That’s not gonna happen. “Before I forget, I’m taking my niece to her dance class in the morning. If it were anyone else, I’d cancel, but it’s Mazie, and I won’t do that to her. Do you want to come with me?”
She hesitates. “Sure.”
“That doesn’t sound too convincing.”
“It’s not too soon?”
“I don’t think so, but you do.”
“No, it’s not that, I just—”
“Babe. It’s fine. A lot has happened in a short time. If you’re not ready to be judged by a four-year-old, I get it. They’re tough critics.”
I hear her sigh. “I don’t want you to think I don’t want to meet her. I do. I just haven’t met her dad yet…shouldn’t I do that first?”
No, but I’m not about to pressure her. “Well do that soon, then you can come next time, how’s that?”
“Sounds good.”
“All right, then, unfortunately after dance, I have to cover a shift in surveillance, but I’m off tomorrow night, so I want to take you out to dinner.”
“Perfect. So, can I ask why you take your niece to dance instead of her dad?” she asks softly.
I move toward the cooler and grab a beer for a regular, then refill a vodka cranberry for a woman at the end of the bar. “Drew’s a single dad. He’s got his hands full, so I take her a couple of times a month to give him a break.”
“Does he look like you and Parker?” she murmurs.
“Drew? Yeah, I mean, everyone tells us that, and we all look like our dad.”
She makes a little humming noise. “I bet that dance class is at max capacity.”
I fight a laugh. “Why is that?”
“Because you’re insanely hot, Ben, so you or a slightly older version of you, with a little girl who I’m sure is adorable? Womenlove that,even the married ones.”
She’s not wrong, but I’m not going to feed into her assumption. “I want you to meet Mazie and Drew. My sister, too. I can’t believe you haven’t run into her yet.”
“That subject change wasn’t obvious at all, but I’ll give it to you, and oh God…Ben…” She makes a fearful noise, and my stomach clenches.
“Talk to me, Annie.” Silence. “Annie!”
A swoosh of breath echoes in the phone. “I’m here, sorry. It was nothing.”
“What the hell just happened?” I demand.
“I thought someone was following me, but they turned off.”
That feeling in my gut goes from lingering to lacerating.
“You good?” Parker appears behind the bar. “You look tweaked.”
I jerk my chin but tell him, “Gonna need you in a minute.”
His eyes narrow curiously.
I pause before I speak because goddammit, I did itagain. I got distracted and lost sight of the most important thing. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”
“About what?”
