to help us put on the pizza toppings. Her eyes grew wide when she saw all the different choices and said, “What do I put on it?”
“That’s up to you,” Clutch answered. “Just remember, you gotta eat it.”
“You didn’t get any anchovies, did you? I hate those things.”
He shook his head. “No anchovies. I’m not much of a fan either.”
I leaned over and examined all the choices myself. “Anchovies aren’t all that bad.”
“Eww,” Hadley fussed. Her nose crinkled as she asked, “You actually like them?”
“I didn’t say that! But there are plenty of people who find them … not gross.”
“I think they’re gross. And olives, too. No anchovies or olives on the pizzas,” Hadley huffed. “We’re sticking to the basics tonight.”
“I like your way of thinking,” Clutch smiled. “Basics are always good.”
We spent the next half-hour making up three different pizzas, and when we put them in the oven to cook, Hadley and Clutch went into the living room to watch TV while I sat with them and folded laundry. I was on my second basket of clothes when Clutch looked over to me and asked, “Are you sure there are only three of you?”
“Yes. Why?”
He glanced down at the laundry basket and said, “Just asking.”
“If you are referring to the laundry, Mr. smarty-pants, the kids in this apartment have failed to learn the technique of hanging up a towel or wearing a pair of jeans more than once. So, yeah. I’m stuck doing laundry all the time.”
He looked over to Hadley and teased, “Surely she’s not talking about you.”
Hadley’s eyes dropped to her lap. “I always forget, and by the time I remember, the towel is all funky and smells like Char—uh—I mean David’s feet.”
“It wouldn’t smell like feet if you’d hang it up as soon as you were done with it,” I fussed. “But you’ll figure it out as soon as you have to start doing all the laundry.”
“I’m in charge of the vacuuming and dusting,” Hadley groaned.
“I think it’s time for us to swap,” I taunted.
Clutch cut his eyes over to me and smirked as he said, “Don’t worry, Cindy. If she starts making you wash clothes, you can borrow my washer and dryer.”
“Wait! How come I’ve never gotten that offer?” I screeched.
Before he could come up with some smart-assed response, the timer went off for the pizzas. He jumped up off the sofa and said, “Saved by the bell.”
Charlie finally came out of his room and joined us for dinner. As soon as he saw the pizzas, he said, “These actually look pretty good.”
“You doubted our cooking skills?” Clutch asked.
“Yeah … I guess I did. I didn’t expect them to actually look like real pizzas,” Charlie admitted with a smile.
“Did you finish your math homework?” I asked.
“I finished it. I’m not sure it’s right, but I finished it.”
“Want me to look over it before we go to bed?” I offered.
“If you want to. It’s not that big of a deal. Mrs. O’Neal likes me. If I messed it up, she’ll let me fix it,” he told me as he took a big bite of pizza.
I looked over at Clutch and smiled, thinking how easily we all fit. The kids were crazy about him, and seeing how good he was with them only made me fall for him even more. He was quickly becoming part of our lives and it terrified me. It wasn’t just that I knew so little about him; it was the fact that I’d been lying to him. He knew nothing about our past and the danger that lurked around the corner, and as much as I hated to admit it, deep down I knew it wasn’t fair to get him involved.
There was only one thing I could do: I had to end this thing with him before it was too late.
After we finished dinner, the kids went back to their rooms to get ready for bed while I put the laundry away. When I walked back into the kitchen, Clutch was standing at the sink washing the dishes. My heart sank as I stood there staring at him. I liked having him here, sharing the day with him, and I hated the thought of not having him around. I was going to miss him. The way he made me feel safe just by being close, and how easy it was to be with him not only when we were laughing and playing around with the kids, but also the quiet times when