Page 128 of Mr. Infuriating

“I can’t ask her out, she’s a teacher at your school.”

Brayden rolled his eyes again.

“So? She’s not one of our teachers.”

“She’s just a friend and client, and that’s the end of the subject!”

“Dad?” Britt’s voice was small from the backseat.

I felt bad I’d gotten worked up, so I tried to soften my tone.

“Yeah, honey?”

“You know how Mom likes that Shakespeare quote? ‘The lady doth protest too much, methinks’.” Her face broke into a big grin. “Well, substitute ‘the lady’ for ‘the dad’.”

Brayden snorted.

I scowled.

The only response I could think of was, “You’re both grounded.”

My daughter was completely unfazed, because she added, “You should order Instacart so you’ve got food at the house they like.”

“They’re only staying one night. We can order delivery for dinner, and I have plenty of stuff to make breakfast.”

Britt sounded a lot like her mom when she sighed and said, “Okay, if you think that’s a good idea…”

“It’s fine!”

At least I hoped it was.

I found I wanted to make Gretchen and Jake’s stay as comfortable as possible.

I’m so fucked.

Luckily it was only for one night, right?

Chapter Fifty

Gretchen

My GPS told me my destination was on the right, and I muttered, “Wow,” out loud when I turned into the drive. “The woodworking business must be good.”

The Cape Cod style house was set far back from the road on what was easily three acres. The house itself wasn’t obscene or ornate, but everything—from the landscaping to the white paint to the wraparound porch—was perfect, like it belonged in a magazine.

I imagined the inside matched the outside and anxiety bubbled up inside me. My two-year-old was, well,two. He could be a walking tornado.

“Jake, Mommy needs you to be a good boy at Mr. Mitchell’s house, okay? No messes, baby.”

He nodded enthusiastically, but I knew that didn’t mean anything.

Why did I agree to this again?

Oh, yeah, I liked flushing the toilet and brushing my teeth with water. Plus, I couldn’t afford a hotel.

And Gabe had insisted.

I put my Honda in park in the circular driveway in front of his house but didn’t shut the engine off as I debated continuing through and heading to my parents. Or maybe Laura’s. My brother probably would make room for us for a few days.Anywherebut here.

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