Page 41 of The Overtime Kiss

Am I really this affected by my new boss?

My arm answers me as tingles race down my skin, from my shoulder all the way to my fingertips.

Yes, you are.

“Please send it to me,” I say, but it comes out breathy.

I sneak a glance at Tyler. His shoulders are tense. His fingers curl around his phone, knuckles whitening justslightly. Is he…affected too? The thought sends a pulse of heat through me. My mind slides back in time to the hotel room, the soft sweep of his lips on my forehead, the kind things he said to me—the things I should not be thinking of.

I’m here to do an excellent job as the nanny—not to flirt with the boss. I inch away, pretending to adjust the strap on my bag as he explains the details for pickup.

The whole time, I try not to inhale the woodsmoke scent of my boss that already drives me a little wild. But it lingers in my mind as I leave, hopping into my orange car to pick up his kids for the first time.

And when I reach the private school a mile away, I’m doing my best to ignore these fluttery feelings for the man I work for. I’ve got a job to do, and I need to nail it.

For a moment, though, I’m back at the edge of the rink, waiting for my name to be called.

Hoping I’ll be good enough. No,great.

But just like then, I square my shoulders, take a breath, and remind myself: I’ve got this.

12

WHATEVER, WHATEVER

Sabrina

This shouldn’t be so hard. Do I linger in the pickup line or park and wait outside for them?

But I’m a few minutes early, so I keep debating as I circle the block in Japantown. Will they know to look for my orange car? I should park.

Then again, as I make another loop, the Peace Pagoda towering high a few blocks away, I don’t see too many available spots. Shoot. I’ll need to do the pickup line.

I have Luna’s number—Tyler gave it to me at a skating lesson once upon a time. I could just call her and let her know what my car looks like. But as I pull back to the front of the school, I see that the line is already several cars long, starting to snake around the corner. Will they know where to find me if I’m not at the front yet? Are they used to Agatha being at the head of the line?

Best to find a spot. I search for a nearby parking lot on my phone since I can’t see any on-street parking, and one popsup just around the block. I weave around the cars forming the line and head to the lot, but my stomach sinks when I see the price: $20 an hour. Highway robbery.

Still, it’s my first day on the job, and I can’t be late. Can’t make a mistake. Pulse racing, I pull into the lot, grab a ticket, and rush to their school, a pretty, three-story structure with an atrium in the middle—or so the website tells me. It looks more like a fancy apartment building on a TV show set in Los Angeles than a San Francisco elementary school as it comes fully into view as I rush down the street. After all that effort to be on time, I’m still hurrying.

I hustle toward the main door, ready to tell the security guard my name, when the final bell rings and kids start streaming out of classrooms, visible through the expanse of windows at the front of the school.Come on, come on. I need to time this just right to show them I’m reliable.

So my new employer knows I am as well.

I tell the security guard my name, but he takes too long looking through the list on his tablet. Finally, he says, “Oh, I see you, Ms. Snow. Go right in.”

I make it inside the lobby with the mosaic-tiled floor just as Parker walks over, hair flopping across his eyes, backpack slouching down his body. And if I’d thought I was nervous before, it’s nothing compared to how I feel now. I’ve talked to Parker only occasionally at skating lessons—but this is our first real interaction. I give him a wave and a smile.

“Hey! How are you?”

He looks at me like I’m a piece of broccoli that should never have been served in the first place. “You’re supposed to pick us up outside. Nobody comes inside.”

He walks right past me and out the front door.

Okay, I definitely have my work cut out for me. Tugging on my shirt to adjust it, I follow him out, figuring Luna will meet us there. When I catch up, I say, “Is this a better spot?”

He shrugs and mutters, “Fine.”

“How was school?” I ask.

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