“Fine. It’s a fucked-up family, and we’re ridiculous, embarrassing and completely inappropriate most of the time. But when things are tough or shit goes south, we’re here. We’ve got your back, and we want to help. We just need you to be present. To talk to us.” Her body is tense, eyes sternly serious, but she’s leaning forward, eager, wanting me to buy in and embrace what she’s saying.
“I get that, but?—”
“Sometimes, superheroes need saving, too. Three days in your fortress of solitude is enough. A chapter of your life is over. It’s done. That doesn’t mean the whole story is. You have an amazing opportunity here, not just your job—your job is fine—but you have kids you’ve coached, a damsel you’ve saved.” She pauses to let her meaning sink in. As if I could have possibly missed it. “And you have Chance.”
“Chance?”
“Yep. We took a vote and decided he’s your responsibility. No one else wants to hold his hair back when he pukes. You’re stuck with him.” She glances over her shoulder and then pins me in place again as she stands. “And I’m not your secretary. I was fine telling Tyler you needed him to coach on Saturday, but from here on out, you need to take care of your own communication. Maybe leave a little early today to weed through all your messages.” With that, Erin walks away, leaving me to a killer headache and a phone bouncing across my desk with incoming notifications.
“What wasErin all up your ass about?” Chance asks, twisting around to keep a set of perky tits in his line of sight for as long as possible.
I drag the last of my fries through a smear of ketchup and toss them in my mouth. I wash them down with the rest of my pint. “Love, support, and a little bit ofget your shit together.”
“Just a little?” He lifts his empty glass and points to mine, wordlessly ordering us another round.
“And I guess I officially have custody of you, so you need to get your shit together, too,” I say, pushing my empty plate away.
“Yeah? So, you’re saying I need to find myself a nice little mommy like you did? How’s that going anyway? She’s sick of your sorry ass, right? That’s why you’re hanging out with me again.” There’s no subtlety in the way Chance rakes his eyes up and down our waitress when she delivers our beers. “Thanks, doll. You’re free later, yeah?”
“You’re a fucking pig,” I say on a laugh.
“Whatever. Seriously though, you done with the single mom?”
I shrug in answer.
“So, you don’t care if I step in? Take a turn and tap that?”
Fucker is making plans for tonight with the barely legal waitress and disrespecting Chloe in the same breath.
“Off-limits,” I growl.
Chance flexes, rubbing a freshly inked hand over his chest, and winks as another server passes by. “You don’t want her, but no one else can have her. That’s some shit right there, son. Bad fucking form.” He just laughs at the scowl I throw him and continues, “I told you not to mess with the single mom, told youthat was a bad idea. You went and caught feelings, both of you, and now, you’re ghosting. That’s fucking low class. She deserves better than that.”
“Yeah, she does.”
“Then, give it to her. Commit or don’t, but don’t fuck with her head. Or her kid’s. Man up, Clark.”
The time I’ve spent with Chance this week, the more I’ve realized, I hardly know him. Since when is Chance Robinson the voice of reason?
The scentof fresh cut grass fills the air, and I wonder how the hell I ended up sitting in my truck, checking to see if Jake has mowed the lawn. He leans into the slight incline and stops to wipe the sweat from his face when he hits the crest.
The fact that I’m awake and out in the world this early is strictly attributable to Chance being in full mission mode last night. Not wanting anything to do with him getting his dick wet, I actually went home at a reasonable hour and got some sleep.
“Miles,” Jake yells, letting the mower engine die. He bounds across the street and bounces on his toes a handful of times before catching himself and crossing his arms low over his chest. “You’re finally back. Are you coming to hang out today? Mom’s inside. You want me to tell her you’re here, or do you wanna surprise her?” He takes a step back, his huge grin stabbing me in the heart.
“Watch it.” I dash my arm out, pulling him back to the side of the truck and out of the street. “I’m not staying, just wanted to see if you were keeping up with your end of our deal.”
The kid looks over his shoulder at the yard, only a few rows left to be mowed. “Uh-huh. I even trimmed the edges last week. Wanna see?”
I can see it from here, the jagged lines along the curb. “Can’t. I’ve got to…” There is nothing I need to do today. Shifting in my seat, I pull my wallet from my back pocket and rifle through it. I pull a wad of cash out, a couple hundred bucks, and hand it to him.
Jake’s brows pinch together, and his chin juts forward.
“That should cover the summer,” I say, glancing at the sideview mirror of my truck.
I want to jet before Chloe wanders out. I’m managing, but if faced with seeing her, I’m pretty sure I’ll crumble and beg for forgiveness. She definitely deserves better.
“So, you’re done with us? What about the rules?” Disappointment winds itself around Jake as he turns away from me. His shoulders slump, making him look small and vulnerable.
