And what if I get there and he’s half-naked again?
To my relief, Rhys is out the front, fully clothed. He sees me walking up the street and waves, a smile springing to his lips.
“Hey,” he says. “I was just about to text you.”
“Yeah, I wanted to talk to you before you finished work,” I reply. “The girls want me to go out tonight, so I wanted to make sure you were okay to take Cassie.”
“Actually, I’m going out, too,” Rhys says. “Owen just texted me, and he’s coming over from Diamond Springs.”
“Oh,” I say, an uncomfortable feeling of regret and relief mingling inside me. “That’s fine. I’ll go home and wait for Cassie.”
Rhys looks at me for a moment, then finally shakes his head.
“No.”
“What do you mean, no?” I say in surprise.
“I think you need a night off,” he says, texting quickly. “I’ll just let Jean know, and she’ll happily take her.”
“But I haven’t been away from Cassie overnight—ever!” I protest. “She’ll miss me—”
Rhys holds up his phone, showing me a picture of Cassie with chocolate icing all over her face with three other kids. They’re all holding a big mixing bowl, and cake tins are scattered all over the table.
“Jean’s got a couple of other kids over with hers tonight. Having Cassie won’t make any difference to her. She’s in charge of all our childcare needs outside of school.”
“But—”
“But what?”
I stare at Rhys, trying desperately to come up with a worthy excuse.
I can’t. Because there isn’t one.
“I want you to unwind,” he says. “Relax a little, and have fun. You’re getting along well with the other girls, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” I admit. “It’s good to have friends.”
“Okay, then. Why don’t you go back and tell them that everything’s fine and you’re going to hit the town with them.”
I struggle for a moment more, trying to convince myself Cassie needs me, but I can’t get her happy grin out of my mind.
I’ve left her with a babysitter on countless nights to go and work. At least she’s with other kids and clearly having a blast.
I have to swallow a lump in my throat as I realize I’m afraid I need Cassie more than she needs me.
That might be the best reason to get out and do something for myself.
“Okay,” I finally say. “I admit it, you’re right. I’ll take a night off. It can’t do any harm.”
“Good to hear,” Rhys says, and the smile he flashes me hits me in all the right places, no matter how hard I try to deny it.
Chapter 9 - Rhys
After work, I quickly drop by home to shower and change. I’m on edge in case I see Sadie there, but when we don’t cross paths, I realize she must have gone straight out with the girls after work.
The idea of her being out on her own makes me nervous, so I rush through my shower and bolt out the door to get to the bar as quickly as possible.
I run into Owen at the door, and he raises his eyebrows and lets out a low whistle.
