Page 45 of Holding Out

A couple of other kids were working quietly in adjacent booths.Griff was the only tutor today—Fridays were usually slow because only the most determined kids started their homework before the weekend.

Which didn’t explain why Jed was here, slouched in a corner, earbuds in, swiping madly at some video game on his phone.But Jed was often here for no reason Griff could figure out.He never asked for help, and when it was offered, he flatly refused it.Griff figured things sucked at home and a quiet booth where no one gave him shit about screen time was probably bliss.

JoJo was on problem twenty out of thirty when a tall, beautiful blond woman pushed Robbie’s stroller through the door.

Griff’s dick figured it out first.It grew heavy before his brain made sense of what he was seeing.Or tried to, anyway.

It was Becca.

What the hell was she doing here?

“Excuse me a sec,” he told JoJo, easing himself up from his seat.

He and Nate stepped into the lobby at the same moment.

“Bex!”Nate said jovially.He’d obviously known she was here, but he hadn’t mentioned anything to Griff.And that was actuallygoodnews, because it signaled that Nate hadn’t suspected Griff would want to know, which meant he didn’t know anything about their shenanigans.Which in turn meant that Griff would live another day.

Although Nate was looking at him a little funny right now.Right.Because he was standing in the lobby instead of sitting in the conference room with his student.

“Hi,” Griff said, belatedly, to Becca.“Did you come down for Friday Night Dinner?”

She hadn’t mentioned to him that she was coming into town, and she usually put several weeks between visits.

Becca looked from one of them to the other, and blushed.“I didn’t think you’d be here,” she said to Griff.“I mean, at KidsUp.”

“I’m here most Friday afternoons.But that doesn’t explain whyyou’rehere.Pushing Robbie.”

He stepped around the other side of the stroller, crouched, and greeted the baby, who stuck his tongue out and kicked his feet.

“You know how I told you the salon’s closing?My boss decided to give me my last two weeks as paid leave, which is super nice, right?So ...I figured I’d come do some babysitting for Nate and Alia ...”

She bit her lip, and he realized she was worried that he’d be pissed that she’d shown up.Because of theiragreement.And he probablyshouldbe pissed, but the truth was ...well, his dick had said it first.He was glad to see her.Very glad.

Griff watched appreciatively as Becca leaned down and dug under the stroller for something.“Here’s the folder.”

“Thanks,” Nate said.“I really appreciate it.Left the fundraising notes I needed at home,” he explained to Griff.

“And Alia needed me to get out of the house with Robbie, so it made sense for me to walk him down here,” Becca said.

Griff nodded.“I should, um, get back to JoJo,” he said apologetically to Becca.“You want to come see how it works in there?”

“In—”

“In the tutoring room.”

“Um, Robbie and I should probably—”

“C’mon.Check it out.”

He could tell she was unconvinced, but she followed him to the big room, pushing Robbie ahead of her.

All the kids looked up when she came in, even Jed, who took his earbuds out.At first, Griff was sure it was Becca’s smoking body that had gotten Jed’s attention, but then he saw that the kid’s eyes were actually on Robbie.

“You want to say hi to Robbie?”he asked.

Jed hesitated, then made his way over.The hard expression on the boy’s face gave way to something much softer as he greeted the baby, who treated him to a smile.

“JoJo, Jed, this is my friend Becca.”

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