Page 116 of Caught from Behind

But…that’s all he says.

“Kit,” I begin, moving closer.

He steps back, expression immediately closing down.

Dammit.

I exhale quietly. “I’m here if you feel ready to talk at any point.” My words are quiet, but I know by the stiff way his shoulders hitch up that he can hear them. “And please know that I won’t push you. I get that I fucked up and you’re allowed to be mad.” A beat. “You’re allowed to hate me.”

His throat works and he looks down at his keyboard, dismissing me.

I want to press, to fix this, to make it all go away…

But I can’t.

I’ve apologized and now I have to give him time.

So, I force myself to keep walking.

“You can sit there, Todd-o-Rama,” I say, nodding to the empty seat next to my station. It belongs to a stylist I know isn’t working today. “I just need to drop my stuff in the back,” I tell him, turning away. “Can I grab you any coffee or water? A snack?”

“What happened?” he asks.

I pause and glance over my shoulder. “Well, we met up at the rink and then drove in my car here, and now”—I force a smile—“I’m going to squeeze giving you a kickass haircut into my already busy schedule.”

“Okay, smart ass,” he grumbles, but his eyes are dancing. “Also, you’re talking up this haircut so much, it had better be the best one I’ve ever had, and not that shit you pulled with my son. I’m not into bald patches.”

“Oh, the cut will be amazing.” I spin around, plunk my hands on my hips, and narrow my eyes threateningly. “So long as you hold still,” I warn. “Very, very still.”

He snorts.

“So, coffee?” I ask. “Or water?—”

“I meant, what happened with the boy at the front desk?”

“First,” I say, “Kit is a grown man.”

Todd rolls his eyes. “He’s got to be all of twenty.”

“Twenty-three,” I correct. “But that’s an adult.”

“A baby.”

I roll my eyes. “Okay, I’ll bring you a coffee.”

He catches my arm as I start to walk away. “What happened with Kit, the grown man of twenty-three?”

“Why?” I ask quietly.

“Because it’s upset you.”

“Why does that bother you?” My tone is snarky. “You don’t know me, and clearly, you don’t give a damn when you upset your own son. Why should you stick your nose into my business?”

His fingers tighten, tone sharpening. “Because my son loves you and I fucked up with him for long enough that I want to do something helpful for a change, okay?”

Of all the things Todd could have said…

This is the one that tugs at my heartstrings.

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