damn feels. You feel like you were unfairly harsh, and you’re determined to atone for your sins, the
same way you do about everything else.”
Dammit. She had seen right through me. How in the hell did she do that? Yes, maybe I had jerked
off to thoughts of Corey looking up at me while he played or him falling asleep in my arms, but that
didn't mean that I had any business pursuing him. Jack might be a damn understanding friend when it
came to my quirks, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to test him by fucking around with the best bartender he
had on staff.
“If it means so much to you, talk to him,” she suggested.
I snapped my fingers. “Gee, if only I’d thought of that. What do I say? And why would you even
suggest talking when you’re the one always accusing me of speaking before I think?”
“Apologize, you dolt.” She leaned over and thwapped the back of my head. “You say ‘I’m sorry
for being a raging dickhead. Now that I know what’s going on, I won’t do it again.’”
“That’s it?” It seemed like it should be more complicated.
“Yeah, it’s a pretty simple concept, contrary to what you always make it out to be,” she chastised.
“All the shit you tend to do, beyond saying the words and working to make sure it doesn’t happen
again, is for you, not the other person.”
She stood, pausing as she refilled her coffee mug. She set the carafe down, cup still empty, and
glanced over her shoulder. “One other thing. Don’t treat him like he’s different from the rest of the
employees. It’s annoying as hell when you lose your identity because of a kid. Make sure he knows
you still see him as an independent being and not just a parent. And if you’re interested in him in…
other ways…I say go for it. As much as I give you shit, you’re one of the good guys. He’d be lucky to
have someone like you in his corner.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” I warned her. She shook her head and sighed as she retrieved
my mug and refilled both of our coffees. I leaned back in my chair, trying to remember the last time
I’d had a day that wasn’t crammed full of tasks to complete. Now that the playroom was ready to go, I
had nowhere to be until tonight and nothing to keep me from overthinking how to fix things with
Corey. Dammit, she was right again. She’d told me what to do. Apologize. That’s it. I’d blame it on
Catholic guilt and a need do penance, but our parents had strayed from the faith of their families
before we’d even been born. Then again, maybe that shit was hard coded into my DNA and there was
no way to escape it.
