Page 31 of Scoring Chance

“Dean!” Tanner barks.

“I didn’t mean to!” Dean says, wide-eyed. “It was an accident!”

I hold up my hand, trying not to wince. “It’s okay. I’ve survived worse.”

Like the time I accidentally wore brown shoes with a black belt in front of a client. That haunts me more than it should.

“I’ll get a towel,” Tanner says, already heading toward the kitchen.

“Sorry,” Dean mutters, staring at his plate.

“It’s really fine,” I tell him. I try a napkin to get out the orange tint in my jeans. The stickiness of the soda clings to my legs.

“Nice going, idiot!” Davy hisses at his brother.

“I said it was an accident!” Dean yells back.

Tanner returns with a towel and hands it to me. Dean intercepts it.

“Here. I can do it.”

Dean’s hand gets caught on my plate, though, and it sends a heap of hot leftovers onto my lap, coating the orange soda puddle with a savory layer of day-old lasagna.

“Shit!” I yell. Lulu’s eyes go wide at the expletive. I made it a whopping two hours as a stepdad without cursing in front of the kids. Honestly, that’s better than I expected.

“I’m sorry.” Dean’s lower lip trembles. After Lulu’s previous waterworks, I want to avoid another meltdown. So I take a deep-ass breath and pray my dry cleaner can handle these stains.

“It’s okay,” I say, thinking of my quiet, clean apartment right now. My happy place. Once upon a time, I used to eat sushi in silence while watching the sun set behind the mountains.

I pat down my jeans as I feel them clinging to my skin.

“You good?” Tanner asks.

“Other than being christened by neon orange soda? Never better.”

The water is hot, bordering on scalding, which is exactly how I like my showers. I scrub soda and ricotta cheese residue from my thighs and contemplate my life decisions.

Living in Tanner’s house. With his kids. Pretending to be his husband.

What the hell am I doing?

I lean my head against the tile, eyes closed. This was supposed to be a smooth plan. No muss, no fuss. Sign some forms. Wait for Tanner to get a new job. Get the promotion from Stan. Resume bachelor life in my sleek city condo where my shower head has multiple settings. Tanner’s shower has two settings: off and full power fire hose.

But now I’m standing in Tanner’s phone booth-sized shower, wondering if I’m in over my head.

I towel off and wrap it around my waist. I go into Tanner’s bedroom and pull on a worn T-shirt and soft joggers from his dresser. I get a little rush putting on his clothes. I inhale the fresh, springy detergent scent and it feels like he’s hugging me.

As I step out into the hall, I hear Tanner’s voice. Low, warm, soothing.

I follow the sound like a moth to a porch light and stop just before Lulu’s door. It’s cracked open.

Tanner is sitting on her bed, a hardcover picture book in one hand, Lulu tucked under his arm like a sleepy little burrito.

Tanner gives an award-worthy performance, utilizing multiple voices and sound effects. It makes me chuckle to myself.

He turns the page and continues reading. He gives her head a quick kiss, and she scrunches tightly up against him. My heart can barely take it. As chaotic as little kids can be, if you get to have this cute moment with them at night, is it really so bad?

Lulu yawns hugely, pressing her face into his side. His voice could lull me into a deep sleep, too.