“I figured it would be better for me to walk over here. You know, since no one knows about…us.”
My breath hitches in my throat, and I quickly clear the congestion away. “Makes sense.”
He’s not talking aboutusus. He’s referring to theusthat resulted in a baby.
Get your mind out of the gutter, Charli.
“Night,” I reply, offering a wave as he heads toward his home.
“Good night, Charli.”
With that, I close the door and lean against it. My heart is racing and my mind is spinning. I’m imagining things I shouldn’t. Quinn and I aren’t in a relationship, and for the first time since I started looking at him as a man—and not my younger brother’s best friend—I’m entertaining ideas that aren’t on the menu.
We’re going to co-parent.
That’s it.
The sooner my heart realizes that, the better off we’ll all be.
“Charli!”
I smile as I approach the bar, happy to see Lizzie back there. “Hey, Lizzie,” I reply, climbing up on the footrest of the barstool and reaching over the bar to give her a hug.
“It feels like forever since I’ve seen you! Have you been hiding from me?” she teases.
Guilt washes over me, because yes, I have been hiding from her. Not hiding, per se, but keeping my distance. I’ve been able to adjust my hours enough to allow for more breaks, but with that came a longer workday. At least for now. Starting in about two weeks, I will cut back on the number of clients I see in a day so I can leave about the same time, if not a little before normal. That keeps me busy, because I know when I’m around my family and friends, I’ll be more likely to blurt out my news, unable to keep the secret any longer.
“Of course not,” I reply, giving her a big, fake smile. “Work picked up.”
“Not a bad thing,” she replies. “What can I get you?”
I glance at the board with tonight’s drink specials. Not only does she have a few alcoholic drinks, but she offers a variety of non-alcoholic drinks as well, and that’s where my attention is drawn.
“Umm, I think I’ll try the Not Your Mama’s Shirley Temple.”
She gives me a look, clearly surprised by my request. “Umm, do you want me to add vodka or something?”
“No,” I reply with a chuckle. “I’ve been a little under the weather, so no alcohol for me tonight. I just want to paint and hang out with my girls.”
She beams widely at me. “I’m so excited. Collin has the bar, so I get to paint tonight.”
“That’s because my brother is a sucker and worships the ground you walk on.”
She blushes. “Don’t I know it. Anyway, let me make that drink for you. It’s blended like a float, is that okay?”
I nod eagerly. “Do your worst.”
She grabs the blender and sets out to mix ice, Sprite, grenadine, and vanilla ice cream. My mouth waters as she pours the drink into a frozen mug, stabbing three maraschino cherries with a pick and setting it across the top. But before she hands over my drink, she drizzles a bit of the cherry juice over the top and adds a squirt of whipped cream from a can. “Voila!” she announces as she sets the mug in front of me.
“Holy shitballs, Lizzie, that looks amazing.”
“Tastes pretty dang good too,” she adds with a wink and a grin.
“Start me a tab?”
“You got it. Go ahead and grab your seat at the long table in the back. I reserved it for us, Sommer, Allison, and Oaklee.”
“Sounds good,” I reply, waving to my brother, who is pouring drinks at the opposite end of the bar.
