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Chapter 7
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Exactly two weeks had passed since I'd gotten married and discovered Tinker Bell's real name, and it felt as if my entire universe had flipped on its axis.
Not much changed at home aside from the fact that Mrs. Rojas, mother of four and our neighbor to the left, agreed to watch Julian three days out of the week. With a little more 'freedom' as Tristy called it, her moods brightened considerably. It put a bigger strain on my budget, but to live with a happier, drug-free Tris, it was worth it.
Nothing changed at my jobs either. Cars still came in needing repairs at the garage, and customers still came in looking for drinks at the club.
It was me who suffered.
Internally, I went haywire. I felt restless with all this energy to burn but nothing to exhaust it on. I couldn't stop thinking about Tink. I knew it was stupid. The real Tinker Bell—Eva Mercer—wasn't the kind of person I thought she was. We would never click, probably wouldn't be able to carry on a single conversation together if we ever ev
en saw each other again. She no doubt stepped right over lowlifes like me and kept on walking without even realizing she'd crushed them below her name-brand heels. I should've completely forgotten about her.
Except I couldn't help myself. Every time I worked with Mason, I had a mental battle with myself over whether or not to pump him for information. Where did she live, how in love was she with that fucking prick boyfriend of hers, what were her biggest hopes and dreams and fears in life? I wanted to know everything. But no matter how many times I talked to Lowe, I stopped myself from finagling my way into asking about his girlfriend's pregnant cousin.
She hadn't even told me when her baby was due. I wondered how close she was now, or if she'd already given birth. Was it a girl or a boy? Damn, there was so much I didn't know. And worst of all, it was Thursday. I knew I was going to be working with Mason again, the one guy who held so many of the answers I sought.
He was behind the bar when I strolled into work. I was actually early because I was hoping to get some chatty time in with him. There had to be some inconspicuous way to get him to mention her without revealing how desperate I was to know everything.
I fully expected Noel to begin shouting something about the apocalypse coming because, for once in my life, I wasn't late. But no one said anything, and there was nothing to do but wait for my shift to start. I realized I'd even beat the football star to work. But Ten was setting up tables, and if he was here, then Noel should be too because he always caught a ride with his roommate.
"Where's Gamble?" I asked.
"Heartbroken." Ten moodily shoved a table into a better position on the floor so we waiters could move around easier between them later on in the night.
Aw, hell. This was the third night this week Gamble hadn't come in. "He and Professor Girlfriend didn't make it, huh?"
"He's a complete mess," Hamilton said with a sad shake of his head. "I've never seen anyone so upset after losing a girl before. He really loves her."
"Damn." I shook my head.
What a shame. I'd been jealous of Gamble and his woman two weeks ago when she'd come into the bar to see him. They'd had this intense connection between them. It was upsetting to know the bond they'd shared hadn't kept them together. And it gave me no hope whatsoever for my own situation. But it didn't keep me from my plan either. Mission Extract-Info-From-Lowe was definitely a go.
Glancing at him as he slotted the money drawer into the cash register, I tried to gauge his mood. Thank God he didn't emit any heartbroken vibes. He'd seemed pretty melancholy after his confrontation with the cougar. I hoped like hell his girl hadn't dumped him, because then he certainly wouldn't give me any information about her cousin.
But tonight, the man looked pretty damn perky. He was whistling some tune I couldn't name under his breath. So I opened my mouth to ask what had him in such a good mood when Ten made a gagging sound behind me.
"Dude, what the hell is that on your shirt?"
Hamilton appeared next to him a second later, grimacing as he stared at my back as well. "Looks like someone puked down your back."
"Shit." I grabbed the shoulder of my shirt and tugged at it while I craned my head around to see. And yep, Julian had lost his supper all over me before I'd taken him over to Mrs. Rojas's tonight. "My kid must've spit up on me."
Ten's jaw fell open. "Excuse me? Did you say kid? Since when do you have a kid?"
I frowned, still trying to twist a glance over my shoulder to see how bad the damage was. "Since about three months ago."
"Shut the fuck up." Ten kept gaping stupidly. "Why the hell did you never tell us you were a dad?"
I stopped twisting and shrugged. "I don't know. I didn't figure stories about diaper changings and crying spells were something you cared to hear about."
"Well, no, but . . . " He shook his head, still dazed. "Damn, man. Did you forget to wrap it up or what?"
I sighed, realizing how long it was going to take to explain my situation—for which I'm sure Ten would raze me for taking on someone else's kid—when Jessie, our boss until her dad recovered from his heart surgery, strolled out from the back hall that led to her office.
"Good. You're all here." She clapped her hands together gleefully. "Wait." She paused as she glanced at the four of us. "Where's Gamble?"
