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Ah, I can practically see the two thoughts warring in his mind. On the one hand, he wants to be part of this; on the other, the soccer call is strong.
"You have to practice if you want to be the star of the team," I insist, and his resolve breaks. With one nod, he's out the door.
Great. Potential disaster handled.
For the next hour, I'm doing most of the work because Sienna stops often, typing furiously on her phone.
"Is that Victoria?" I ask.
"Nah, it's Ben."
I turn in her direction so fast I swear my head snaps. Who the fuck is Ben? I take a few seconds to calm down, trying to remember how it was to be that age. I remember two things. One, I hated adults meddling in my business. Two, groping girls was high on my priority list.
I already hate Ben.
"Who is Ben?" I ask her in as calm as a tone as I can muster.
"A guy from school. We're working on a biology project together."
Over my dead fucking body.
"And Victoria is okay with this?" I ask, even more calmly. Predictably, she shoots daggers with her eyes at me.
"Yes, yes she is."
Well, Victoria has never been a seventeen-year-old boy. I'll have a word with her when she returns. Why can't girls start dating only after they graduate college? That's about the time men start thinking with their brain, not their cock. I don't insist on the topic, instead focusing on my work.
"You're cool for hanging out with us today, by the way. And thank you for helping us build this."
We finish a while later, but instead of sitting back and enjoying the result, we realize the living room looks like it's been a war zone, with bits and pieces scattered everywhere.
"Sienna, can you bring a trash bag? Chloe and I will start cleaning up."
"Sure."
Chloe shoves the new card under my nose just as Sienna leaves the room.
"Do you like the unicorn?" she asks. I'm on my knees next to her, inspecting the card.
"Yeah. It looks…." Not like a unicorn is what I want to say, but hey, at least it has four legs. "Well done."
Unexpectedly, she throws her little arms around my neck in a hug. "You're the bestest, Christopher. Thank you for helping us build the vanity table."
"No slacking allowed," Sienna says, having returned with a trash bag. "Come on."
We barely start cleaning up when Lucas bursts through the front door.
"Victoria's car is pulling in," he announces.
***
Victoria
When I return home, I'm bone-tired, but at least the day was a success, and I signed a new client. Now I have my birthday and the entire weekend stretching out, which I get to spend with my family and a wonderful man. What more could I ask for?
When I enter the house, the sound of hushed voices coming from the living room alerts me to some possible wrongdoings. Standing in the foyer, I strain my ears trying to make out individual words, but fail.
"I'm here," I say unnecessarily; if they haven't seen my car, they heard me open the front door. The whispering doesn't stop, nor do they greet me back. Oh boy. That's never a good omen. Gathering my courage, I head for the living room and do a double take.
