Page 18 of My Girlfriend is Not the Father

Drew fawned. Mason fawned. No reason for any other potential fawning.

‘Is the salon open today?’

‘We’re closed Sundays.’ Jade picked at a rhubarb scone and popped a piece in her mouth. ‘Isn’t Sunday the day of rest?’

Lucy smacked her lips, unsure how to read the serious expression on Jade’s face. Lucy was opened-minded about everything but wasn’t sure about getting too close with folks who had fundamentally different beliefs than her own. ‘I’m gay,’ she blurted. ‘Like super gay.’

‘Super gay, huh?’ Jade said with a glint in her lovely eyes. ‘I didn’t realise there was a step up from being just regular gay like me.’

The confirmation that Jade was queer tickled something inside Lucy. She sipped on the hot chocolate and swallowed back all the Dr Nelson-style invasive questions she suddenly wanted to lob at Jade about her relationship status.

‘I was kidding about Sunday being the day of rest.’ Jade plucked another chunk of scone. ‘Well, sort of. I close the shop that day, but that doesn’t mean I rest.’ She chuckled. ‘I usually use Sundays to catch up on all the shit I neglected the entire week. So, it’s more like errand day. Clean-house day. “Drown myself in paperwork” day.’

The shrill sounds of metal chairs moving against the floor and the raucous voices of a loud group of teens taking selfies at the table next to them made Lucy scoot her chair closer to Jade. Or at least that was what she told herself. ‘Is there a ton of paperwork?’

‘So much paperwork. And I’m just not a numbers person. I honestly don’t understand how anyone could like numbers.’ Jade shivered.

The sun beaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows caught the amber highlights nestled among the green in Jade’s hazel eyes. Her mascara-free eyelashes were thick and black and the soft crinkling around the edges showed years’ worth of smiles. God, she’s pretty. Lucy lowered her mug. ‘I love numbers.’

The corner of Jade’s lip curled. ‘No. You can’t actually. Right?’

‘For real. I really do. I work at Inspire Bank.’

‘No way.’ Jade wiped the foam from the corner of her lip. Her plush, lovely, full lip.

Lucy tried not to stare.

‘What do you do there?’ Jade asked.

‘Account manager. But every week, I’m a teller for a few hours. I love being an account manager, but it turns out I really missed the quick, snappy interactions with customers.’ Lucy peeked outside at the folks walking on the sidewalk, their sun hats planted firmly on their heads. The summer traffic was heavy. A horn honked loudly – a rarity for Stillwater’s typically polite drivers. Lucy settled back in her seat and finished the rest of her hot chocolate as they chatted about work, clients, and horrible haircut stories. Apparently, the mullet was making a comeback.

‘I feel bad that we’ve taken this table for so long.’ Jade wadded a napkin in her hand as Lucy glanced at her watch and did a double-take. How had a whole hour gone by already?

She looked back up at Jade, her heart plunging at the clear sign Jade was done with the non-date.

‘Want to walk down by the river?’ Jade asked as she stood.

Lucy’s heart sprang back up in her chest – a foreign sensation, but not entirely unwelcome, and she rose from her chair with a smile. ‘Sure!’

The door jingled as they exited, and Lucy pulled her sunglasses out of her purse.

‘The heat finally broke.’ Jade stepped to the side to avoid an oncoming family marching towards them.

‘Such a Minnesota thing to say. Do they do that in Chicago?’

‘Talk about the weather? Of course, we do. That’s not exclusive to Minnesotans. Although, folks around here seem a little obsessed with it.’ Jade pushed the button at the crosswalk and waited. ‘People here also seem to have more time, or take more time, I guess. The pace is slower. I’m kind of starting to fall in love with this town more than I ever dreamed I would.’

The light turned green, and the crosswalk countdown flashed. Lucy loved living in Stillwater. Hot, cold, it didn’t matter. The city was thumping, thriving, filled with cute shops, amazing food, and lush scenery. A Midwestern city that gave off a coastal-town vibe. A trolley bumped by, ringing the bell as it passed, and they moved towards the river. The faint sound of a violin playing on a street corner wafted through the air.

‘Have you ever been on one of those?’ Jade asked, nudging her head to the river where crew members dashed around a riverboat setting up tables, likely getting ready for a lunch tour, or a private reception.

‘A riverboat? Yes, lots of times.’ This used to be an annual thing Lucy and her dad did and she loved it. Stillwater is such a vibrant, radiant town from the street. But seeing the city from the river, looking out through the white pines, sugar maples, and oaks, was an entirely different experience. Serene, meditative, peaceful. Every boat ride, whether on a riverboat or canoe, rejuvenated Lucy’s soul. She made a quick pact with herself: if this budding friendship with Jade fully evolved, she’d show Jade the city from the water.

Lucy looped her thumb around the edge of her purse and slowed her pace. ‘Do you miss Chicago?’

Jade kicked a small rock on the sidewalk. ‘Parts of it, yes. Parts, no. I miss my friends. My parents still live there, but we’re not really close. I have two sisters and some nieces and nephews, but they’re a few hours outside of Chicago. I love them to death, of course, but we all have such busy lives that I didn’t see them that much. I talk to my younger sister Bethany the most. Probably because she doesn’t have any kids.’ Jade chuckled. ‘That sounds terrible, but I just mean that she has way more time than my older sister, who’s always juggling the kids and her job. And Bethany’s getting her PhD, so she has intense periods of work time, but then chunks of downtime during breaks. I usually just wait till she reaches out because I never know when those times will be.’

Lucy knew what she was asking with the ‘miss Chicago’ question, but either Jade didn’t pick up what she was throwing down, or she didn’t want to answer. ‘Anyone, um, special back home?’ Yep, as subtle as a hand grenade.