Not Safe for Work(27)

“I know what you meant. And I’ve been wondering the same thing, to be honest.”

“You guys had to have started somewhere.”

“Would you believe he found me on that kink app I was telling you about?”

Karen’s eyes widened. “Oh. He’s into that, is he?”

“Yep. So he pinged me, and…”

“And here you are.”

“Here we are.”

“Nicely done.” She playfully jabbed me in the arm as she walked past. “From what you’ve told me, you could certainly do worse than a guy like him.”

“Not sure he could do much worse than a guy like—”

“Oh stop it.” She rolled her eyes and took a seat at the kitchen table again. “You’re a catch and you know it.”

“Mmhmm.”

She watched me for a moment. “So are you going to see him again? I mean, besides at work?”

“Seems that way.” I poured some cereal into a bowl. “I’ll, um, probably be home late tonight.”

“You dog.” She winked. “Good for you. I was wondering when you’d actually get out and meet someone again.”

“It hasn’t been that long.”

“Right. Of course it hasn’t.”

I glared at her on my way to the table with my cereal, coffee and the milk jug. “Whatever. It’s only been a few months.”

“And it’s only been a few years since the Roman Empire fell.”

“Oh, ha, ha.”

She snickered.

As I arranged everything on the table, I noticed a stack of papers next to her. “What’s all that?”

She glanced at it, and her humor faded. “Um…”

I pulled up my chair. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah.” She held up the top sheet. “Just looking into some grants and scholarships for the kids.”

My stomach knotted, and I nearly lost my appetite right then and there. I’d sworn I’d pay for them to go to school, but goddamn, the bills were eye-watering. “Any luck?”

“Just started looking.” She faced me again, completely serious now. “I figured it would be a good idea since I’ve been talking to the kids about their plans for the next school year.”

I cringed. “Do I want to know?”

“Well, the bank account probably doesn’t…”

“Fuck. What’s the damage?”

She took a breath. “Kelsey’s really eyeballing that masters program. She was going to hold off, but she really needs it to get anywhere as a counselor.”

I exhaled. “What do you think we should do?”

“I don’t think I have much of a say in this anymore. If I were still contributing to the account, it would be different.” She grimaced. “You’re paying for it. It’s up to you.”

No pressure, right?

“I want to cover it, except Tyler is looking at a graduate program too. It wouldn’t exactly be fair to pay for one and not the other.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “But they’ll get a better education if they can focus on their studies without trying to hold down two jobs at the same time.”

She nodded but didn’t speak.

I shook my head. “We promised them an education, and I’ll find a way to make it happen.”

Karen sighed. “I just wish I could do more.”

“Don’t worry about it. I can talk to the bank about a second mortgage if I need to.” Scowling, I looked around at the house I’d been living in since we’d divorced thirteen years ago. “I could always move into someplace smaller.”

“I don’t want you to give up your house, Jon.” She folded her hands on the edge of the table. “Especially not when you’ve nearly paid the place off. Give me a few more months, and I can—”

“Karen, we’ve talked about this. Yeah, it’s tough paying for them to go to school, but if paying for it myself means you’re out from under that *’s thumb?” I put a hand on her arm. “Then I’ll happily pay it.”

“Thank you,” she whispered. “But they need to come first. Not me.”

“It’s not a hierarchy. We’re still family. We’ll figure it all out.”

Karen smiled halfheartedly. “Well. I should get ready for work.”

I withdrew my hand. “Yeah, me too.”

She pushed her chair back. “Sorry for ruining your good mood.”

“Don’t be.” I paused to put some milk on my cereal. “It’s expensive, but there are worse things than having to figure out how to get all three kids through good schools.”

Her eyes unfocused for a second. “Good point.”

“We’ll make it work. I promise.”

We exchanged looks, and then she headed upstairs.

Alone in the kitchen, I ate my breakfast in silence. She hadn’t ruined my good mood, but the thought of my kids’ education was sobering. Two of them wanted to go to grad school, and the third was still on the fence about it. This was going to get expensive as f*ck. It was already expensive as f*ck.

But I’d find a way. No way in hell was any kid of mine losing a single night of sleep over student loans. I would come up with the money.