Chapter 20

The idea started as a joke.

At least that’s what Paige thought.

Until it wasn’t.

It happened after a Dallas Wings game when KK Arnold and Sarah Strong were visiting.

Maya was sitting on the floor coloring while KK and Sarah watched her like she was the most entertaining person on Earth.

Which, to be fair, she usually was.

“You two need a vacation.”

KK said it so suddenly that Paige looked up from her phone.

“What?”

“A vacation.”

Sarah nodded immediately.

“An actual vacation.”

Paige laughed.

“We had a vacation.”

“Three years ago,” KK replied.

“That still counts.”

“It absolutely does not.”

You couldn’t help laughing.

Meanwhile Maya looked up from her coloring book.

“Vacation?”

KK immediately pointed.

“See? Even Maya agrees.”

Maya had absolutely no idea what they were talking about.

But she nodded anyway.

“Yep.”

That should have been the end of it.

Instead-

Three weeks later, KK and Sarah somehow cornered both of you again.

“We’ll babysit.”

Paige narrowed her eyes.

“No.”

“We’re serious.”

“No.”

Sarah looked genuinely offended.

“We are responsible adults.”

Paige and you immediately looked at each other.

Then back at Sarah.

The silence said everything.

“That was rude.”

“It was accurate,” Paige replied.

Eventually though…

After days of begging.

Several PowerPoint presentations from KK.

And Sarah somehow producing a printed babysitting schedule-

You both gave in.

A three-day mini vacation.

Just you and Paige.

No basketball.

No interviews.

No parenting duties.

Just three days together.

The only catch?

The rule list.

A very long rule list.

—

The morning you left, KK and Sarah sat at the kitchen table.

Both looking increasingly nervous.

Paige stood in front of them holding multiple pages.

“Okay.”

KK sighed dramatically.

“Oh no.”

“You need to listen.”

“We are listening.”

Paige pointed.

“No iPad for more than one hour.”

Sarah nodded.

“One hour.”

“TV maximum two hours.”

“Okay.”

“Educational shows only.”

“Got it.”

“Four to five hours of outside play throughout the day.”

KK blinked.

“She’s two.”

“Exactly.”

Paige continued.

“No sweets before dinner.”

“Okay.”

“No sweets before bed.”

“Fine.”

“Bath before dinner.”

Sarah wrote it down.

“And bath before bedtime.”

“Wrote that too.”

Paige continued.

“Bedtime is eight.”

“Easy.”

“No.”

Paige looked very serious.

“Eight.”

KK looked confused.

“What’s the difference?”

“If she gets overtired, she becomes feral.”

Sarah immediately underlined bedtime.

“Understood.”

You stepped in.

“Brush her teeth.”

“Obviously.”

“She likes Bunny, Lamby, and Bear at bedtime.”

Sarah wrote furiously.

“Got it.”

“She prefers her green pajamas.”

“Okay.”

“Do not let her convince you otherwise.”

KK laughed.

“She’s two.”

You and Paige immediately exchanged a look.

Sarah noticed.

“…Why did you look at each other like that?”

Neither of you answered.

Which somehow worried them more.

—

Twenty minutes later, you and Paige were finally leaving.

Maya stood in the doorway waving enthusiastically.

“Bye Mommy!”

“Bye Mama!”

Then:

“Bye house!”

Everyone froze.

Paige laughed.

“Bye house?”

Maya waved harder.

“Bye couch!”

KK immediately melted.

“She’s so cute.”

Paige kissed Maya’s forehead.

Then looked at KK and Sarah.

“Good luck.”

The way she said it sounded suspiciously like a warning.

—

The first two hours went perfectly.

Perfectly.

They played outside.

Colored.

Read books.

Everything was great.

Then Maya discovered negotiation.

“Can I watch movie?”

Sarah looked at the clock.

“You already watched TV.”

Maya thought for a second.

Then held up two fingers.

“Only little TV.”

KK laughed.

“No.”

Maya gasped dramatically.

“Why?”

“Because Mommy and Mama said no.”

Maya frowned.

Then pointed at Sarah.

“But you big.”

Sarah blinked.

“I am.”

“Big people make rules.”

KK immediately started laughing.

“Oh my God.”

Sarah rubbed her forehead.

“Maya…”

The toddler leaned forward.

Using her sweetest voice.

“Please?”

Sarah looked seconds away from surrendering.

KK pointed dramatically.

“Stay strong.”

Three minutes later Maya was watching fifteen more minutes of a nature documentary.

“Sarah.”

“I folded.”

—

Things only got worse from there.

At lunch-

“No cookie before dinner.”

Maya nodded.

Then returned five minutes later.

“What about half cookie?”

“No.”

“One bite?”

“No.”

“Tiny cookie?”

“No.”

“Very tiny cookie?”

KK was crying laughing by this point.

“She’s negotiating like a lawyer.”

—

Then came naptime.

Or rather…

The lack of naptime.

“Maya, it’s nap time.”

“No.”

“You need a nap.”

“No tired.”

“You are literally yawning.”

“No.”

Five minutes later Maya was laying upside down on the couch.

Still refusing.

Sarah looked exhausted.

“How does Paige do this every day?”

KK pointed.

“I think this is why they needed a vacation.”

—

By dinner time, both babysitters were visibly struggling.

Not because Maya was bad.

She wasn’t.

She was actually very well-behaved.

The problem was she somehow managed to negotiate everything.

Every rule.

Every request.

Every conversation.

“Maya, bath time.”

“Five minutes.”

“No.”

“Three minutes.”

“No.”

“One minute?”

Sarah looked at KK.

“I think she’s winning.”

“I know she’s winning.”

—

By bedtime, both college athletes looked more exhausted than after a full basketball practice.

Maya sat in her pajamas holding Bunny.

Perfectly happy.

Completely relaxed.

The exact opposite of her babysitters.

Sarah slowly lowered herself onto the couch.

“She’s terrifying.”

KK nodded immediately.

“So terrifying.”

Maya smiled sweetly.

“I’m not scary.”

Both women looked at her.

Then at each other.

Then burst out laughing.

Because somehow, at two years old, Maya Bueckers had managed to out-negotiate two Division I basketball players.

And there were still two more days left.

Paige and you were going to come home to two completely different people.