Page 81 of Loving at 40

“Rosie, run upstairs and wake Talia. You both need to get dressed. Mommy missed her alarm.”

Slowly, I sit upright. Fuck. “What can I do to help?” Jenna turns to me as one foot hits the staircase. When she looks back at me, it’s as if she’s forgotten I’m here.

“I . . . I’m so late. I don’t have time for a shower. I’ll just toss something on. Carol can feed the girls breakfast, and I’ll ask her to make Talia a lunch for kindergarten. She’s the one who takes her anyway. I’ll have to buy mine from the school cafeteria.” She’s rambling off a list of details like a daily schedule.

“Why don’t you let Rosie and Talia stay with me? I’ll feed both girls breakfast, make Talia a lunch, and get her to school.”

“I . . . you—” Her hesitation says it all.

“You don’t trust me with your girls?” The question isn’t said with as much ire as the first time I asked her such a thing, but the truth stings.

“It isn’t that. I just don’t want to impose. I can handle it.” She steps up the first two steps, and I’m off the couch.

“But you don’t have to handle it. Let me do this for you.”

She pauses on the third stair, struggling once more, and I’m thinking she’s given up on me. There’s no hope of her trusting me if she can’t trust me with her girls.

“Okay,” she whispers slowly, hesitantly. “Okay.”

“Does this buy you time for a shower?” Not that she needs one, but giving her a chance at some semblance of her morning routine might help calm her down.

“It doesn’t, but it helps.” She steps up a few more stairs, walking backward up them this time. “And thank you.”

The corner of my mouth crooks up. “Anything for you, ’Locks.” I wink, and she turns on her heels, stomping up the remainder of the stairs. Not going to lie, I check out her ass as she runs up those final steps. Then I smile to myself with how right this feels, even if she is late. Waking up with her. Helping her with the girls. Being here. Being home.

Within ten minutes, Jenna returns downstairs looking like a lady boss in a form-fitting dark skirt that hits just above her knees and a deep red blouse plus heels.

“You wear that to work?” I choke out.

“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” She glances down at herself. Her hair is in a tight twist at the nape of her neck, which adds to the naughty teacher thoughts racing through my head.

“It’s not what you’re wearing but how you wear it. Damn, ’Locks. Those horny teenagers won’t know what to do with themselves.” I can think of a few things I’d like to do with her had she been my teacher. Then again, I don’t want those hormone-driven bastards thinking about her like that.

Slowly, she smiles, shaking her head as her shoulders relax.

“Lunch?” I hadn’t forgotten. I just don’t know what she’d like.

“I’ll just do cafeteria food, but oh, you made tea. Thank you.” She reaches for the steaming mug waiting for her.

“Breakfast?” Last summer, she often made pancakes, waffles, and eggs for her girls, but in the rush of this morning, complex foods seem out of the question.

“I don’t have time. I don’t really eat it anyway.” She waves me off, turning toward her dining room, where her laptop sat unopened all weekend along with a stack of papers. I follow her, and she continues with orders. “Okay, Rosie and Talia are dressed. Cereal is fine for each of them. They don’t eat much this early in the morning anyway, but I usually give them something before Carol’s, especially as Talia’s in kindergarten, and it’s a long day for her. Breakfast is brain food. Lunch can be a peanut butter sandwich, cut-up apple, and one crunchy item.”

Crunchy item?

“Chips,” Talia calls from somewhere behind me.

“Her school is Elk Lake City Elementary.” I watch as she scribbles down the address. “She starts at eight ten. I can get her at the end of the day.”

“Does that mean I have to go to after-care?” Talia whines.

“Today, yes,” Jenna says, narrowing her eyes at Talia behind me. “I’m sorry.”

“What?” I glance from her to her daughter. “I’ll pick her up. What time?”

“Two forty-five,” Talia says.

“I’ve got it,” Jenna says at the same time.