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“Sorry I don’t have a change of clothes for you,” he said. “I doubt anything of Ruby’s would fit.”
“Probably not. But it doesn’t bother me. I wouldn’t mind brushing my hair and using some mouthwash though.”
He nodded. “Go for it. You know where the bathroom is. Come find me in the kitchen when you’re done.”
“Thanks.” I stretched onto my toes to kiss his cheek, then excused myself to take care of business and do a little primping.
When I joined Warren in the kitchen, he was pouring two mugs of coffee, adding a spoonful of sugar and a splash of milk to mine.
I grinned. “I can’t believe you remember how I like my coffee.”
He looked a little embarrassed. “It wasn’t that long ago we shared a breakfast.”
I pressed my lips together to refrain from pointing out that most people wouldn’t remember someone’s coffee preference from nearly two months ago. It was sweet that he did. “So, do you have pancakes often? They smell great.”
He passed me a mug and took the other for himself, glancing at the skillet. “Most weekends we’ll have them either Saturday or Sunday. It’s kind of a tradition.”
I melted a little more inside. “That’s a nice tradition. When are you expecting Ruby home?”
“She messaged earlier to say it would be just after lunch.”
“I’ll make sure to clear out before then.” We had a new ease with each other, and I didn’t want to ruin that by hanging around and making him uncomfortable.
“Thanks.” He leaned over and kissed my cheek, then flipped a pancake. He went to the pantry and returned with a bottle of maple syrup and two plates. I sipped my coffee, then froze, hearing faint noises outside. There was a metallic click and the sound of a door opening, followed by a voice.
“Hi, Dad. I came home early because the Carswells had family drop by to visit.” Footsteps bounced through the entrance and then Ruby appeared in the kitchen doorway. Her eyes widened almost comically, darting back and forth from her bare-chested father to me.
“Oh, wow,” she squeaked, throwing her hands over her eyes. “Oh, my God. I didn’t need to see that. I’m mentally scarred.”
An inappropriate laugh burst out of me, and I covered my mouth and turned to Warren, horrified that we’d been outed so quickly after all of my reassurances that we’d make sure Ruby wasn’t hurt by what we were doing. I wasn’t sure whether I should leave so he could explain this to his daughter—or deny it. His jaw was slack, and he looked stunned, but then he straightened his shoulders.
“Morning, Rubes. This is unexpected.”
“Put a shirt on!” she exclaimed. “Jeez, Dad.”
He glanced at me and rolled his eyes. “Not like you haven’t seen it before.”
“Yeah, but not when Miss Olson was here, staring at you like a tasty snack,” she snarked back.
My face heated. “Should I go?”
“No.” He held up a hand. “Wait a sec and I’ll grab a shirt.”
He hurried away, and Ruby dropped her hands from her face, which was blazing red.
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” she said. “I didn’t bother sending a message to say I was coming home earlier because I didn’t know he’d have company. He never does. Like, ever.”
“Thanks, Rubes,” Warren said, striding back into the room. “Way to make me sound like a loser.”
“You’re not.” She turned to me. “He’s really not, I swear. He’s an awesome dad, and I know the mums think he’s good looking.”
Warren released a hard-done-by sigh. “You’re not selling me, kid.” He turned off the cooktop and removed the skillet, presumably so he could give his full attention to his daughter. “Right. Okay.” He sounded like a man about to go to the executioner’s chair, but he still hadn’t asked me to leave or immediately denied anything, so I counted that as a win—although I knew this was far from the way—or time—he’d have liked Ruby to find out about us. “Rubes, you know Miss Olson. Hannah.”
She nodded, and waggled her fingers in an awkward wave.
“Hannah and I are dating. It’s very new, and we didn’t mean for you to discover us like this. I know it might be a bit strange for you since she’s your teacher, but we’d like to hear what you think.”
To my surprise, Ruby beamed. “I think it’s great. I mean, it’s kind of a surprise, but as long as I don’t get treated differently at school, I’m happy if you’re happy, Dad.”
