Page 16 of On My Side
She flops into the chair on the other side of my desk. “Got bored and left the kids to take care of each other.” She says it so casually and naturally that if she didn’t say the same thing after every babysitting gig, I might actually think she left the kids alone.
“Teaches them responsibility. Good work.” I nod solemnly at her. “What’s up? I have therapy in a few minutes so I’m going to have to kick you out.”
“Nothing. I’m gonna practice and thought it’d be cool of me to say hi first.”
“Cool… yes.” The wheels in my mind are turning, and I wonder if I can do this without Piper figuring out what or who I’m talking about. “Pipe, you’re like… young and cool, right?”
“Iwasuntil you had to ask.” Piper looks disgusted with me. I’msuchan embarrassment to her.
“What does it mean when someone who has your phone number emails you instead of texting?
She narrows her eyes at me. “This feels like a trap.”
“It’s not a trap,” I assure her. “Your mom’s a clueless old lady.”
“Have you texted them before?” Piper asks, fidgeting with the hair tie she took off her wrist. “Because I wouldn’t email someone if we’d texted.”
I shake my head. “Not other than a ‘hey, it’s so-and-so’ text when we exchanged numbers.”
“So-and-so? I don’t even get a name?” Piper pouts.
“It’s… Elmo. He’s an accountant I connected with online,” I lie.
“Maybe it means he has a weird name and doesn’t want to come across as too casual or familiar,” Piper suggests. “Like a professional relationship.”
I don’t know why her words make my stomach sink. She’s right, Ren and I have a strictly professional relationship, a relationship that wouldn’t exist without my daughter.
“Do you have a crush on Elmo?” Piper asks, and it takes me a moment to realize why she’s mentioning the red monster from Sesame Street.
“I… what?” I stammer, cheeks heating. Goddammit. “Of course not!”
“Oh my god, youdo!” Piper gasps, leaning forward. “I’ve never seen you with a crush!”
“Yes, you have!”
“Luke Danes doesnotcount.”
I scowl at her. “Alright, that’s enough from you. Mama has therapy.”
“Tell Eva I say hi!” Piper calls before closing my office door.
When I sign on to therapy, I surprise myself when I launch into telling my therapist about Ren.
And Eva, bless her, follows along perfectly.
“You and Kat were…” she prompts.
“Friends. Just…friends,” I say, hoping she stops asking about Kat.
Luckily, she does. “Got it, and Ren is her younger brother and Piper’s piano teacher, and we don’t like him… why?”
“That’s the problem,” I admit. “Idolike him.”
Eva closes her notebook and leans on her elbows toward the camera. “Oh,thisis interesting.”
“What is?” I ask in confusion.
“Are you attracted to him?” she asks point-blank.
