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Aside from the whole Derek fiasco, the day spent with Sofia and Matson was damn near perfect. Being with the two of them was easy and effortless. The way they communicated with each other and made decisions was as if they had their own language. Yet I found myself merging into their little circle, my presence not disruptive, but welcome.
Matson was such a great kid. Even though he adored his mom, it was obvious he missed having a male presence in his life. He clung to me, wanting my attention, and asked me a million questions about my car and work.
It felt so natural being with them that when I left their house to go to work, I told them both I’d see them later, even though I wouldn’t. It had been so natural to say, it came out of my mouth before I realized it.
I was still on a high when I walked into Sam’s to find Jess and Claudia sitting side by side at the bar, both impatiently tapping their nails against it.
“Finally,” Jess said when she caught sight of me.
Glancing at the time on my phone, I said, “I’m not late.”
Jess smiled. “I know, but I’ve been waiting for you to make me a drink since I got here,” she said, bouncing in her seat.
Pointing my chin toward Nick, I asked, “Why didn’t you have your boyfriend make you one?”
She leaned her elbows on the bar, propping her chin on her laced fingers before batting her eyelashes at me. “Because I want something new.”
Damn, I adored this girl. In my mind, she was already family. I never knew I wanted a little sister before Nick brought Jess home.
“Okay then. Something new, it is. Give me a minute to get situated, and then I’ll fix you right up.”
I placed my cell phone and keys in a drawer and locked it, then headed into the office to grab a few bottles we were running low on. Noticing a few more things we should order, I stopped to make a list for Frank, and placed the note on his keyboard so he’d see it.
Fifteen minutes stretched to thirty, and I forced myself to step out of the office and back into the bar.
I reached for a few mixers and grinned at the girls. “Sorry that took so long. All right, Jess, something new. What about you, Claudia?”
“Sure. It’s been months since I tried anything new.”
“Months? That’s embarrassing. Where’s the support?” I teased before getting to work creating something that wasn’t on the menu and I had only experimented with recently.
“How’s Sofia?” Claudia asked while I measured and poured.
“When do we get to meet her?” Jess added.
Claudia’s eyes sparkled. “And her son.”
When I frowned, their hopeful expressions faded. “It’s hard for her to come in here, you know? But I really do want you to meet her, so hopefully soon. Maybe we’ll have to plan something away from the bar.”
Jess laughed. “Well, obviously. She can’t bring her son here.”
“We can have everyone over to our place.” Claudia glanced at Frank, and he smiled at her suggestion before agreeing.
“I’ll see what I can do.” I handed each of the girls a cocktail fashioned from tequila, falernum, and aperitivo, the glasses garnished with lime.
I crossed my arms over my chest, annoyed when they sniffed at their glasses as if they didn’t trust me. Seriously? Ten minutes ago they were begging me to make them something new.
Wanting them to just try it already, I huffed out a sigh. “Just drink it. You’ll like it.”
They sipped carefully, and then Claudia smiled at me, her eyes wide. “This is so good.” She glanced at Jess and took another sip.
Jess nodded. “I don’t normally like tequila, but this is so refreshing.” She downed the entire drink and pushed her empty glass at me. “I’ll have another.”
I laughed and grabbed Nick by the shoulder. “Better watch her tonight. She’s a lush.”
“Wait,” Jess said, holding up a hand. “What are you naming it? This has to be on the menu.”
I racked my brain for only a second. “Committed,” I said without another thought, and both girls grinned the way only females could as they read between the lines.
