The "mp4" of Leo’s life hit a climax when Sarah brought home Julian. Julian was different. He didn't just talk to Sarah; he brought Leo a rare holographic trading card and didn't flinch when Leo gave him the "silent treatment."

Just as Julian reached for the door handle, Leo felt a pang of guilt. He lunged from the stairs, tackling Julian’s legs to stop him."Don't!" Leo yelled.Julian stumbled back, and the bucket crashed down, drenching instead.

Ten-year-old Leo viewed his mother’s dating life not as a search for love, but as a hostile invasion of their two-person kingdom. Ever since the divorce, it had been Leo and Sarah against the world. He wasn’t about to let "Todd from Marketing" or "Biking Enthusiast Brian" change the locks on their fort.

: One sip caused Sarah’s face to invert. Derek, panicked and confused by his own culinary failure, spent the rest of the night trying to "fix the flavor profile" until Sarah politely asked him to leave so she could drink a gallon of water. The Breaking Point: The Third Date

: Leo swapped the labels on the kitchen canisters. When Derek offered to make Sarah a "pre-date energy smoothie," he unknowingly added three tablespoons of high-sodium beef bouillon instead of salted caramel protein.

: While Sarah was finishing her makeup, Leo "accidentally" spilled an entire bottle of neon-blue Gatorade into Mark’s suede loafers by the door.

Sarah gasped, but Julian just wiped a stray drop from his cheek and looked at the shivering, blue-Gatorade-stained, bouillon-smelling boy."Nice trap, kid," Julian said, suppressed a grin. "Next time, use a tripwire. It's more aerodynamic."

Sarah’s first date in months was with Mark, a man who smelled like expensive cedar and spoke in quiet, measured tones.