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“I’m sorry to hear about the baby’s parents. That’s a terrible thing,” I said.
“I’ll say. Max seems determined to do right by the little guy. I help when I can, but it’s a drop in the bucket, you know?”
I said, “I’m sure everything is appreciated by your brother.”
“You’re the guy with the surprise baby, aren’t you?” Levi said, as if just realizing it.
“That’s me.”
“I admire you for stepping up,” Levi said.
“Yeah, that takes some steel balls,” Nick added.
I tried to laugh that off, but my laugh felt hollow. “We do what we have to do, I guess, right? I never expected to be in this position.”
“And now he’s head over heels for that cutie,” Holden said, lightening the tone, to my relief, and making everyone laugh.
“She’s irresistible, in my biased-as-hell opinion,” I said.
After more small talk, Levi and Nick wandered off. I was just starting to relax when a blond head on the crowded dance floor on the other side of the bar caught my eye, and my heart skipped a beat.
I could swear that was Quincy, but she was on the other side of a tall guy with a cowboy hat, so I couldn’t verify. Taking another swallow of beer, I kept my gaze locked on the back of the guy, hoping for another glimpse of his dance partner.
I nearly dropped my mug a second later when the couple shifted and I got a full view of Quincy.
She was stunning, the prettiest girl in the place, with tall boots, a short skirt, a barely there top that revealed her navel piercing, and an open sweater over it. Her long, blond hair was down, falling everywhere as her body moved to the beat.
One look at her and I was suddenly burning up.
“You watching Quincy?” Holden said, apparently following my gaze, jolting me back to the awareness that I’d been staring for too long.
“Wasn’t sure if that was her,” I fibbed. “Who’s the guy?”
Holden sized him up and shrugged. “Probably some out-of-towner.”
Whoever he was, I didn’t like that he was dancing with my nanny.
My nanny, I repeated in my head to my dumb-ass self.Not my girlfriend.
“How’s it going with her?” Holden asked, eyeing me. I couldn’t tell if it was a loaded question or innocent conversation about my daughter’s caretaker.
“Going well,” I said, endeavoring to keep any expression off my face. I went for a drink to cover.
“Is she not supposed to be here tonight?”
“She has the night off, so she can be wherever she wants to be.” I realized once the words were out that they were more of a snap than I’d intended. “She deserves a night off,” I said to smooth it out.
“It looks like she’s put herself back on the market after her breakup.”
I was taking another drink and coughed as it went down wrong. Holden eyed me again, so I attempted to make conversation like a normal person who hadn’t slept with Quincy and then avoided her all week.
“Is her ex from Dragonfly Lake?” I managed.
“Born and bred. He moved to Memphis after the breakup,” Holden said.
Good riddance.
“She hasn’t said much about him,” I continued, digging for more intel despite myself. “I get the impression they were serious?”
