Page 45 of Sliding into Home

“What? Come on, Kia. I know how hard things have been for you as a single mom. You can’t tell me you aren’t interested in his money.”

“Screw you, Austin. This has nothing to do with money and you know it.” She stared at the man who she’d spent the last six months with. “Every time we talk lately, it’s snippy and uncomfortable.”

“That’s because I’ve heard the way you talk about Smitty. You get this stupid look on your face like you’re picturing a picket fence and shit.”

“I’m not picturing anything with Jeff. Do I like seeing my son happy? Yes. Of course I do.”

“And how much he makes has nothing to do with that smile.”

“Don’t be a dick.” She crossed her arms over her chest as she watched him.

His face dropped. “Sorry. That was an asshole thing to say. But come on, Kia. He’s a professional ballplayer. They date supermodels and shit. And you’re hot obviously, but there’s a big difference between the kind of women those guys’ date and a single mom who tattoos people for a living.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“Come on, Kia. They hire people like us. They’ll fuck ‘em but they don’t marry ‘em.”

Was he right? Probably. Hell, when she’d met Jeff all those years ago, she’d thought he was blue collar. Turned out he’d been slumming it for the summer. He’d grown up upper-middle-class, while her family was definitely working-class.

“Jeff has nothing to do with this, Austin. Okay, maybe he does, but not in the way you’re thinking.” She sat back on the bench and Austin sat beside her. “Nothing is more important to me than my son.”

“I know. All of our dates have revolved around his schedule,” he grumbled.

“And that right there is the problem, Austin. It annoys you that your life revolves around my kid. And I get it. He’s not yours. Watching Jeff with Austin made that difference painfully obvious. And this is nothing against you at all. I’ve stopped you from having a relationship with Max because I didn’t want him confused.” She tilted her head as she struggled to find the words to soften the blow. “I think if I had felt like we were really going somewhere, I would have wanted you around Max more. I liked how we kept things separate, and I think that speaks to our relationship and why it’s not going to work.”

“So I was good enough to fuck, but not good enough to have a relationship with your son?”

“No, that’s not what I’m saying.” Kia winced. Except that was what she was saying. She knew things with Austin weren’t going anywhere and she hadn’t really cared. She’d kept her life separate for a reason. Austin was hot and fun. And sometimes she needed a night out to forget she was a mom and he’d always been up for that. But watching Jeff with Max, she realized just what she’d been missing by having someone else to take some of the weight off. There was something to be said for family outings.

“Sure sounds like it to me.” Austin sat quietly and pinched the bridge of his nose. Finally, he looked up. “You’re kidding yourself if you think he’s going to stick around, Kia. Sure, it’s all fun now, but what’s it going to look like when the season starts and he’s on the road? You’ll be back to being a single mom. Alone.”

“Again, this isn’t about Jeff. This is about you and I, and there’s just something missing between us. I’ve realized we’re never going to get there. I’m sorry.” She reached out and placed her hand on his arm to soften the blow.

He snatched his arm back. “Yeah, I’m sorry too. I think you’re making a huge mistake here.”

“Maybe I am.” She sighed. “But right now I have to follow my gut and it’s telling me it’s not fair to you to keep dating when I don’t see us being a long-term thing.”

“Right.” The muscles in his jaw ticked as he stared out toward the ocean.

“I hope we can still be friends.”

Austin laughed. “We weren’t friends before, Kia. Why the hell would we be friends after?”

Sucking in a breath, she pursed her mouth. “Okay, fair enough. I hope we can at least be civil when we see each other. I mean, you work with Ty, so we’re going to run into each other.”

“I’m pretty sure we can avoid each other. You managed to do a good job of it whenever Max was around before.” Disappointment clouded his eyes as he looked at her. “I could have made you happy if you’d just given us the chance.” He stood up. “See you around.”

Exhaling an audible breath, she watched him walk away.Well, that went well.She stared out at the water. Was he right? No. She knew breaking up with Austin was the right thing to do. They’d been dating for six months. Everything about their relationship was superficial, and she had no interest in deepening it. That said something and once he was over feeling hurt, he’d realize it too. He hadn’t been any more interested in getting to know her than she had in getting to know him.

She closed her eyes and let the sun shine down on her face again. Her watch buzzed and she peered at it. Time to get to work.

After tucking Max in, Jeff wandered back down the hallway. He found Kia in the kitchen, wiping down the counters.

She looked up. “You all done?”

“Yeah, he’s conked out.”

“I’m not surprised. You guys had a full day.” She set the rag on the edge of the kitchen sink. “You heading out?”

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