Page 66 of Over Time Advantage

She shrugs. “I didn’t know Champ was gay when I met him. I hit on him and couldn’t understand why he wasn’t into me. I even lost a bet to douchebag Daylen over it.”

I chuckle. “Even I knew that one. Champ’s a great guy. He’s been a nice addition to the team.”

She bites her lip. “He’s fucking hot.”

“Language,” I bark.

She rolls her eyes while fighting a smile. I think she likes it when I chastise her for her foul mouth.

I take a sip of my hot chocolate before asking, “Is there anything you need help with?”

Her face drops. “Like what? I’ve been on my own for a long time, Dad.”

“I don’t know. Something to lighten the load. A leaky toilet, balancing a checkbook, taxes, f⁠—”

“You can do taxes?” she asks excitedly.

I nod. “I can. I’ve always preferred to do my own. Do you need help with that?”

I see her internal struggle with asking for help. She values her independence. Scrunching her face, she says, “It’s always been clear-cut, but last year put me in a different tax bracket because of a few endorsements.”

“That’s great, honey,” I commend.

She nods. “For sure. I’m really proud of it. It’s just made filing taxes harder for me. I’m so glad we learned about equilateral triangles during high school instead of taxes. It helps so much during equilateral triangle season.”

I smile. “Fair point.” I sit up. “Let me teach you. Why don’t you grab all your paperwork? We can go through how to calculate everything so after this year, you’ll be able to do it on your own.”

She hesitates briefly before nodding in agreement. “Okay. Thanks. That would be really helpful.”

We spend the next few hours doing her taxes. It’s nice to teach her something and have her take to it. Today feels like real progress in our relationship.

“How do you get rid of pubic hair?” Daylen asks loudly in the weight room.

I brace for impact.

“You spit it out,” he answers himself.

The guys all laugh. Is that funny? It’s not clever. I don’t get the allure of his childish jokes, and I don’t think I ever will.

I look at Beau, who also seems unamused. “Fudd, can you spot me? I’m increasing my weight on the press today.”

“Sure, Coach,” he responds without hesitation.

He stands over me while I push myself to the max. I know how much Fallon likes my body. I want to look good for her.

“How’s it going with your lady friend? Did the…grooming go over well?”

I smile. “It’s going extremely well. All good in that department.”

He nods. “Excellent. I’m happy for you.”

I push the bar as many times as I can until he has to interfere and help me place it on the rack.

Wiping my brow with a towel, I look at him. “Can I ask you a question, Fudd? I need to know it stays between us though.”

“Of course, Coach.”

I hesitate briefly but ultimately decide he’s trustworthy. “What does it mean if a woman likes to be restrained?”