Page 170 of The Overtime Kiss

He knows some of it. He saw me Sunday night and helped me through that evening. But that was before Tyler knocked on my door and yanked the rug completely out from under us.

But truly, it was no surprise. It’s better if we pretend nothing happened. It’s always been better that way. We were foolish to think we could magically jump from working together in his home with his kids to being…together.

Besides, he has too much on his plate.

I swallow past the tightness, trying to will it away.

“It’s just…” I wave a hand, trying to dismiss all these mounting feelings.

“What happened?” Leighton asks, her voice calm and steady.

I draw a breath. “We broke up. Well…really,hedid.”

“Oh no,” Leighton says gently.

“Really?” Isla asks, her eyes sad.

“Yeah. Really,” I say, then I tell them everything.

Everything I didn’t tell Tyler.

Everything about my father’s visit.

Exactly how awful it made me feel.

Isla nods, absorbing it all, then says, “So when you were already at rock-bottom, his kids suggested marriage, he didn’t jump on it, you shut down, and he walked it all the way backward because he couldn’t figure out what the hell was going on with you.”

I blink. “How did you get all of that from what I just said?”

She shrugs, like it was easy, or easy-ish. “I’m a dating coach. My job is literally to study romance and help people find happily-ever-afters.”

“And so you figured out he couldn’t figure out what wasgoing on with me?” I ask, still incredulous at how she read us like that.

She doesn’t back down. “Sabrina, you’re really good at being great.”

I feel like I’ve just walked into a pole. “What does that mean? Are you saying I fake it?”

Isla reaches for my hand. “No, no. But I am saying you’ve had to learn self-protection. You’ve had no choice—because of your parents, but also because you have uncommon talent. You’re really damn good at throwing yourself into skating, into success. And I’m not saying you shouldn’t throw yourself into your business. I’m just wondering…is it possible Tyler had no clue where your emotions were at? And maybe he made some stupid assumptions?”

Trevyn nods sagely. “Because mencanmake some really stupid-ass assumptions.”

I swat his arm. “You’re not supposed to side with him.”

He squeezes my shoulder but doesn’t let my comment slide. “I’m not siding with him. I’m siding with…seeing all sides.”

Leighton gives me a thoughtful look. “And you know, the thing is—he’sreallycaught up in being a great dad, because his dad wasn’t. Miles felt similar pressure—he felt like he had to be super responsible at all times. Move forward. He was so focused on being responsible, on doing the right thing, but sometimes it tripped him up. A lot of that pressure came from their dad and the way he walked out. And Tyler? He is a dad, so I bet he’s dealing with that in his own way. He probably feels the pressure to do the opposite of his dad too.”

I frown. I’d never really thought about that. I hadn’t considered how much he carried. “What do I do with that? I can’t go back and have him un-break up with me because we both have daddy issues.”

Leighton takes a beat, then nods slowly. “I’m not sure. But maybe…the two of you aren’t done talking.”

I mull on that as the server brings our lunch.

“It’s something to think about,” Isla says, nudging me toward this new…realization, perhaps.

Maybe I should think about it.

But first, I eat lunch with my friends, and afterward, I finally post the skating video from Cozy Valley with the caption:It’s like lightning.

---