Page 73 of The Chemistry Coach
“Yes!I need to be known as reliable and hardworking.”
“Youarereliable and hardworking; it’s on them if they don’t notice.”
“Can you watch Dylan?”
Connor sighed.He would give in, but wasn’t ready to part with Daisy.“Hold on a second.”He muted himself and sauntered over to Daisy.“How would you feel about babysitting?”
Daisy grabbed his fingers and squeezed.“If you need to go, that’s fine.”
He returned to his seat across from her.“I hoped you would come with me.It could be fun.Dylan is a good kid.He likes the game you showed me.”
He could tell she wasn’t sold, and his hope of spending the entire day with her dwindled, but she asked, “Are you sure it’s not too soon to be spending time with your family?”
“You’ve already met them, and they like you, so it’s all good.”
She thought about it for a few more seconds before nodding.“Okay, sure.Let’s babysit.”
Sarah hustled out the door in her scrubs the second Connor and Daisy arrived.She squeezed Daisy’s shoulder and gave Connor a quick hug on her way out.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
“Yeah, yeah.What time will you be home?”Connor had to raise his voice as she got further away.
“11:00!I’ll see you then!”
Connor grimaced at Daisy.“I did not know she would be working so late.Obviously, I didn’t ask enough questions.”
Daisy shrugged and followed him into the house.“It’s not like I have anywhere to be, anyway.”
Connor glanced around the house trying to see it from an outside point of view.It was 800 square feet of pure love.The kitchen, living, and dining area were an open space similar to Daisy’s apartment, but more outdated.The kitchen had ugly orange-toned cabinets and laminate countertops.The appliances were white instead of the sleek stainless steel he preferred.The furniture was thrift store finds Sarah had hand-picked, insisting they were perfectly fine, and she didn’t need any of Connor’s fancy-pants money or interior designers now that she was on her feet.He was so proud of his sister.She was far from the scared, homeless teenager that had landed on his doorstep almost eight years ago.Connor loved his own apartment, but he could never manufacture the homeyness of his sister’s little house.
Stains spattered the floor where paint had spilled in Dylan’s bedroom, crumbs coated the counter no matter how many times they got wiped away, and Dylan’s art pieces and report cards hung on the fridge with pride.
He watched Daisy take in her surroundings.“This house is so freaking cute,” she said, with no hint of judgement or sarcasm in her voice.Connor relaxed the slightest bit and then berated himself for the doubt he’d harbored.
They found Dylan at the kitchen table, with a big metal bowl and assorted household items in front of him.He hopped off his chair to run and give Connor a hug.
“Uncle Connor!Mom said you would help me make slime!”
Connor stifled his groan.Of course, his sister had delegated the absolute worst kid activity to him.
“Lucky me,” he exclaimed, the false positivity going over Dylan’s head, but making Daisy laugh.
Daisy waved at Dylan and said, “Can I help?I love slime.”
Dylan, always the social butterfly, said, “Yes!I need some help to find a recipe.”
They sat around the table and Daisy examined the ingredients Dylan had laid out.“Let’s see here, what do you have?Glue,” she shook the gallon-sized jug of glue.“Yes, very important.Laundry soap, contact solution, baking soda, shaving cream, water, glitter, foam beads, food coloring.Well, we’re in luck, Dylan.”
Dylan nodded along as she listed the ingredients, seeming to absorb every detail.“We’re in luck?Why?”
She rolled the sleeves of her sweatshirt to her elbows and unscrewed the cap off the glue.
“Because we don’t need a recipe.I happen to be a slime expert, and you have everything we need for my top three favorites.Is it okay if we do that instead of following a recipe?”
The boy buzzed with his excitement.
“Yes!I didn’t know you could be a slime expert!I wanna be that!”
