Whoa. She pumped the breaks on that thought, even as she remembered their kiss last night. And his words. Sweet merciful Mary, he had a dirty mouth. But if he lived up to his promises… A delicious shiver traveled down her back.
She glanced at Will. The logistics of finding time for Tinker to do any of the things he said was hard to imagine. It was hard enough figuring out her day-to-day life, never mind adding another adult with their own needs, schedule, and priorities. She’d tried dating after Will had turned one, but it had been too hard to find the time to date anyone seriously.
The most she’d managed was four dates with a guy who managed one of the tour companies downtown. She’d fallen asleep on their last date, which was supposed to have been the Netflix and chill date. He’d called her the next day and told her he didn’t think it would work out. She’d agreed and that had been the last time she’d seriously considered another romantic relationship.
She kissed the top of Will’s head and threw back the covers. Tea first. Then existential crisis.
Padding down the hall, she peeked into Olivia’s room but found it empty—the bed neatly made. In the kitchen, Olivia was putting the clean silverware away.
“Good morning,” Abby said.
Olivia glanced over her shoulder and closed the drawer. “Morning.”
“Thank you for emptying the dishwasher.” Abby flipped the button on the kettle and pulled her steeper from the cabinet. “You didn’t have to.”
Olivia shrugged. “It was one of my chores at home with my mom. She ran it at night, and I’d empty it in the morning.”
“What other chores did you have?”
“I had to put away my clothes when they were clean, set the table for dinner, and keep my room clean.”
“Did she pay you an allowance?”
“Five dollars a week.” Olivia sat at the counter and picked at her cuticles.
“That seems fair.” Abby measured tea into the steeper. “What do you usually eat for breakfast?”
“Cereal mostly, but Mom would make pancakes on Saturday.”
She didn’t mention what her aunt and uncle would do. She was probably left to her own devices, but Abby didn’t want to press. It was the first time Olivia had given her any answer other than “whatever” or “it doesn’t matter.”
“We do waffles on Saturday—is that okay? Will likes to put the syrup in all the little squares.”
Olivia smiled. “I like to do that too.”
Abby smiled back. “We can alternate between pancakes and waffles, but I’m warning you now: Will won’t eat pancakes unless they have a whipped cream face, and then he pretends he’s a dinosaur devouring his poor pancake people.”
And that got a small laugh.
“What kind of cereal do you like? I don’t keep sugary cereals but if there’s something that’s your absolute favorite, we can get it.”
“The most sugary cereal my mom would let me have was honey-nut O’s.”
“I think your mom and I had a lot in common.”
Olivia’s gaze fell back to her hands. It was probably too soon to be talking about how she and her mom were similar.
Abby cleared her throat. “You’re in luck. We have honey-nut.” She pulled the box from the pantry and set it on the counter, then got two bowls, spoons, and the milk jug.
“Thank you.” Olivia poured cereal into one of the bowls and added milk.
Abby took a pen and notepad from the junk drawer. “What kind of food do you like for dinner? It’ll be nice cooking for someone else who will eat more than five bites before they’re full.” She mock glared at Olivia. “Or are you one of those people?”
Olivia shook her head. “I like a lot of foods. Mom had a rule that I had to try a little bit of everything she made.”
“That’s good. Anything you’re allergic to?”
“No.”
