Page 26 of Blush Crush

“So how long are you in town for, Wye?” Nora asks.

Wyatt wipes the corner of his mouth with a napkin before answering. “A week or so. Danny starts school soon, so we can’t stay too long. Coach Wegner said he wanted to meet with me about something, so I figured I’d make a trip out of it. Gives Danny a chance to see everyone before the school year starts.”

Wyatt and Bri—Danny’s mom—moved to Seattle when Danny was just a baby so she could go to school. By the time she finished, they’d already built a life there—jobs, friends, Danny settled in. Even after they split up, Wyatt stayed so Danny wouldn’t be completely uprooted. It sucks not having him close by, but it’s not something I’d ever give him shit for. He did the right thing. I just wish I got to see him more than every few months.

Nora nods, wiggling her brows at Danny like she has plans for him. “Did Bri come too?”

“Yeah,” Wyatt says. “She’s visiting her parents. We’ll just shuffle this kid,” he adds, ruffling Danny’s floppy brown hair, “back and forth while we’re here.”

Dinner continues on, with Blake only getting scolded a few more times, Levi mostly on his phone “working,” and the rest of us giving our rapt attention to Danny as he tells us about everything and nothing.

“Two scoops of vanilla with extra sprinkles, please,” Danny tells the worker behind the counter at Sagebrush Diner.

I whip my head at him, eyes bulging extra wide for dramatic effect. “Two scoops? You think I’m made of money?”

The kid has the audacity to laugh. “Yeah. More than me.”

Well, he’s not wrong. Pretty quick for a nine-year-old.

After dinner, I was feeling generous, so Danny and I snuck off for some ice cream, giving Wyatt a needed break.

We get settled at a corner table, Danny with his vanilla, me with chocolate.

“So you got a girlfriend?” Danny asks, licking his spoon.

What is it with everyone and their obsession with relationships? Can’t a guy just be?

“Not right now.”

He squints at me for a moment. “Dad says it’s because you have constipation issues.”

I choke on my ice cream, coughing while laughing. After I’ve pulled myself together, I correct him. “Commitment. The word is commitment.”

He sounds out the word slowly, testing it out.

“What about you, do you have a girlfriend?”

He shakes his head. “Not yet, but I’m working on it.”

I chuckle under my breath. He’s exactly like Wye was at that age, heart eyes for every girl in his class, trailing after his crushes like a lost puppy. I didn’t really notice girls until I was older, and by then I was mostly interested in one thing. I’ve never been much of a romantic. I’m probably too jaded for that kind of stuff.

While Danny focuses on his ice cream, getting sprinkles all over the table, my gaze drifts to the windows that look out onto Main Street, where a familiar fall of dark hair catches my attention as someone passes by.

A second later the bell over the door jingles.

Three women step inside, wrapped in a conversation that has their laughter booming loud enough to draw looks from the few customers scattered throughout the diner.

It’s the Ledger sisters: Elyse on one side, Layla on the other, Ariana sandwiched between them. Layla’s blonde ponytail bounces as she talks animatedly, hands flying around like they add value to whatever story she’s telling.

Ariana nods along, but I can tell she’s not really listening. And that’s confirmed when her gaze sweeps across the diner, eyes pausing when they land on me.

Her attention flicks to Danny, then back to me.

She stills before her mouth lifts into a small smile like she’s trying not to laugh.

“Hey,” she calls out, walking over. “Did you kidnap this poor child?”

Danny giggles, his face flushing bright. He probably thinks she’s pretty, which I can’t really fault him for. I’m well aware of how pretty she is. Probably a little too aware.