He laughed softly, setting the glasses down. “Guilty.”
They worked side by side for an hour. He taught her how to tell a weed from a sprouting carrot. She told him about her art history exam and how her professor didn’t appreciate modernism. The conversation drifted easily—about her mom’s terrible cooking, his failed attempt at baking bread during lockdown, the stray cat they both pretended not to feed.
Alina stood, brushing dirt from her knees. “Hey, Mark?” DadCrush 20 03 29 Alina Lopez My Stepdaughter B...
“Yeah?”
“I canceled it,” she admitted. “He didn’t laugh at my jokes.” He laughed softly, setting the glasses down
“Yeah,” he nodded, clearing his throat. “The date tonight?”
Then came the moment. Alina reached for a trowel just as Mark bent down to grab the same one. Their hands brushed. She looked up. He looked down. For a second, the garden went silent—no birds, no traffic, just the soft weight of something unspoken. She told him about her art history exam
“I should probably get cleaned up,” she said, pulling her hand back.