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overwhelmed.”
    “With work?”
    “And Haley and home stuff and . . .” I sigh and slump back on the couch. “Life.”
    He frowns, his brow furrowed, and I know without his saying anything that he’s feeling guilty for leaving me. And that makes me feel even worse.
    I sit up and lean forward again, pointing a finger at him. “Don’t. Don’t even start that. This is my fault, not yours. I just haven’t found my groove yet.” I shake my head, closing my eyes as I rub them with my fingers. “It’s been a bad week. Tuesday, I was late getting Haley again, and then I fell asleep on the couch. Haley got into my makeup—which I didn’t even know about until the next morning when I saw the pile it was in under the sink.”
    “If she got into your shit, how could you not know? That girl loves painting her face like a clown.”
    “Jason must’ve cleaned her up before putting her to bed.”
    Cade’s eyebrows lift to nearly his hairline. “Jase?”
    “Yeah, he stopped by that night. And then . . .” I take a deep breath and close my eyes briefly. I know I have to tell Cade about the pipe—he’d want to know—but voicing my failure sucks. “He was here again night before last because, um, the pipe in the bathroom froze and burst.”
    He opens his mouth to say something, then closes it, probably realizing I’m already beating myself up over it and I don’t need his help. Before he can say anything, I continue, “Anyway, I called Jason and he came over. Helped me get the water shut off and called a plumber. It’s all fixed now, but . . . it’s just been an exhausting, taxing week.”
    He’s quiet for a minute, just staring at me, then says, “I’mglad you got everything fixed.” Clearing his throat, he looks off to the side, then back at me. “So, has Jase been stopping by a lot?”
    I shrug. “Yeah, ever since you left.”
    “Hmm . . .”
    Narrowing my eyes at his tone, I ask, “What’s the ‘hmm . . .’ for?”
    He shakes his head, and just like that, his face is wiped free of the suspicion I saw a moment ago. “Nothing. So the pipe burst—it happened to Mom, too, remember?”
    “Yeah, I remember. Which is why I should’ve remembered what to do to prevent it.”
    “Cut yourself some slack. You’re still beating yourself up over what happened Tuesday with Haley, too, aren’t you?”
    I avoid his eyes, and that’s all the answer he needs.
    “Tess. So you were a little late and you fell asleep. Remember when I fell asleep watching her and she used markers to draw all over the couch cushions? It happens.”
    I don’t say it, but all I can think is that it shouldn’t happen to me. And maybe that’s me putting too much pressure on myself, but I’m her mother. Not her uncle or a babysitter or a family friend. What if she got into the kitchen? If she grabbed a chair and climbed on the counter and pulled out a knife? Or got into the cupboard where the matches are kept? What if she drank Lysol or fell down the basement stairs and I didn’t even hear her cry because I was so fucking exhausted?
    “Don’t.” Cade’s sharp tone snaps me out of my thoughts, and I look at him on the screen. “I know exactly what you’re doing. Every worst-case scenario just went through your head. You’re only going to drive yourself crazy. You’re a great mom, Tess. And she’s a great kid, because of you. Don’t ever doubt that.”
    I take a deep breath and nod, knowing he won’t drop it unless I do. “It’s fine. I’ll be fine.” I shake my head a little and wave my hand in front of the screen, sitting up again and moving closer to the computer. “Enough about me. What’s up with you, Mr. Super Important Chef?”
    He snorts, the smile I know and love lighting up his face. “Still feeling like I should pinch myself.”
    “It’s going good, then?”
    “Better than. John’s been giving me more responsibility in the kitchen, especially when Oscar, the head chef, is off. I