He stared at me. “What? Are you just making that up?”
I shook my head. “Nope. I showed the kid how to box. He’s not exactly a Mike Tyson. I just showed him a few moves. Nothing more. He was being bullied at school and he stood up for himself. She got pissed at me because I told him he did a good thing.”
He winced. “Ladies are soft,” he said. “They don’t like all the violence. My girlfriend doesn’t even let me watch violent movies.”
“He defended himself,” I insisted. “She was complaining about him getting his ass beat all the time. I showed him how to keep that from happening. Why is she mad?”
“Because she might get sued by the parents of the kid he hit,” he offered. “Because she is worried her son is going to become the bully. Women like their boys to be good. They like to think of them holding doors for ladies and standing up for what’s wrong and right. They don’t want their kid to be the one everyone hates or is afraid of.”
I rolled my eyes. “The kid is about the farthest thing from a bully I have ever seen. She doesn’t want me around him—and I gather around her either.”
“Did she say that?”
I replayed the conversation. “Basically, yes. She said I wasn’t Jace’s father.”
He winced. “Ouch. That had to sting.”
“Not really. I’m not his father. I don’t want to be his dad. I was just offering the kid some advice. I’m not looking to be anyone’s dad. It’s for the best really. Like you said, getting close to the kid is bad news.”
“You can’t punish the boy for an argument between you and his mom. I’m sure it was a heated moment. She was likely scared and worried about her son. Moms are supposed to be overprotective.”
I shook my head and took another drink. “It’s all good. I am not getting involved in that drama. I don’t want to muddy the waters. The kid is cool, but I am not going to deal with her.”
“You helped the kid out,” he insisted. “One day hanging out with him and you gave him a healthy boost of self-confidence. I bet she’s secretly glad you did it.”
I shrugged. “I doubt it. She’s called a few times, but I haven’t answered. I’m not interested in her lecture.”
“How do you know she’s going to lecture you?”
“Because she was really, really pissed,” I said.
“Is that why you are hiding out here?” He smirked. “Chickenshit.”
“No.”
“Hey, I don’t blame you,” he said. “I come here and hide from my girl when she’s in one of those moods. With the pregnancy hormones, I see myself hiding here a lot more often.”
I laughed. “That bad, huh?”
“There have been moments.”
“Sorry, I don’t envy you,” I told him.
“Are you going to hide out here for good?” he asked.
“I’m not hiding, but there is no reason for me to be at the firm. She can handle it. I’m more of a hinderance when I’m there. I’ll check in from time to time, but unless there is an emergency, I don’t need to be there.”
“You’re hiding,” he said with a nod. “You are licking your wounds.”
“No, I’m a busy man and I don’t have time for a lot of nonsense. She can figure out how to raise her kid without me butting in.”
“Didn’t you tell me she wanted to quit?” he asked.
I waved a hand. “She said that, but I think if I’m out of the way, she’ll be okay. She just doesn’t want to work with me or under me.”
He smirked. “From what you’ve said, she has no problem being under you.”
“Really? Are you twelve?”
He laughed. “I’m just saying, you two seem to have a relationship that extends beyond the work stuff.”
“When you become a grownup, you’ll understand these things,” I said in a patronizing voice.
“I think you’re dodging,” he said. “At least have the balls to talk to her. Let her know you’re running away.”
“I’m not running away. It’s not like we had any agreements. What happened, happened. Now we move on.”
He didn’t look convinced. I didn’t need to convince him. I knew it was over. It was never going to be anything more than what it was. We had fun and it was over. It was time to get back to my regularly scheduled life. I sipped my drink and mulled over the transition. I needed her to stay on. I would offer her a salary bump. She