Somehow he ended up in a conversation about left-handedness with Danny and Henry.
“Did you know left-handed women have a 62 percent higher chance of developing multiple sclerosis?”
Henry gave him a concerned look. “Why do you know that?”
“My ADHD was unmedicated for most of my life.”
“Ah.”
“What about left-handed dudes?” Danny asked.
Ty shrugged and picked up his practice duffel. “No idea.” Danny and Henry stared at him blankly until he continued, “ADHD, remember?”
Before Danny could ask about anything else Ty didn’t know, like whether this correlation was biological sex- or gender-linked, a shout went up from the parking lot. “Ty!”
Ty’s head snapped up, and he grinned as Ollie vaulted over the two-foot barrier around the parking lot, even though there was an opening three parking spots away. He’d changed out of his rent-a-cop uniform today, and Ty automatically clocked how nice his forearms looked with the sleeves of his henley pushed up. Ollie should never wear that greige monstrosity when a nice burgundy did that for him. Putting him in military OD should’ve been a crime.
“Sorry I’m late.” Ollie shook his head. “Got in trouble yesterday because we’re not supposed to take the uniforms off-site, apparently, so I needed a few more minutes to change.”
“Hey, it’s no problem.” Ty dug the key out of his pocket. He’d chosen a blank with little yellow smiley faces on it and paired it with a miniature plush bear. His dad would’ve hated it. “I could’ve just met you at the house after.”
“Yeah, but I’m late for Theo too, which isn’t great.” He eyed Ty with vague amusement as he held up the key chain, but he didn’t comment on the choice. “The company talked a big talk about work-life balance, but shockingly they’re not walking the walk. I don’t know if I’m going to be able to make it every day before five thirty.”
Nobody who was so concerned with being there for his kid should have to sound so defeated that he couldn’t make it to the school by five thirty. Ty’s dad had eaten dinner with the family maybe once a week and never thought twice about it. At least Olliewantedto be there. “He can always hang out with me,” Ty offered. “I mean, I can grab him after school and take him home or he can chill and watch baseball practice.” He almost added that he might have to get the kid some antidepressants, but Danny was still there. ADHD medication was good for a lot of things.
Ollie’s face lit up. “Yeah? Oh man, I bet he would dig that. Kid loves baseball. Like, every movie he wanted to watch in the hospital was baseball-themed.” He jerked his thumb toward the building. “I’m gonna go get him and you can ask him yourself.”
What, Ty was going to getcreditfor this? It wasn’t like he was going out of his way. “Sounds good.”
Henry cleared his throat. “Ollie. Good to see you again.”
Oh… Ty had been kind of hogging him, huh? “Coach Tate.” Ollie shook his hand. “Sorry, I’m a little distracted, but we can catch up soon? I hear there’s a game this week. I gotta go or they’re gonna charge me twenty bucks—”
He jogged off toward the school. Ty maybe watched his ass a little.
“Holy shit, Coach M, is that your boyfriend?” Danny asked, impressed. “He is asnack.”
Henry made a noise like a ticking pressure cooker.
“No, it’s not.”And he is a whole meal, kid.“Aren’t your parents here yet?”
“Oh, I’m riding my bike home.” Danny opened his backpack—which held enough loose paper that Ty thought maybe this kid could use an ADHD diagnosis too—and shoved his glove inside. “See you tomorrow, Coach Tate, Coach M!”
If Ty thought getting rid of Danny would relieve the sense of scrutiny, he was disappointed. He could feel the weight of Henry’s judgy eyeballs on the side of his face. “What?” Ty said testily. He’d kept it together when the kid was in earshot, but now he could feel himself blushing.
“Nah, nothing,” Henry said, all casual, and for a second, Ty thought he was going to get away with it.
Then he added, “Just, if you don’t want people to know how you feel about him, you should probably stop looking at him like he’s your own personal miracle.”
Ty was going to die of embarrassment. “I have known himless than a week.”
Henry slapped his back in encouragement. “I hope you don’t play poker, kid.”
“At least he didn’t call him a DILF,” Ty mumbled.
They walked toward the parking lot. “What’s with the key, anyway?”
Could Henry maybe just have a teeny tiny cardiac event right now so Ty could escape this situation? No, that was an awful thing to think. Ty could have a ministroke instead.
