Page 23 of Fall With Me
Chloe rubs the side of her nose. “Cool. I bet your team is way better than the NFL Broncos.”
Finn’s head tilts to the side. “Huh?”
Chloe and I laugh.
“It means I think you will be an awesome football player. Do you have a favorite professional sports team you follow?”
“Dad likes the Niners so I watch them too.”
She coughs, “Old news.”
Old news? “We were in the Super Bowl earlier this year,” I say.
“And lost.” Chloe leans toward me. “I like college football more than the NFL, but I can assure you my team is better than yours.”
Why are women who love sports so sexy? Not that I’minterestedin Chloe. I’m simply stating a fact. “Who’s your team?”
“The Chiefs.”
Finn winces. “Dad doesn’t like them,” he says, shaking his head. “He says they’ve gotten too much attention lately.”
She raises her brows. “Yeah, because they’re good. You might recall they won the Super Bowl againstyourteam? Twice.” She holds up two fingers.
I’m saved from answering her by our order number being called. “I’ll go get our dinner.” And maybe another time we can debate the merits of our football teams.
It takes two trips to get all our stuff brought over. Our conversation focuses mainly on what Finn wants to talk about, which is video games and his friends. The time passes quickly and before I know it, we’re walking up the stairs to the parking lot behind the building, a laden to-go bag in hand.
“Dad, can we watch another episode ofPokémontonight?”
Chloe pats my shoulder. “Sounds riveting.”
There’s only so many episodes of trainers catching different species I can handle. But Finn’s been amazing to do his own thing this week while I worked a ton of overtime. “Yeah, bud. We can watch a couple before bath time tonight.”
“Yes!” he cheers. “Can Chloe come?”
“Chloe probably has things to do tonight.”
“Actually…” she winces. “I was hoping we’d discuss our thoughts on the food and other menu options tonight. But I can text or call you about it later.”
I’m exhausted. Our house is an absolute mess. I’m ready to sit on the couch, zoning out for a few minutes before gearing myself up for a few more hours of work tonight. But I’m the one who offered to help in order to impress my boss and keep our clients happy. “It’s fine. We need to keep on track or else the festival won’t happen.”
Chloe gazes at me, her eyes narrowing the slightest as she examines my face. I keep my expression neutral.
“You’re sure?”
“Absolutely.”
“I’ll follow behind you,” Chloe says, digging her keys out of her purse.
“Tonight’s the best night ever!” Finn shouts, jumping.
“I’m glad you’re enjoying it.” I click the unlock button on my key fob. “Come on, kiddo. Let’s head home.”
Finn climbs in the back seat. I seize the opportunity to warn Chloe about the state of cleanliness at our house. “Chloe, wait up.”
She turns, facing me. “Yeah?”
Rubbing a hand along the side of my neck, I say, “Listen. I wasn’t expecting company and I’ve been working a ton this week. Don’t judge my house based on what you see tonight, okay?”
