I rolled my eyes. “I’m not going to raise Jace to be a bully. I don’t necessarily blame him for what he did, but I don’t want him to think it’s okay. He can’t go around punching people when they say things he doesn’t like.”
“It wasn’t just words. They were throwing things. Technically, that’s assault. I get you don’t want him to start fights, but that’s not what he did.”
“Still,” I said.
“Well, I’m sure you can have a conversation with him and discuss the wrong and the right.”
I nodded. “Oh, I’m going to. In the meantime, there will be no more male influence in his life.”
“What? Are you warding off men?”
“Yes. I don’t want my kid turning into a fighting machine.”
“Jace is too sweet to become a fighting machine,” she said. “The male influence worked.”
“It doesn’t matter because Nash is no longer an option.”
“Why?”
“I told him he wasn’t Jace’s father, and I didn’t want him butting in.”
“That’s harsh,” she said. “Don’t you think the guy was trying to help? From what you’ve told me, he was going out of his way to befriend Jace.”
“Yes, but teaching him to hit isn’t okay. He wants to take him to shoot BB guns. That is not the kind of male influence I need in Jace’s life.”
“But you could rein it in. Establish boundaries.”
I shook my head. “I’m not interested. I don’t have time for that. I’m going to focus on getting Jace through this.”
She sighed. “All right, fine, but if those kids attack Caitlyn again, I hope Jace is around to help. Anyway, are you still working toward that goal to have your own company?”
I nodded. “I am. Now that tax season is over, I can start focusing on moving forward.”
“Moving forward and leaving Nash behind?”
I shrugged. “It was never going to be anything.”
“But it could have been,” she said.
“No, I don’t think so. He’s just not for me. I don’t think we could ever agree on anything. It would be a constant battle of wits. That takes energy I don’t have.”
She laughed and took a sip of her wine. “I think you are dismissing how much energy you have. It isn’t like there aren’t a lot of good things that go with being with someone. You’d have a partner. You would have someone to talk to and share your secrets with.”
“I have you.”
“I’m not crawling into bed with you.” She laughed.
“No, but I think I can get by without that.” I took a drink of my own wine and had flashbacks to the night before.
“Oh no,” she said. “I know that look.”
“What look?”
“You did it again!” she exclaimed.
“Did what?”
“You slept with him again! When do you find the time?”
I wasn’t going to deny it. “Last night we sent everyone home early. I wanted to celebrate a successful season.”
“In the office again?”
I laughed. “That’s what he said. It’s really the only available place. I’m not going to bring him to my place, and I don’t want to go to his place and leave Jace here. I would feel way too guilty. I have to take what I can get and that means office sex.”
“You know I don’t mind Jace staying here. Go out on a real date. Go to his place and have some real fun. I can’t imagine the office is a great place for that kind of activity.”
“It does all right, but a bed would be nice. My back can’t handle being laid out on those desks too much more.”
She almost spit out her wine. “Oh my god! That was not a visual I needed.”
“Sorry.” I laughed.
“Why don’t you like him?” she asked. “Obviously, you like him enough to have sex with him every damn day and you guys spend your weekends together. I think that is the definition of a relationship.”
“Nope. Not a relationship. I don’t have sex with him every day. We don’t spend every weekend together.”
“But Jace likes him. You like him. I don’t see what the problem is.”
“I can’t be with him,” I said.
“Why not?”
“Because he’s a player. He’s really not a great guy either. He’s fine when he is around Jace and when we’re doing the nasty, but outside of that, he’s an ass.”
She laughed. “The solution would be to keep him around Jace, and when he isn’t doing that, keep him naked. That sounds like a great relationship.”
“Very funny. I just can’t. Not with him.”
“Because you’re afraid he’ll hurt you?” she questioned.