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“Oh, don’t worry about that,” I dismissed her concerns. “I have the women’s shelter and my art. I only work with you two because I love you so much.” I turned to Junie. “I’m still in to help you if you want to go on your own, even if you’re not renting the space.” I contemplated Willa. “We might be able to team up with the art component. Perhaps next year we can look at doing the craft circuit together.” I smiled. “You won’t lose me, and I’m definitely not losing you.”
“How hard will it be to get another tenant?” Junie worried.
“Not hard,” I assured her.
Willa swept her finger beneath her eyes. “Barrett wants to eventually have a place downtown. I know he’d be interested in that space.”
That surprised me. “He wants to leave the shelter?”
“It’s not that he wants to leave the shelter so much that he dreams of custom-designing a clinic with more space for his Viking-sized body.” Willa snorted. “And he also wants to set up a program to help lower income families care for their pets.”
I raised my eyebrows. I loved that idea. If I gave him the same rental agreement I offered Willa and Junie, it would go a long way toward cutting his costs. Those cost cuts could be passed along to his clients.
Junie interrupted my musings with a sly look in my direction.
“Enough shoptalk. I’ve been exceptionally good.” She looked pointedly at Willa, getting her nod of agreement. “I haven’t asked her a single thing about Lucky.”
Both girls turned to look at me expectantly, and I laughed.
“There’s not much to tell,” I protested.
“Did you bang?” Junie asked baldly.
I looked at her with all the affection I held for her in my heart. “A lady doesn’t tell, Junie.”
Junie, uncowed, studied me. “I can’t tell if she did or she didn’t,” she said to Willa.
“She didn’t,” Willa answered. “Lucky told Barrett he’s taking it slow.”
My mouth fell open and I shut it just as quickly. “Lucky talked to Barrett about me?”
“Yup.” Willa winced as she detached Rena from her breast and switched sides. “Barrett asked him about it when they were setting up on Saturday. He was kind of pissed that we told you about his busy dating life and told Barrett you’re different and he’s taking it slow.”
I schooled my features but my mind spun.
Flattered and fearful in equal measure. I didn’t love the idea of Lucky putting so much thought and planning into us. Because there wasn’t going to be an us. Not seriously. I needed to take back control of the direction of this relationship or one of us would get hurt.
Yet, I could not help myself from digging for more information.
“Have you met Hope?”
“Who’s Hope?” Junie asked.
“His best friend and the mother of his child,” I answered drily.
Willa’s head popped up. “Lucky has a child?”
“You didn’t know that?” Junie asked.
“No! Why didn’t I know that?” Willa exclaimed.
Junie shrugged. “It’s not like he spends every weekend with us. He’s got a big family, too, and they’re close.” She turned to me. “I’ve only seen the baby once and I’ve never met the mother. I should have mentioned it to you. I’m sorry, I didn’t even think about it.”
“No worries,” I replied easily. But I was worried.
The way he told the story of Brayleigh’s conception assured me that he and Hope were only meant to be friends. But the more I got to know Lucky, the more I wondered about a woman who would not want to make a family with him. Especially one he considered to be his best friend. One who’d already given birth to his child.
I wondered if perhaps there was unfinished business between them.
