My amusement fades as I picture his face when Emerson buried her head in my chest. Maybe I mistook shock for rudeness.
“Aw, crap. I’m going to have to call him and explain.” I can’t imagine what he’s feeling right now.
The hand dangling at my side is tugged. I look down and see Emerson staring up at me. “Auntie Dakota, can I sleep with you tonight?”
I look at Abby with alarm. I need to call Wes, and I can’t do that with Emerson in my room.
Abby bends down so she’s on eye level with Emerson. “Aunt Dakota has a little work to do tonight.”
Emerson crosses her arms and stomps her foot in the most classic display of resistance. I purse my lips to keep from laughing.
“How about,” I offer, bending down beside my sister, “you fall asleep in your mom’s room, and then when I’m done working I’ll come get you and put you in my bed? That way,” I pause to poke the tip of her nose, “we can wake up together.”
“Me too!” Taylor shouts from behind me. I rotate and gather her into my arms.
“Yes, you too, Taylor.”
Abby and I stand, and she mouths the wordsThank youabove the girls’ heads. We get to her room and Abby opens the door. The girls run in, but she leans on the doorknob and eyes me.
“What?” I ask, weirded out by the look on her face.
“You’re… different. He makes you uneasy.”
“You say that like it’s a good thing.”
Her head tips sideways. “I think it might be.”
I frown.
“You’re stuck, Dakota. You ended a long, unhealthy relationship six months ago, and you think Mom’s death is your fault even though it isn’t, and I don’t know what’s going on with your financial situation but collectors are calling looking for you.”
My cheeks warm. “I hope your goal isn’t to make me feel good about myself, because you really suck at it.”
She grins. “All I’m saying is that I think you should give Wes a chance. I don’t see what you have to lose.”
Abby’s probably right, but I don’t want to think about it right now.
I say goodnight to Emerson and Taylor, and tell them I’ll come get them after they’re asleep. “Make sure you and Armando take advantage of a kid-free room tonight,” I whisper-hiss.
She rolls her eyes. “Right, after he stayed to have another drink with Dad? Sex is off the table for sure.”
I wish her good luck and tell her to text me when the girls are asleep. On my way to my room, I take a detour. I need a drink before I call Wes.
“Whiskey, neat,” I tell the bartender. I’m making up for the drink I declined earlier. The first time I tried whiskey was the day I met Wes. Since then, I’ve developed a taste for it.
He hands me the rocks glass and I take a sip. The liquid burns so good on the way down.
Wes’s face plows into my mind. The man confuses the hell out of me. One minute he’s reciting for me the details of the day we met, and the next he’s withdrawn and growling his words.
I finish my whiskey and release my hair from the low ponytail I’d gathered it in for the meeting. Someone touches my elbow, and my heart leaps into my throat.Wes.
I twist in my seat and look into the eyes of a blond, blue-eyed man with wavy hair. Either he has a baby-face, or he’s barely twenty-two.
“Can I help you?” I ask, stifling a grin. He’s a tad wobbly on his feet.
“I was just wondering if the lady needs a refill?”
“No, I’m okay, but thank you.” I actually wouldn’t mind another drink, but I prefer to buy it myself. I might be broke, but I know better than to let any guy think him buying me a drink makes me indebted to him.
