Page 181 of The Overtime Kiss

He looks up from the goat. “It sounds like you run a bank together,” Parker says.

I snort. “We definitely don’t run a bank together.”

“Partners,” Luna says again, with a heavy sigh. She really doesn’t like this word. “You don’t like boyfriend or girlfriend?”

“I’m not a boy,” I point out. “I’m an adult.”

“And I’m not a girl,” Sabrina adds. “I’m an adult too.”

Parker looks up, arching a brow. “Adult friend? Man friend?”

Sabrina cracks up. “We’re definitely not doing man friend, woman friend, or adult friend.”

“Yeah, those are even weirder, Parker,” Luna says, thumping him playfully on the head with a chicken.

He backs off. “Hey, watch it. You’re no sister friend.”

“Sometimes you’re not a brother friend,” she points out.

Out of nowhere, a tiny calico jumps onto the table and skids across the pile of Lego bricks, sending pieces scattering across the metal, some tumbling to the floor.

“Olive!” Parker shouts, but then he cracks up when the kitten, in a most cat-like fashion, stops abruptly and proceeds to wash Lego dust off her paw in the middle of the animal sanctuary.

“She understood the assignment,” Luna says. Then she looks at the two of us again, holding hands on the couch, telling them we’re together and that we’re serious about each other. She studies us thoughtfully, then gives a happy shrug. “I guess I approve. It’s good enough. Parker?”

He looks up from sorting the pieces. “Yeah. Works for me too.”

“Good,” Sabrina says with a smile, then leans forward. “There’s one more thing I have to tell you.”

“We’re keeping Olive?” Parker asks hopefully.

“That’s not it.”

“Fine,” he harrumphs.

“Don’t you want to save more cats, dodo?” Luna says to him.

“Obviously.”

Sabrina waits for them to return their focus to her, then says, “I love you two.”

They both snap up their gazes. “You do?” Luna’s voice pitches up.

“Really?” Parker’s rises too.

“I really do,” she says.

And they launch themselves at her on the couch, knocking me toward the arm so they can cuddle up to my...partner. Maybe it is a little dry.

“I love you too,” Parker says, hugging Sabrina.

“I love you,” Luna seconds, resting her head on Sabrina’s shoulder.

When they let go, I’m still noodling on the word. Maybe significant other?

“Are you going to live up here now?” Luna asks as she returns to building a small barn. “Are we getting a new nanny? Who’s taking us to school? Will you still coach?”

And I couldn’t have asked for a better response—the quick shift from gooey love to practical matters.

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