There’s something about this girl that hits me right in the feels. It could be the pregnancy hormones and mothering instincts kicking in, but in the spur of the moment I decide I’m going to help her.
“What’s your name?” I ask.
“Umm, it’s Ivy. Why?”
I fish around in my purse until I find one of my business cards and hold it out to her. “I will be looking for an assistant coming up soon. I manage the band Sleeping Dogs and need someone to take over some tasks that I normally do while the band is on the road. I’m three months pregnant and I will need to have this person trained up and ready to take on some parts of my job that I just won’t be able to do while I stay home with the baby. I have a feeling about you. So if you think you might be interested, call me at that number, and we’ll set up a proper meeting. You know, at an office. At the very least at a table in a diner instead of the restroom.”
She laughs at my joke. “I… thank you. I don’t know what to say.” Her eyes well up with tears. “I will definitely call you. Thank you so much.”
She wraps her arms around me in a tight squeeze, and I hug her back. I have no idea why, but I want to take care of this girl. She feels like a little sister to me, and I’ve never met her in my life. So weird.
“OK, Ivy, it was nice to meet you,” I say as I drop the hug. “But I need to get back to my milkshake before it melts. This baby has been craving it since the last one I had. Be sure to call soon. I do a lot for the band, and whoever takes some of that on is going to have their hands full. I need to make sure that you’d be able to handle it before we come to any agreements.”
She just nods her head as I turn and walk out the door. I must be crazy. I had a more complex vetting process when I hired Alex to be the chef at Connor’s place. And I basically just asked the server who hit on someone she thought was my boyfriend, right in front of me, to be the new me while I take time off for the baby. Baby brain is real, y’all. That’s the only thing I can think that would cause this. I’m chuckling to myself and shaking my head a little when I slide back into the booth with Ryder.
“Everything OK? You were gone for a while. You’re not sick again, are you? We can skip dinner and just rest at your place if you want.”
“No, no,” I say around my straw after I take a big slurp of milkshake. It’s not completely melted, but it’s soft enough to get through the straw easily, which is nice. I don’t like a milkshake that’s too thick to drink. “I’m fine. Just having a mental breakdown, maybe? I just gave my card to the server who hit on you. Her name is Ivy, by the way. I just saw her in the bathroom and she apologized and I got this weird feeling that I’m supposed to help her. I thought I would talk to her about maybe taking on some of my duties with the band when I take time off with the baby. Maybe she could take on travelling with you guys and I can do what I can from home or something? I don’t know, it’s not a very well thought out plan. Which is so unlike me, I just have to laugh. These pregnancy hormones are really messing with me.”
Ryder just looks at me with his eyes wide. He opens his mouth like he’s about to say something, but just shakes his head and takes another drink of his coffee.
“It sounds crazy, but we just had an entire conversation in the bathroom. I didn’t promise her the job or anything, just told her to call me soon and we can arrange to talk somewhere less bathroom-like. I have this feeling that she could be fantastic at this, you know?”
It doesn’t make sense, but at least Ryder knows enough to not doubt me on this. I’ve done plenty of things because of gut instincts before, and they’ve worked out OK. Approaching the guys at that house party and demanding they take me on as their manager was one of the best decisions I ever made and I did that on the spur of the moment. I’d even had a few drinks when I did it, and that turned out great.
“I trust you, Denise.” Ryder finishes his coffee. “I know you wouldn’t do anything that would harm the band, so I will back you with whatever you decide.”
“Thanks. That means a lot. I know it’s weird, since I normally make lists upon lists before making a decision but every once in a while I just get a gut feeling and I have to follow it.”
“I know exactly what you mean,” Ryder mumbles to the table. I wonder if he intended for me to hear that. “Well, should we get going? Has the baby’s milkshake craving been satisfied? Connor said he wanted us to come a little early today. He probably has some sort of speech planned about the engagement.”
I make an exaggerated groan accompanied by an over the top eye roll. “Again? Didn’t we sit through a speechanda song just last night?”
“You know, I was thinking the very same thing. I’ve had just about as much of their love as I can stand.” Ryder laughs and fakes gagging. “We get it. You love each other. Give it a rest, already.”
Ryder throws a couple of twenties down on the table to pay for our drinks and we make our way to the door, still chuckling and cracking jokes about Connor and Alex. As much as we tease them, though, we’d never begrudge them their love.
