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“It’s Jamie’s birthday. I’m not doing this with you today. If you want to stay, be nice. Otherwise, go home.”

Her mouth falls open.

“Seriously,” I add. “Not today.”

Reese lets out a little scoff. “I’m your sister. I’m allowed to be concerned about your relationship. You’re thirty.”

“You hear that, Natalie? You’re practically a spinster,” Dylan mocks, and Charlie lets out a high-pitched laugh, and I have nothing.

Reese’s eyes narrow at that. “I can’t say that I am surprised that she’s not in a relationship yet. Or that she is fucking up whatever this is…” she waves towards Marcus, who is currently helping Jamie with the wrapper of a popsicle.

“I don’t think that a silver-spoon baby who has to sleep with men to get them to spend time with her is the relationship specialist Natalie needs in her life,” Dylan says. And as if it was perfectly rehearsed, Garrett makes all his golf bros laugh by smashing a beer can against his forehead before shouting.

“See? Like riding a bicycle! Alpha Tua Omega!”

“Kronk went to college?” Dylan asks.

“One year. Undeclared major,” I answer.

“I think we just saw the extent of his college education,” Charlie says, and we all laugh. Well, all except Reese, who stalks off towards him.

“Garrett!” she hisses and the golf bros disperse like cockroaches from a picnic basket at the sight of a can of Raid.

Jamie laughs in the distance, and I look over to see him talking to Marcus, who is threatening to toss him in the pool. He’s wearing a life jacket, of course, so that’s not what has my heart slamming into my ribcage.

It’s seeing Marcus smile.

Seeing how good he is with my son.

With our son.

My grip tightens on my drink.

Everyone is right. There is very obvious tension between him and me. We’ve hardly spoken since he got here. Come to think of it, we’ve hardly spoken at all since that day at the office. That didn’t really go the way I planned. I mean, I needed to talk to him and tell him how I felt about things. Express the concern that we are playing with fire, but his reaction felt a little over the top. And since then, other than work-related meetings and messages, it’s been mostly radio silence.

It’s weird.

I don’t love it.

I find myself suddenly standing next to him. Though, in my defense, I walked over to talk to Jamie. To check on Jamie.

“Mommy,” Jamie giggles. “Mr. Ash is going to throw me in the pool!”

“Well, I just hope that Mr. Ash knows that if he tosses you in, he’s going to have to get in too,” I state with a smile. My eyes flash over to Marcus, who has an expression on his face that says: Is that a challenge?

“Alright,” Marcus says with a small shrug at me and a devilish grin at Jamie. Then he proceeds to unbutton his shirt and slip out of his shoes. He’s in nothing but his shorts, not swim trunks. He scoops Jamie up and hops in the pool with him. There’s a small shriek, a big splash, and both of them are laughing when they resurface.

I glance back at my dad and think about how simple things were when he was in charge. How happy he was and how smoothly things ran. How at the end of the day, despite M.E. being a massively growing company, it felt like a family business. Not how it is now, a business where he is unhappy and shoved to the side like he didn’t build the place with his own bare hands. I didn’t have the complication of my new boss being the father of my child and also a man that I can’t seem to stay away from no matter how hard I try. A man who, now, when I fuck around with him, feelings and heartstrings and fairytale endings get involved. And that is not what I bargained for.

As much as I love my new job and the new position, I can’t keep this up. I can’t be around him, talking to him, looking into those eyes, locked in offices with him and watching him with Jamie and not fall off the balance beam. But there’s nothing I can do anymore.

Except resign from the company…

Tears sting my eyes, and I make my way over to my dad. It’s going to be a hell of a band-aid to rip off, but I literally don’t know what else to do.

“Hey Dad,” I sigh.

“Hey honey,” he smiles up at me, flipping a couple kabobs before closing the grill. “This is one hell of a party.”