our normal routine."

I needed to make sure that my first friend wouldn't move away. Unlike the rest of my family, Edward treated me with understanding of what I was feeling, and he had been supporting me since we became friends.

I didn't know why, but I got a feeling that he understood me more than my entire family does. I could relax when I'm talking to him, which was… very rare in my life. Therefore, he needed to stay. I knew it sounds selfish, but I need him…to stay.

-Haley's POV-

As I heard about Edward's situation, I couldn't help but lose control of my emotions. Luckily Alex was here to prevent me from shouting.

I needed that dress to go to a party today. At that party, I could talk about Edward dad's ship and maybe...give him a little bit more time to achieve what he wanted to achieve with his website – that what I was planning for.

"Let's go to mom and show her that we're fine. We may need to pretend to get along for a while. As soon as she accepts the job, we can go back to our normal routine." Alex said to me.

'Normal routine huh.' I thought.

The normal routine of being at each other's throat, always making snide and sarcastic remarks, always fighting one another, and all that. I love her, and I knew she loved me. But for some reason, we couldn't get along with one another. I knew Alex resents me for being the way that I am. I'm sorry that I wasn't a very good big sister, and not very smart.

But, there was also a part of me that wanted to get appreciation from mom and dad, just like Alex does. In the end, people stopped expecting things from me. I understood that very clearly. It would be better if I didn't care about the matter. It would hurt a little bit less… if I don't care about it.

"Okay." I answered. "Just follow my lead." I said and I walked toward mom who's talking with grandpa. Alex was more of a thinker than a doer, so I need to show her how to do it first.

"Haley!" Alex called out to me with some anxiousness, but I ignored her. I was going to talk to mom, her walking towards me threw me off my game. I kept staring at her while being frozen until she stopped and asked, "What?"

"N-Nothing." I said and ran away quickly, making Alex face-palm behind me,

-Edward's POV-

As I kept eavesdropping, I noticed that Jay was going for the path of using Claire's rebelliousness toward him to trick her into accepting the job. It was a good tactic to use as Claire's had some daddy issues with Jay.

I walked toward Jay after Claire had run away.

"I'm sorry kid. It's just not meant to happen." Jay said to comfort me.

"Nah. You did well. Now, Phil is the one who needs to finish the job." I muttered while looking at Alex.

"Also, want some tiramisu?" I asked Jay.

"I sure hope you don't think you can trick me into helping you again with only food?" Jay replied suspiciously.

"If you don't want it, then that's that. I will give it to Phil then."

"No!" Jay replied hurriedly.

"It's in the fridge." I smiled and pointed Jay to the direction.

I needed to keep avoiding Claire before Phil could arrive, which was kind of impossible given they were the guests in my house.

Gloria noticed my dilemma and said, "Don't worry. I'll distract her."

With a small nod from me, Gloria started to work. Claire saw me standing with Gloria alone, so she decided to walk towards me to reject the offer.

"CLAIRE! YOU'RE HERE!" Gloria said happily and walked toward Claire. She grabbed Claire's arm and pulled her to the direction she walked from. "Have you seen Edward's living room?"

"Wait. Gloria. I need to talk to Ed-" Claire tried to get herself free, but she couldn't pry herself from Gloria's grip and was taken away hurriedly.

"Phew!" I wiped my non-existing sweats as I saw Gloria had succeeded. Turning my head toward the sisters duo who had been whispering amongst themselves, I walked toward Haley and Alex.

"What are you guys talking about?" I asked without them realizing I was there.

"Wisconsin Haley, focus! " Alex suddenly blurted out. Haley's eyes shook and she said, "I wasn't the one asking."

With an ashen face, Alex turned behind her and saw I was standing there. "Ah. How did you know about it?" I asked her casually. The matter wasn't a secret for me, and it wasn't decided yet.

"I-I-I-I-I-I" Alex stammerred, trying to find the way out of the predicament she was in.

I started thinking about ways she could've learned about the matter. With a finger rubbing my chin, I started to think out loud, "I never talk to my peers about this. So, I guess from my dad. My dad had told your mom about this, and that's why she didn't want to accept the job? She didn't want to get aboard a sinking ship?"

"NO!" Alex shouted. "I SAW IT ON YOUR LAPTOP!"

Claire managed to escape Gloria for a moment, and was hurrying in my direction when Alex suddenly shouted. "Laptop?" Claire mumbled.

"Ay, this sounds private. Let's give them some space." Gloria appeared behind Claire and pulled her away again. "Gloria!" Claire tried to object, but the steel grip had appeared again.

"Hmm? When did you see it?" I asked curiously.

Haley quickly tried to change the subject, "That doesn't matter. Are you really going to go to Wisconsin?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. I'm trying my best to rebuild my dad's business, but it'll take some time." I replied honestly. I turned toward Alex and said, "So, you'd snooped into my stuff. I'll call you Snoopy from now on."

Alex was speechless while Haley chuckled a little bit.

"Anyway, I need to hide from your mom so I'm going to be in my room for a bit." I said. "When your dad comes, signal me."

"Or, we can follow you inside. Mom will surely give us some privacy." Haley offered, feeling a little excited to see my room.

"Hmm? Sure. Let's go." I said and I led the girls toward my room.

Alex and Haley turned to look at each other, before they followed me from behind.

'A b-boy's room?' Alex thought anxiously. 'Why is my heart beating so much? God, will it be dirty like Luke's room?'

Haley also had thoughts of her own as she followed, 'I hope it didn't smell like Dylan's room.'

Claire returned to the place where we were standing before, but found no one was there. "Where did they go?" Claire mumbled.

"Hey mom! Look at this!" Luke called from the outside. Manny and Luke had been playing unsupervised in the backyard, and Luke was holding what seems to be a piece of sharp stick. "LUKE!" Claire screamed in horror and quickly ran towards the backyard immediately.

As I opened the door to my room, Haley and Alex could see the neat room with musical instruments near the door, a sewing machine near my desk study, a few technological and outfits designs along with musical notes being pinned on the walls near the desk using a thumbtack.

They were smelling a fresh lemon smell, and Haley cheered inwardly as she didn't have to smell the boy's locker room smell inside my room.

"Sit anywhere you want." I said as I sat on the edge of the bed, but the girls weren't listening to me. Haley's eyes were glued on the outfits designs on the wall, while Alex was looking at the 'inventions' I had created being pinned on the same wall.

"Or, you can just stand there like frozen statues. That works too." I said teasingly. The girls finally reacted and turned toward me. "Did you create all of this?" Haley asked with astonishment in her tone.

"And this? What is this? Rapid hot air technology? Air fryer?" Alex took down the designs on the wall by removing the thumbtacks and sat next to me on my right to ask her questions.

Air fryer was already invented in this world, but it couldn't achieve the same standards of an air fryer I had used in the previous world.

"That's an invention from Germany, but it couldn't be used to cook food perfectly yet. If I solved the rapid hot air technology, then I could cook a lot of things using it."

Haley took off a few designs and sat on my left. "This one piece dress with floral prints. Are you making them?"

"I may if I have the time." I replied.

Alex and Haley were lost inside the designs, asking me various questions almost at the same time, causing me to have a slight headache.

Haley already forgot that she needed to go to the party at this time, and was excitedly discussing fashion with me. Alex was trying hard to understand the mechanism of the invention, and her eyes twinkle with curiosity and newfound admiration.

"Ca-Can I join you in making this? I don't even need my name in it! I just want to see the process!" Alex asked.

"This, can you make this before prom at the end of the year? If I wear this, then…" Haley was excited while thinking about the admiration she was going to get in the future if she wore the dress.

"Haley! We're talking about a USEFUL thing here!" Alex scolded her sister.

"Why do you want to build a hot air machine if you're already filled with hot air? Just connect yourself to the machine." Haley snided back.

They were arguing with me in the middle. I was wondering what I do to deserve all of this, but Haley and Alex started to get physical.

Pulling my left hand towards her and hugging it between her chest, Haley tried to beg, "Can you make this? For me? Pleasee? I'll pay you!"

Inside her mind, she was imagining being selected Prom Queen with her new dress, and unconsciously puts me as the prom King with a matching outfit of my own.

Alex pulled my right hand toward her and hugged it between the flat marshland, "No. Do you know how many colleges he can go to if he did this? All of them!"

Alex was stunned when she realized she had been mimicking Haley and was being touchy-feely with a boy. She was going to second base even faster than Haley ever did, and that offended her. But she threw the matter to the back of her mind as she really wanted to see Edward inventing.

"Wait. That must be Phil!" I said hurriedly and tried to escape, but the girls weren't letting me go.

"Which one do you want to work on first?!" The girls shouted almost at the same time.

"Hey. Edward. I'm here!" Phil called from downstairs, saving me from my predicament. The girls turned toward the door, and they finally realized that they had been pressing their bodies against me.

"I will talk to you guys later." I said and I ran away quickly. "Damn. That was dangerous." I muttered as I exited my room and walked to meet Phil. But, Claire was standing next to Phil, making my venture more dangerous.

"Hey Vitamin P." I said, moving my fist for a fist bump.

"E-money in tha houzee!" Phil said excitedly and did the same thing. "Edward. I need to tell you something." Claire said hurriedly.

"You want to reject the job because you didn't think your house could survive without you in it, managing everything for everyone. Even your dad talking to you couldn't change your mind, and you wanted to be there for the children to provide for them the things that weren't provided for you in your childhood – a mother's unconditional love. Is my guess correct?"

Claire was stunned after hearing my words. Phil turned toward Claire and asked, "Why are you not taking the job? Is it about this evening?"

Claire turned to Phil and said, "I thought that I could delegate things, but when I saw the chaos, I…"

Phil said with a soft smile, "Claire. You'd been holding the fort down in our house for a long time now. In fact, the only reason that we can stay alive was because of you watching over us."

He held Claire's shoulders, and stared right into her glassy eyes, "But, if you really want to go out into the world, we won't stop you, and definitely won't want to be the reason you don't take the job. Yes, I screwed up today, but most people did screw up on their first day. Tomorrow will just be better."

"Yes mom. We didn't even know that you're going to the job today." Haley suddenly appeared out of knowhere and said. "It was dad's fault, not yours."

Haley and Alex had reached an agreement inside of my room, and even brought Luke into the fray.

Phil felt a bit bad because of her daughter's words, but then Alex continued, "Yeah. Today is all Dad's fault. If you want to go out there, then we will all chip in to take care of the house. You don't have to do it alone anymore."

"Yeah mom. Now that you're working, you're going to be a supermom instead of an ordinary mom." Luke said cutely with words given to him by Alex and Haley before this.

Claire brightened up a bit and said, "Yeah. I'm going to be a supermom."

Phil said, "Now. Be honest with me. Do you want to take the job?"

Claire nodded and said, "Yes… But-"

I finally interjected, "If you're really worried about the matter, why don't you try it for a week first? It'll be like an internship. If you really couldn't adapt, then, it'll be like it never happened. How about it?"

Claire paused to think. "Will I get paid during the internship?" She asked.

"Of course…not." I replied teasingly. Claire finally broke into a smile and said, "Then…I had no choice…but to take the job!"

The children cheered after Claire finally made her decision. I got free labor, which was good for me.

"But if I couldn't-" Before Claire could diminish her capability, Phil pulled Claire and the children for a group hug, but…

"Why am I in it?" I muttered as I was pulled into the group hug. Gloria, Manny and Jay watched the scene from afar, before Phil called for them, "Get in here!"

"Ayy!" Gloria said excitedly and entered the group hug from my back, making the back of my head being buried by her voluptuous chest. Manny joined and hugged Luke and Phil, while Jay was still standing over at his initial spot, not caring about the hug in the least.

PATR..EON LAUNCH!

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