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“Are you free tonight? Maybe we could meet up for drinks or something.” Lisa looked at me hopefully, her gaze only occasionally glancing down at Jamey with a what the fuck expression. “I need a catch up.”
“Sure,” I smiled. “Is seven okay?”
Lisa rolled her eyes as she adjusted the purse on her shoulder. “Bit early, but I guess it’s fine.”
————
PAW Patrol pencil in hand, it was the only one I could find, and sketchbook on the counter, I found it shockingly easy to design with cartoons playing in the background. Mom had been right when she told me that tuning it out became easy when I was a kid, and I wondered if it was becoming the same for me, if it would be the same for me when I had one of my own.
By the time the front door opened, I’d drawn roughly six designs, all perfect for hiding a baby bump or complementing it. I’d even adjusted the little models to have one.
“Daddy!”
Jamey ran past me, his socks sliding on the slick floor. “Jamey! Slow down!”
He slammed into his father at light speed, nearly knocking Hudson over. “Hey, bud,” Hudson smiled, tight-lipped and almost fake, but not enough for Jamey to notice. Odd.
I hopped down from the high-top seat, closed my sketchbook, and returned the pencil to the everything-lives-in-here drawer. I watched as Hudson picked up his son, giving him a tight hug and holding him to his chest, as I made my way over. “Jamey had some ice cream this afternoon so he might be a bit rambunctious.”
“That’s fine.”
I stared up at Hudson, his face unreadable, his response too quick, too short. “He was very brave today, though. He met one of my friends and even offered her some of his ice cream.”
“That’s great.” Hudson passed me, his mind elsewhere as he walked toward the kitchen, setting Jamey down in the seat I’d just been sitting in.
Jamey didn’t seem to notice the change in demeanor as his father opened up the fridge and plucked out a bottle of wine. I took a step toward them, and Hudson’s gaze landed directly on me, stopping me in my tracks.
“Thanks for watching him today.”
Oh.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Oh.
I took a step back toward the door, the awkwardness that was hanging in the air so thick I could slice it with a knife.
“Okay,” I said quietly, showing a little too much disappointment for my own good. I slid my feet into my slippers and picked up my bag, watching as Hudson turned away from me, picking out a wine glass from the cupboard. “Bye, Jamey.”
“Bye, Sophie!” He shouted, his little hand waving furiously, his grin wide enough to split my heart in two.
I tried not to think about how much it hurt as I walked out the door, back toward my condo and away from the two of them. I had two hours to kill until meeting up with Lisa, two hours I’d thought I would be spending with Hudson and Jamey. But it was fine. Totally fine. I could work on my sketches and take my time getting ready for the night ahead.
It was fine.
Totally, completely fine.
————
“You’re doing what?” I asked.
Lisa cackled as she leaned back in her seat, the blues and pinks of her cocktail nearly spilling out of her hand. “You don’t have to react like that.”
“You’re sleeping with a professor.”
“It’s not like I’m still in school!”
“Yeah, but you were up until, what, a year ago?”
