Page 30 of Romance with Mr. Bossy Pants

“Hey, sweetheart. Looks like you went swimming with the paintbrushes.”

She makes a silly face.

“Sorry, Dad.” She quickly notices Chloe in the passenger seat and exclaims, “Chloe! Hi! I’m so glad you’re here!”

“Hi, Michelle. Looks like you had a lot of fun today,” Chloe says with a teasing grin.

Michelle opens the back door to get inside.

“Hold on there, kiddo. You can’t get in the car like that,” I say, picturing the stained seats that would surely follow.

Michelle's face falls momentarily, then brightens as an idea strikes her. “I can sit on my backpack.”

Chloe stifles a laugh, her hand covering her mouth. “Then that will stain your backpack. Let’s try this instead.” She pulls out something from her purse. To my surprise, it’s the latest issue of Prestige Pulse. Before I can comment, Chloe begins tearing out the pages. Soon, she creates a makeshift seat cover for Michelle to sit on.

Huh, I muse. That was…pretty clever.

“Good idea,” I tell Chloe, in spite of everything. She barely looks in my direction.

“You’re the best, Chloe,” Michelle cheers. “I can’t wait to tell you guys what happened.”

She reaches over to fasten her seatbelt and continues, “So, I was in art class. Tony ran out of paint, so he went to grab two new buckets. On his way back to our desk, he didn’t see the paintbrush on the floor and rolled right over it. He flew forward and the paint cans came right at me! We were all laughing so hard, even Ms. Rose!”

Chloe and I join in the laughter. Not only is Tony Michelle’s friend, he also lives next door to us. The two of them are inseparable troublemakers, adorable, but troublemakers, nonetheless. I’ve lost count of the number of science projects that went hilariously wrong in our yards, transforming our grass into a chemistry lab. And the epic water balloon fights on scorching summer days turned our neighborhood into a splash zone. Their antics always leave a trail of laughter and mess in their wake.

My thoughts are interrupted when Michelle speaks again.

“Look, Ms. Rose is coming.”

Sure enough, Ms. Rose shows up by the window, flashing a flirtatious smile my way.

I offer a polite nod as I roll down the car window. “Good afternoon, Ms. Rose. Thank you for the call,” I say, keeping my tone neutral.

"Hey, stranger," she purrs, leaning in closer to the window, oblivious to Chloe’s presence. “Michelle always talks about you with such admiration. I thought I’d simply check in. How are you? How’s work?”

I give her a subtle smile. “Does she now? Well, work is busy, but going really well. And, me? Well, I’m fine. Thanks for asking. How about you?”

She giggles, twirling a lock of her hair around her finger. “My day just got a little better. I was wondering if you wanted to catch up over coffee sometime.”

I hesitate for a moment, not wanting to encourage her advances. “That’s thoughtful of you, but I have a full workload right now and my schedule doesn’t allow much time for social get-togethers. Maybe another time.”

She pouts slightly, but quickly recovers with a playful grin. “I see. I’ve always admired your work ethic. If you ever need a break, you know where to find me.”

Rolling up the window, I nod.

She waves at Michelle and walks away. I can’t imagine what Chloe must be thinking. It must be awkward.

Michelle chuckles in her seat. “I told you! That was so weird!”

“Maybe you should stop sharing our stories with her,” I tease, playfully rolling my eyes at her in the rearview mirror.

“So, where were both of you coming from?”

Chloe and I exchange looks.

“Awe, see. I like this better.”

Clearing my throat, I ask, “What do you mean?”

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