Chapter 32 Routine
Routine
“Is Tinker coming over for dinner again?” Olivia asked from the high counter where she was working on her homework.
Abby glanced up from the pork chops she was breading. “He’s planning to. Is that okay?”
Olivia nodded. “Yeah.”
Grabbing a paper towel, Abby wiped her hands. “Is everything okay? I can tell him there’s a change of plans if you don’t want him here. This is your house too, and I want you to feel comfortable.”
“I like Tinker,” Olivia said. “You know…he doesn’t have to leave at night.”
Spit went down the wrong pipe and Abby went into a coughing fit.
“What?” she choked out.
Olivia shrugged. “I mean, he’s been here almost every night since we all got sick. I know he doesn’t leave till late.” She shrugged again. “I’m just saying if you guys are at that stage, it’d be okay if he stayed.”
Abby did her best impression of a goldfish. “I…I…uh, we’ll talk about it.”
“Cool.”
This was not a conversation she’d ever expected to have with Olivia. To be honest, it wasn’t a conversation she’d expected to have at all since she’d never anticipated being in this situation before Will left for college.
Abby slid some cutlets in the hot oil as the doorbell rang.
“I get it!” Will yelled from the living room.
“Shoot, can you grab him?” Abby asked.
“On it.” Olivia hopped down from the stool. “Willy Nilly, you’re not allowed to answer the door.”
Abby smiled at Olivia’s nickname for Will.
“But it’s Tinker,” Will said.
“You don’t know that. It could be a door-to-door salesman, and you don’t have any money.”
“You’re not the boss of me, Olly Bolly!”
“Am too.”
“Am not!”
Abby chuckled as she put the last cutlets in the pan. She heard the door open and close and Will say, “See! Told you!” A few seconds later, Tinker rounded the corner, holding a giggling Will upside down. Olivia trailed behind them, shaking her head as only a too-cool preteen could.
Tinker flipped Will right side up and set him on his feet, holding him steady until he wasn’t dizzy.
“Hey.” He leaned down and kissed her quickly.
Abby smiled up at him. “Hey.”
“Yuck.” Upon that proclamation, Will ran back to the living room.
It’d been almost two weeks since they’d had their heart to heart, and this was the fifth night Tinker had been over for dinner.
They’d settled into a nice routine of dinner, dishes, bedtime routine, and heavy make-out sessions on the couch before he left.
He’d even joined them at the aquarium last Sunday.
It was nice and normal and maybe Olivia was right.
Maybe he could stay over a couple nights instead of leaving them both in a state of need.
‘Cause the phone sex wasn’t going to cut it for much longer.
“Smells good,” Tinker said. “You need any help?”
Abby shook her head. “No, everything should be ready in about fifteen minutes.”
Tinker nodded and stole a green bean waiting to be cooked. “I know it’s short notice, but is there any chance you can slip away for a while tonight?”
“I’m not sure. What’s going on?”
“The weather’s perfect for a ride.”
Abby flipped the cutlets. “Like on your motorcycle?”
“Yeah. I haven’t taken you yet.” Tinker crossed his arms and leaned a hip against the counter next to the stove.
A spark of excitement burst in her before quickly dissipating. “I think my mom’s got something going on tonight.”
“I can watch Will, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Olivia said.
Abby took a step back to look around Tinker as he looked over his shoulder. “Eavesdropping?”
Olivia rolled her eyes. “I’ve been sitting here the entire time, it’s hardly eavesdropping.”
Tinker’s mouth tilted up at the corners. “She’s got you there.”
Abby narrowed her eyes. Just what she needed—Tinker and Olivia ganging up on her.
“What’s your rate?” Tinker asked.
“Huh?” Olivia’s look of confusion probably matched her own.
“For babysitting,” he clarified. “How much do you charge per hour?”
Olivia looked between Abby and Tinker. “I wasn’t going to ask for money.”
“If you’re doing a job, you should get paid for the work,” Tinker said.
Olivia’s eyes were wide, and she fidgeted with the pencil on her notebook. “I was just offering to do a favor for Abby.”
Tinker opened his mouth, and Abby smacked him in the stomach with the back of her hand. “Quit. You’re freaking her out. Take these, watch the cutlets.” She handed him the tongs and moved around him to stand across the counter from Olivia.
“Thank you for offering to watch Will. It’s a lot of responsibility. Are you ready for that?” Abby asked.
Olivia nodded. “I used to watch our neighbor’s son after school until his mom came home. Plus…” She shrugged.
“Plus, what?” Abby asked.
“I mean, I kind of owe you.”
Abby leaned her arms on the counter. “What do you mean? Owe me for what?”
“For taking me in.” Her voice was small and soft.
“Olivia.” Abby took Olivia’s hands in hers. “You don’t owe me anything. There is no score. If you want to watch Will to be nice, I will accept your offer, but if you’re offering to watch him because you feel like you have to, I’m not going to accept.”
Olivia nodded quietly, refusing to look at Abby.
“Hey. Where is this coming from? Did something happen?”
Olivia shook her head.
“Are you worried about the hearing?”
Olivia shrugged. That was the issue. The initial custody hearing was scheduled for next week. Abby had been talking to their lawyer—with and without Olivia—for the last few days. She could kick herself for not realizing how stressed Olivia would be.
“Are you worried your aunt is going to win?”
“A little,” she admitted.
Abby heard movement behind her. Tinker pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I’m going to go sit with Will. I took the pan off the burner.”
She watched him walk away, momentarily distracted by his insight and kindness to give her and Olivia the moment alone.
“It’d be easier for you and Tinker if I wasn’t here.”
Abby’s head snapped back to Olivia. “What? Why would you say that? Is that why you said he should sleep over and why you offered to watch Will?”
Olivia shrugged her shoulders.
Letting out a long sigh, Abby lifted Olivia’s chin, forcing her to meet her gaze. “My life is better because you’re here, not harder. I don’t ever want you to think you’re not wanted here, or things would be better if you weren’t here. Ever.”
“But you’d be able to see Tinker more if I wasn’t here.”
Abby shook her head. “No, I wouldn’t. We both still have work, and I still have Will.
And honestly, he’s a bigger consideration than you are.
Not because he’s my biological child, but because he’s little and he’s never had an adult male in his life.
You at least understand Tinker and I are in a romantic relationship.
Will just thinks Tinker is a big jungle gym to climb on. ”
“He does climb on him a lot.”
Abby smiled. “Yes, and Tinker is very tolerant.”
“It probably helps he’s a big kid too.”
“Probably.” She rubbed her thumb across the back of Olivia’s hand and noticed the paint stains. “Are you good? I don’t want you stressing about any of this. We’ll figure it out.”
Olivia nodded. “I can still watch Will if you want to go for a ride with Tinker.”
“Let’s see how Will is after dinner.” Abby patted her hand and stood up. “If he has his grumpy pants on, we can go another time. No reason your first-time babysitting should be when he’s being difficult.”
It was too late by the time dinner was over and Will had his bath.
He’d been too excited about climbing on Tinker to settle for his usual bedtime routine, so they’d postponed the ride until the weekend.
Instead, they took their glasses out to the back patio, lit the citronella candles, and sat in the bench swing to watch the sun set over the tops of the trees.
Abby leaned against Tinker’s side, one leg tucked under her.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked.
“How would you feel about staying overnight?”
The swing stopped and Tinker shifted to look at her. Abby sat up and faced him across the bench.
“Really?”
“Yeah. Not tonight, but maybe Friday?”
Tinker played with the end of her ponytail. “You ready for that?”
“Honestly? I’m not sure. I’ve been sleeping in the middle of my bed for so long, I’m not sure how good I’m going to be about sharing it.”
Tinker grinned. “What about the kids?”
Abby took a deep breath. “Olivia actually suggested it.”
His gaze flew to hers. “Really?”
“Yup. She thinks she’s cramping our style.” Abby chuckled. “But it made me think that it’s going to happen at some point. At least, I’d like it to happen at some point.”
“I’d like it to happen too,” Tinker said. “How do you think Will is going to handle it?”
Abby shifted to lean against him again. “I honestly have no idea. I guess we’ll see.”
Tinker put the swing back in motion. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure,” she said.
“What books?”
Abby frowned and turned to face him again. “What?”
“The first night we met, you said something about it never working out like it does in books, and you mentioned you’d read about BDSM stuff in books. Then Dani said something about book covers? Something like that. So, I’m wondering what books.”
Abby dropped her leg and held her glass out to Tinker.
“Hold this.” She stood and walked into the house before she could change her mind, not daring to look back at Tinker.
She couldn’t believe she was going to do this.
Flipping the light on in her office, where she’d moved her racier books, she ran a finger along the spine and chose a Joanna Wylde.
Between her, Lindsey, and Naomi, it was well read.
Abby bit the corner of her lip and stared down at the cover depicting the torso of a well-muscled, shirtless man wearing only a leather vest, and wondered if she should pick something less…
explicit. But it wasn’t even one of the more explicit books she owned.
She definitely wasn’t going to start with her E.M.
Gayle or L.K. Knight books. She scanned the titles again.
“Is that it?”
She jumped at Tinker’s voice behind her and put a hand to her chest. Her cheeks grew warm as he took the book from her hand and read the description on the back.
He cocked an eyebrow and gave her an assessing look. “Is this the book you were talking about?”
Abby clasped her forearms behind her back. “Not that book specifically, but in general, yes.”
“This says book two. How many books are there?”
“In that series? Five or six.”
“How many series are there?” He stepped closer to her bookcase and read some of the titles. “You have very eclectic tastes. You’ve got romance next to art history books and biographies next to Lord of the Rings.”
“Sometimes I don’t want to think about what I’m reading.” She looked down as she shrugged.
Tinker stepped closer and wrapped an arm around her. “I’m not giving you grief. But I am going to borrow this.” He held up the book. “And take notes.”
Abby couldn’t stop her smile. “Seriously?”
“Oh yeah. For when we sleep over.” He lowered his mouth to hers.