Page 23 of Daddy's Muse
And for the first time all day, I smiled—one of those big smiles that you just can’t suppress.
I still had tutoring and a short shift at the diner, but once those were over, I would pour some juice in my new sippy and go to bed little.
* * *
“Okay, so if you’re trying to get the pH, you need to take the negative log of the hydrogen ion concentration. That’s this number right here,” I pointed with my pen to the value on Callie’s worksheet.
She tilted her head, her golden blonde ponytail swinging slightly as she blinked at the paper. “But why negative?”
“Because the scale works backward. More hydrogen ions mean lower pH. It’s just how the logarithmic scale works.”
Callie groaned in that overly theatrical way that said she wasn’treallyfrustrated, just trying to be cute about struggling. “Ugh. You’re so smart, Colby. I wouldliterallydie if I had to major in this stuff.”
I smiled politely and straightened at her praise. Callie was more than generous with her compliments, to the point where I had actually thought about giving her a discount on the tutoring fee I charged.
We were tucked into one of the far corners of the library’s second floor, a nice, quiet spot that I often hung out at outside of my sessions, curled up in one of the oversized comfy chairs by the window overlooking the heart of campus.
Callie flipped her worksheet over and dropped her pen. “Okay, I’m officially calling it. I have absorbed more than enough knowledge for one night. Anything else will go in one ear and out the other.”
I laughed softly, starting to stack my books. “You’re doing a lot better than last week, honestly. I think the visuals helped a lot.”
She leaned her chin in her hand and smiled at me in that too-familiar way. “You’re a total lifesaver, sweetie. Seriously. Oh mygod—okay, okay, wait—this weekend, my friend Alex is throwing this party, and Ihaveto introduce you to his cousin Jamie. He’s gay,supercute, and, like, I just feel like you two would vibe, youknow? He’s on the lacrosse team.” Callie waggled her eyebrows at me.
My stomach immediately dropped at the wordparty.
“Oh,” I said, trying to keep my voice friendly. “That’s really nice of you, thank you for the invite. But I, um… I don’t really do parties.”
Callie pouted with a playful gleam in her eye. “You’re missing out! Especially on Jamie. But no pressure. Just—if you change your mind, text me. Youneedto start living a little. Have a drunk one-night stand or two. It’s the college experience!”
I nodded, still smiling, still polite, because I didn’t want to offend her accidentally. We might’ve lived entirely different lives, but Callie was still a great student and an overall nice person to be around.
We packed up, exchanged goodbyes, and I slipped out into the cool evening, tugging my hoodie tight as I crossed the quad.
Callie had taken off a few minutes early, which left me with enough time to leisurely walk across campus to Mae’s, instead of the panicked sprint I sometimes had to do.
The smell of fryer oil and syrup hit me as I walked through the back door.
I waved to Mae at the grill.
“Hey, baby! Few minutes early, aren’t ya? You’re on coffee and tables tonight,” she called after me. “We’re light, so feel free to sit when it’s slow.”
“Got it,” I said, already tying my apron.
By the time I’d made my first sweep through the dining room, refilling a couple of mugs and wiping down the empty tables, the bell over the door chimed softly.
I looked up and froze for a moment, my heart fluttering as I made eye contact with the tall blonde man I’d run into recently. The one I’d fantasized about being my Daddy.
Tonight, he wore a gray hoodie under a black peacoat, dark wash jeans, and boots. He sent me a soft smile and picked a booth near the corner, sitting and folding his hands politely on the table.
I hesitated only a second before grabbing the coffee pot and heading his way.
“Hi, welcome to Mae’s,” I said, my voice a little too stiff, probably a little too awkward as well. “Want a menu, or are you just here for coffee?”
He looked up at me. His eyes were… unsettling. Not in a bad way. Just… intense. Too focused. Like he wasn’t just looking at me—he was reading me. The paleness of them felt unearthly, and I found myself caught in their stare.
“I’ll take coffee, thanks,” he said, voice low and smooth. “And whatever dessert’s best here. You’d know better than me.”
“Oh,” I blinked, feeling imbalanced for some unknown reason. “Uh, that’d be the lemon meringue pie, probably. I can bring you a slice. Oh, unless you don’t like lemon? The chocolate pie is really great too, or there’s apple, and that one tastes really yummy with some vanilla ice cream on top.” I flushed as I realized I was rambling a bit.
