Page 42 of How To Tackle A Crush
“He’s five,” I add quickly, giving a small apologetic smile. “That was a badly constructed question. What I meant was… does he notice you being around more?”
That seems to make much more sense to him.
“He notices I’m there for breakfast… on most days,” Jack says. “And school runs when I can do them. That’s enough.”
“That probably is enough at that age.”
“It is.”
I nod, making a note, but what I’m really doing is buying myself a second because something about that answer makes me swoon a little.
Jack is quiet for a moment after talking about his son, his thumb absently running along the edge of his mug like he’s only just realised how much he’s said.
“I probably shouldn’t have gone into that much detail,” he says, dragging a hand briefly through his hair before letting it fall back into place.
There’s no accusation in it. Just someone pulling himself back a step.
I shake my head. “I won’t use anything you’re not comfortable with.”
He nods, then rubs his jaw for a second, thinking.
“I don’t mind mentioning I’m a dad,” he says. “That’s public anyway. I just don’t want… the rest becoming part of the narrative.”
“I understand.”
I adjust my glasses even though they don’t need adjusting, mostly to give him a second to see I mean that.
He studies me for a moment, elbow on the desk now, fingers resting against his mouth like he’s deciding how much to trust me.
“I’ve had things end up in print before that were said in conversation,” he admits. “Not wrong. Just… more personal than I expected.”
I hesitate for a second, then add, “I was actually thinking I could let you read the piece before it goes in. Just to make sure I haven’t misunderstood anything.”
His head lifts slightly. “You’d do that?”
“For accuracy,” I say quickly. “Not… editorial control,” I add, because even I know that line matters. “Just so I don’t accidentally turn something personal into something public.”
He studies me for a moment, clearly not expecting that answer.
“I’d appreciate that,” he says eventually.
I shrug lightly, pretending to be more casual about it than I feel.
“It seemed like the decent thing to do.”
That earns me a small smile. Not the public one. The quieter one he seems to forget to manage.
And annoyingly, that smile does something to my concentration.
I look back down at my notes before I start looking like I’ve forgotten why I’m here.
Jack glances at his watch, then back at me.
“We’re starting training in ten minutes,” he says. “If you want to see how this actually works instead of just hearing me talk about it.”
I close my notebook. “Are you sure that’s wise? I feel like I’ve only just grasped the triangle situation.”
“You’ll be fine.”
