Page 52 of The Single Dad

“Great. Run on up to the bathroom. I’ll meet you there, and we’ll run you a bath.”

He nods, then takes off into the hallway, racing up the stairs. I start to put lids on all of the jars of paint, gathering them together neatly and picking up the scraps of newspaper. All the while, I can hear Cole and this strange woman talking, laughing.

I can’t help thinking that Cole must have invited this woman over for sex.

And of course, that’s his right. In fact, he even told me, once, that this would happen from time to time. He said that he would have women over, and he told me not to worry about it.

This is none of my business.

I try to be okay with it, to stay in my professional mindset, but no matter how hard I try not to care, I can’t stop my stomach from churning.

I get Archie in the bathtub and scrub the paint from his tiny fingers. Once he’s clean and paint-free, he puts on his pajamas and I tell him a bedtime story. This time, he’s wide awake for the whole thing, and I wonder if he’s a little on edge, too, with a stranger in his house.

I turn out the lights and go straight to my room. Despite all of my efforts, I’m hurt, and, if I’m being honest, pissed off.

Lying back on my bed, I plug my ears with headphones. I crank up my music to drown out any noises I might hear, staring at the ceiling. I don’t want to imagine him fucking that woman. But, of course, it’s the only thing I can think about.

It takes me a while to fall asleep, but eventually, I manage it.

The next morning, I wake up with a pit of cold steel in my stomach, more determined than ever to put distance between Cole and myself.

When he first said it, the suggestion seemed soft, almost unreal. But now that I know how it’s going to be—now that I know he’s going to have women over all the time—I don’t want to be attached to him.

Which means I need to actually break my attraction to him.

It’s Saturday, which means it’s my day off. I never have a day off from seeing Cole, though, since we live in the same house.

He’s downstairs, sipping coffee and reading his email on a tablet. He looks up as I walk into the kitchen. “Good morning.”

I don’t respond, just nod at him coolly. I don’t want to seem curt, but I don’t think I can muster up the same energy I usually have in the mornings.

There’s no sign of that woman from last night. She must have left already.

“Got any plans for today?” he asks.

“I’m going out,” I reply.

“Out?” There’s curiosity burning in his gaze. “Out where?”

I shrug, feeling a bit nettled by his prying questions. “I don’t know, just—out.”

I’m not on the clock today, and frankly, it’s none of his business where I go and what I do. Isn’t that what we agreed? Nothing either of us do is the other’s business.

This is a two-way street. If he wants to be a stranger, then he doesn’t get to be over-familiar with me.

Instead of hanging around for breakfast, like I’ve done on my days off in the past, I grab a bagel and pour a travel mug of coffee. I’ll head upstairs and eat while I’m getting ready to go.

I glance over my shoulder at him as I leave the room, surprised to see his stare fixed directly on me.

Chapter 17

Cole

Since it’s Riley’s day off, I’m responsible for Archie on Saturdays. Once the little man is at the table with his breakfast, I sit opposite him, open up my laptop, and try to get some work done.

I can’t go into the office, but I can get a head start on next week. I rarely let a weekend go to waste.

But it’s hard to focus this morning, because I just keep thinking about Riley.

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