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There was a pause on the other end of the line.

I couldn’t think of a delicate way to say that Mia had been stealing alcohol and was now in the fetal position post-yacking without making him defensive.

It turned out that one of the few things Andres and I had in common was that neither of us had any interest in losing our jobs to a dad who couldn’t hear the truth about his kid.

“Jesus.” The man on the phone sighed. “Did Mia and her friends use leftover drinks to make a hunch punch again?”

A sigh of relief slipped past my lips. “I can say with a fair degree of certainty that they did.”

Should I be more surprised that this isn’t the first time she’s done this or that he isn’t trying to cover for her?

“All right. I’ll be right there.” There was movement on his side of the conversation like he was heading for the door or grabbing car keys. “Listen, could you do me a favor and keep this quiet? If Mia’s mom finds out, she’ll crucify us both.”

“Yeah,” I said. “Why don’t you text when you get here and I’ll walk her through the service entrance?

” There was a grassy pathway on the side of the club that guests used often to avoid dripping pool water on the dining room floor, but if I took Mia through the kitchen, I could walk her out the same way the servers took the garbage.

“I appreciate it.” Instead of saying goodbye, he added, “I live close. I’ll be right over.”

I handed the phone back to Mia. “Your dad’s on his way. Have some crackers. They’ll soak up the alcohol.”

She took a few bites, looking pallid. “My friend ditched me when I got sick,” she grumbled. “My dad’s a lawyer. Everyone thinks he’ll sue them if something bad happens to me.”

How fun for me.

I helped Mia off the floor as she worked to find her center of gravity from what I imagined was a spinning room.

“Come on. Let’s get you outside before your dad takes me to court.”

Mia made her way out of the locker room on uncertain legs with me trailing behind.

As we wound through quieter corridors of the club, I kept a careful eye on her wobbly gait and directed her toward the kitchen.

As luck would have it, we were able to make our way through the service door relatively unnoticed.

She covered her eyes as we stepped out into the glaring Florida sun, and I looked for any sign of her dad.

Beyond the asphalt of the parking lot was a pro shop and the tennis courts, which made it hard to see the traffic on Via Tuscany or beyond, so I pointed to a shaded tree and said, “Let’s get out of the sun. ”

We had taken only a few steps, though, when an exotic sports car pulled in front of us, and a man who looked peeled from the pages of a GQ spread stepped out. His eyes were fixed on his daughter, but she just stared down at her Keds.

“Mia. What the hell?” He lifted his arms in exasperation. “Do you know how dangerous it is to drink until you’re sick? Where’s Katie?”

“She split.” Mia trudged to the passenger door of the sports car without another word.

“What kind of friend leaves you sick in the bathroom?” he called after her, but she just flopped into the car and closed the door, pulling her knees back up to her chest.

He turned back to look at me, and our eyes met for the first time. A spark of attraction registered in my core as I realized he was handsome. Mia’s mean lawyer dad was all chiseled features, broad shouldered, and hot. His presence should have been intimidating, but he was somehow accessible.

“I’m sorry about this.” He shook his head. “Her mom and I got divorced last year. Between that and the impending teenage years, it’s like she’s trying to give me a heart attack.”

“It’s okay,” I said. “She’ll be all right.

My parents split up when I was about her age.

It knocked me sideways for a minute, but I turned out just fine.

” This was a pretty audacious lie, considering I was standing barefoot in a bathing suit in front of the location of my second job, but if he noticed, he didn’t seem to care.

“I’m Will.” He extended a hand, and I shook it. Weird how some handshakes pass like perfunctory nothings, but this one didn’t. His hand was warm, and I would have sworn goosebumps traveled up my arm when we touched.

“Nora.” I took my hand back and folded my arms, rubbing them to make sure there were no actual goosebumps.

“Thanks for being discreet about this, Nora. She’s supposed to be with her mom this week, but that won’t stop Constance from making this my fault somehow.”

“No problem.” I gestured in Mia’s direction. “I gave her a little bit of water and some crackers. You should probably get her home before it all comes back up on the console of your spaceship.”

A light chuckle escaped his lips, and the sound was decadent. “Nice to meet you, Nora.” He nodded before turning to leave.

Will, the Hot Mean Lawyer, is delicious. Good for him.

—

The next week, I was returning Spencer and his wandering claw hands to his mom when Mia stepped out on the pool deck.

She was bright eyed and fresh faced, a welcome contrast to the last time I saw her.

Her dark hair was neatly gathered in a ponytail, and she was wearing a green sundress with her Keds this time.

She spotted me walking toward the locker room and waved as she headed toward me.

“Hey, Mia.” I smiled. “How are you feeling?”

Her cheeks flushed red. “I’m grounded.”

“Oof.” I sighed. Good for Hot Mean Lawyer dad. “For how long?”

She squinted as if doing the math. “Until my dad can trust me to make more responsible choices? So probably, like, until next week, when I go back to my mom’s house.”

“Mia,” Will cautioned, appearing beside her in a custom designer suit.

Hot Mean Lawyer looks good in everything. Swell.

She offered me a small cream-colored envelope. “Thanks for looking out for me last week.”

I took it with a smile. “Glad to see you’re doing better.”

“Can I get a soda?” She looked to Will.

“Sure.” He added, “ Just soda.”

She gave me an annoyed look, as if to say “Dads, am I right?” and headed off to the snack stand.

I gestured toward her. “She looks like she’s doing better already.”

“Don’t let her fool you. Her status is a minute-by-minute thing at this age.”

“Well, it was nice of her to say thank you.” I held up the card.

“We both agreed it was a good idea to show proof of life and try to win back some dignity after last week.”

“It wasn’t that bad. Really. But hey—” I raised a hand in warning. “Be careful about her friends. She said they all think you’ll sue them if something bad happens to her.”

He frowned as if in disbelief before saying, “That’s crazy. I’d never sue her friends. They’re all minors.” And then after a beat, “I’d sue their parents.”

If not for the hint of mirth in his eyes, I might have thought he was serious. He played the straight man perfectly, and so help me, I let out a giggle. He grinned a cover-model, megawatt smile back at me, and my knees went a little wobbly. I blushed for being so ridiculous.

Christ, Nora. Act cool. Don’t get drool on his designer loafers.

I looked away, trying to fight what felt like a gravitational pull toward him. But when I looked back up at him, his face bloomed with a half smile and he said, “Can I take you to dinner?” And then, “To thank you for scraping Mia off the bathroom floor?”

“Is that the going rate for babysitting these days?”

“I got divorced last year.”

“I remember you saying.”

“So…I don’t know how this is supposed to go.”

“Thanking someone?”

“Asking a beautiful woman on a date.”

My stomach fluttered.

Is this seriously happening?

“I will skip the part where I ask if you hit on all the swim coaches here,” I said.

“You’ve got me. I do. But no hard feelings if you’re not interested. Patrick turned me down last week and I was okay with it. He’s a little hairy for my taste anyway.”

“I’m not sure if that makes you funny or indiscriminate in your dating life.” I smiled.

There was a charming hint of vulnerability in his blue eyes. “What do you think?”

“I thought lawyers weren’t supposed to ask questions they didn’t know the answer to?”

“It’s a rookie move,” he said. From the way he was smiling, I could tell he was pretty confident in my answer. “But I am banking on my dazzling wit to win you over.”

I couldn’t think of a time I’d been asked on a date. In college, we hung out in groups, pairing off here and there, growing into couples, then breaking apart. It was so much more organic and disorganized. I had been on a few dating apps, but that hadn’t led to anything civilized either.

Will was urbane and accomplished. And there was something about him that was different from all the other arrogant, manicured men who came through the oak doors at the front of the club.

He seemed humble and kind. I considered the age gap between us—was it fifteen, twenty years?

What in the world could we possibly have in common?

I hesitated longer than I meant to as I weighed the worst that could happen. Then, I heard myself say, “I’d love to go. Thanks.”

I knew full well there was no way this could be the reboot I’d been pining for during all those lunch breaks in the park. But after so many long days at the museum or the pool, maybe dinner with Mia’s Hot Mean Lawyer dad would be a nice change of pace. I gave him my number.

A boring night out can’t be worse than all the boring nights I’ve spent at home.