Page 130 of The Overtime Kiss

He reaches for my hand again. “There’s nothing wrongwith you wearing that,” he says, his voice firm and full of meaning.

But the sweatshirt is causing problems. “I guess we should be more careful.”

He parts his lips but doesn’t say anything for several seconds. His loss for words speaks volumes, then he says, “Yeah, I mean, we talked about it. For the kids and everything.”

My throat tightens, shame rushing through me, but also real concern for the two young people in his life—Luna and Parker. I know their parents have a so-calledgood divorce. I know they get along. But the kids are still young. They’re being shuttled back and forth between two homes. They don’t need to be more confused. They don’t need to think of me as their dad’ssidepiece. They need to see me as the nanny who plans amazing visits to science museums, teaches them math in cool ways, and tracks down disco balls at thrift shops.

“I should probably give you your sweatshirt back then,” I say, starting to take it off, catching a whiff of his woodsmoke scent, and it nearly stops my heart. But then his hand comes down on mine once more.

“Wear it. Don’t take it off,” he says, his voice firm and commanding as he tugs the neckline back down on me. His eyes hold mine, his gaze full of longing, and something else—something I can’t place. “I want you to wear it. I like the way it looks on you. I don’t care if she knew it belonged to me.”

A muscle ticks in his jaw. His fingers twitch, like he wants to touch me, but he won’t.

My wild heart settles the slightest bit, but only the slightest.

He looks at the time and swears under his breath. “I have practice.”

And just like that, he’s gone.

32

A NEW VICTORY

Sabrina

“Okay, if you two can work together as a team, you can play with Drama when we get home. How does that sound?”

On the steps outside the children’s science museum, Luna and Parker nod so fast it’s a wonder their heads don’t fly off.

Ah, kittens—the universal motivator for nearly all kids.

“Perfect. Because I also created a scavenger hunt for you today,” I say, holding open the door.

Parker’s eyes widen. “You did?”

“What kind of nanny do you take me for? The kind who scrolls on her phone the whole time, or the kind who actually gets involved?”

“The kind who’s involved,” Luna says, tugging on my jacket and pulling me toward the ticket counter.

Yep, I’m the nanny who does her job well. And that job does not include sleeping with the dad. I’m not even thinking about him this afternoon at all. I’m focused on teaching andplaying with the kids. Because that’s what I was hired to do till the hockey season ends and that’s a ways off.

After I buy the tickets, we head to the Forces and Motion Exhibit, which I researched online earlier today. I turn to them. “Okay, pop quiz. What happens when you rub a balloon on your hair?”

“It creates static electricity!” Luna announces, thrusting her hand in the air.

“And that’s an example of a force in motion,” Parker adds, pointing to a nearby sign that reads Electrostatic Force. “Electrons move from your hair to the balloon, and that makes your hair stand up.”

“Exactly! It’s an invisible force,” Luna adds, beaming as she reads the sign.

“Great teamwork,” I say as we move into the next exhibit—a recycling maze that makes a game of learning which items go in compost, recycling or the landfill.

Parker holds up a pizza box, with his brow furrowed. “Cardboard recycling, right?”

“Not if it’s greasy,” Luna says with the confidence of a kid who just read the exhibit info.

“Oh! That makes sense. The oil might prevent the cardboard from breaking down.”

Now it’s Luna’s turn to be confused. “So how do you recycle pizza boxes?”

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