Page 79 of The Overtime Kiss
The breath flees my lungs as the weight of that hits me. The precious, precarious weight of responsibility.
There it is—the reason.
The reason I can’t close the distance, grab her face, and kiss her like she’s all I think about.
I don’t want to mess up anything in Sabrina’s life.
I want to be a good man.
The one she hasn’t had before.
And good men?
They don’t fuck their nannies.
21
DADDY’S HOME
Sabrina
“Fractions are totally cool!” I tell Parker as I explain the math problem that’s vexing him.
He shoots me a side-eye. “I don’t think I’d call them cool.”
“They’re the coolest part of math,” I argue, taking breaks to help him with homework while I prep an Asian noodle dish. Josie sent me the recipe, since she loves trying new things in the kitchen—and well, so do I.
After I chop the tofu, I move pieces around into a stack, with eight total pieces. “See? Now it’s a tofu fraction tower.”
Parker squints at it. “How is that a fraction tower?”
I nudge a piece to the side. “Now I’ve subtracted one-eighth. What’s left?”
He leans in, more intrigued than he wants to let on. “Seven-eighths?”
“Exactly! Tofu fractions in action.”
“I guess that makes sense. But I still don’t know if I like tofu.”
“It’s all in the seasoning. And seasoning is math too.”
From the living room, Luna calls out, “Math would be even cooler if you could do it with chocolate chips.” She’s working on a history assignment, groaning every few minutes about how boring it is.
“But remember, if we don’t learn the lessons of history, we’ll repeat them,” I say as I toss the kale and tofu into a saucepan and add some spices.
She doesn’t even look up. “What’s so bad about that?”
I pause. “Uh…there were some pretty bad moments in history.”
Tyler’s returning from his road trip tonight, but I’m not sure exactly when. Even without him in the home, I’m smiling, having fun, getting excited to spend time with these clever kids with their big hearts and curious minds. It’s not skating, but looking after them gives me a different kind of rush and warmth. It’s been a fun few days with the kids—school runs, Lego club versus karate debates with Parker, ice skating lessons with Luna, hanging the disco ball she picked out at a thrift shop I took her to in Hayes Valley, and figuring out my own schedule between coaching clients. Tyler’s mom helps a lot, sometimes picking them up so I can make my lessons, and I adore her and her pack of Chihuahuas. Elle took the kids one evening, too, so that was helpful as I had back-to-back-to-back lessons with three new skating students. They all found me through my videos—some the tutorials, some the free skates I do. My coaching business is steadily growing. I didn’t make it to see Elena these last few days, but it’s hard when I have the kids to myself. It’s a lot to balance.
Right now Luna and Parker are focused on their homework. Just as I’m finishing up and draining the noodles, the doorbell rings. I tense. I’ve never liked doorbells—who does?But a glance at the doorbell camera on my phone tells me it’s Tyler’s mom.
“It’s your grandma!” I call. “Does someone want to get the door?”
“I will!” Luna races over and swings it open.
“My little darling! It’s been too long!” Lauren sweeps Luna up into a hug, her usual energy filling the house.
