I cock my head, lips curling. “Well, if I’m a kid, then I guess that makes you an old man. Not old enough to be a grandfather,” I add sweetly, “but definitely father material.”
His eyes narrow, but there’s a flicker of something else there too—amusement? Intrigue? Maybe even interest, not that he’ll admit it.
A wicked idea crosses my mind.
I lean in slightly, lowering my voice just enough to make it feel like a secret. “Tell me, Will. Do you call everyone ‘kiddo,’ or just the women you want to keep at arm’s length?”
He doesn’t answer right away. And in that beat of silence? I know I’ve hit a nerve.
I lean in just a little closer, my voice low and laced with wickedness. “Don’t worry,Daddy. It’ll be our little secret.”
The word lands like a spark in a dry field. And just like that, something shifts between us.
Sharp. Hot. Dangerous.
“Phern,” Will says, voice low.
But before either of us can react?—
“Hey,” Olive says, reappearing beside the table.
She looks tired, worn around the edges. Her hand drifts to her stomach, protectively. I snap back into myself.
I stand. “Let’s get you home.”
I don’t look back at Will. Not even once.
3
I spend one night back at Sam and Charlie’s place before I remember exactly why I left in the first place.
Which is how I find myself standing inside Knot and Spur the next afternoon, surrounded by rhinestone denim, locally made candles, and aggressive turquoise.
Sherry raises a perfectly drawn brow at me from behind the counter. “So you’re serious?”
“I’m sure,” I say, trying not to sound too desperate. “I need my own space. And I heard you’re renting the apartment upstairs.”
She tilts her head, like she’s reading between the lines. “Honey, I can use the extra money. If you want it, it’s yours.”
Relief rushes through me like a damn river breaking its banks.
“Yes,” I say, breathless. “I’ll take it. Thank you.”
She grins. “Don’t thank me yet. That place still smells like patchouli and bad decisions from when my cousin lived up there.”
I laugh for the first time all day. “Great. And I love patchouli!”
We go over the details. When rent is due, where the spare key is hidden, if guests are allows. And then Sherry hands me a worn but solid set of keys. They feel like possibility in my hand.
I’m still grinning when I walk into Sam and Charlie’s house, practically floating.
But the second I step into the living room and see Will sitting on the couch cradling Sam Jr my smile slips right off my face.
“Hey,” I say, trying to keep my voice even. “Sam, are you busy today?”
He looks up, eyebrows rising. “No more than usual. What’s up?”
I take a deep breath, already feeling the weight of what I’m about to drop.
