I shrug. “Good for him.” It’s the truth. He deserves happiness, and he found that with Josie. I don’t have any intention to fall in love again, not after the way things endedwith my ex, my daughter’s mother. Drugs can change a person, turn them into someone you don’t recognize.
Now, I know that my entire focus is, and should be, my daughter. Making sure she’s happy, healthy, and all the things a four, almost five-year-old should be. I glance over at my daughter to check on her quickly. She’s sitting at a table, next to my mom, coloring. Guilt swarms in my stomach. My parents are amazing. They do anything they can to help me so I’m still able to run and help operate my brewery, Blue Ox Brewing. My mom watches Lennie every day, and picks her up from school during the school year. Most days, I can get away with picking Lennie up from my parents place at about five-thirty or six. However, nights where there is an event or a band,I’m stuck there till after closing. Perks of owning a brewery, instead of a bar, is our establishment closes around ten-thirty, rather than two a.m.
A second glance at the table has me eyeing another little girl with dirty blonde hair with hair down just past her shoulders that has appeared. She’s not a family member, and I don’t recognize her. She might be a few years older than Lennie, but it appears they are getting along well. Lennie points at something on her coloring page, and the little girl smiles.
“Who’s the little girl with Lenners?” Thomas asks, drawing my attention back to him.
“I’m not sure,” I respond, trying to place her in a memory or something. Nothing comes to me, and I turn my focus back to my brother. “How do you feel about our youngest brother getting married?”
Thomas stuffs his hand into his pants pockets and shuffles his feet. “Jealous.” He stammers for a second. “Not that he’s marrying Josie. No, that girl is like my sister. Just thathe’s getting married. I want someone to share my life with. You know?”
I don’t. But I give him a slight nod anyway. “You’ll find someone.” I squeeze his shoulder.
“When I least expect it, right?” he chuckles, the sound almost rueful.
“Don’t get down on yourself. It may happen before you know it.” I gesture over to the bar. “I’m going to get another beer. Do you want one?”
He shakes his head. “Nah. I’m going to go sit with Dad and Gramps.” He gestures to their table.
“I’ll meet you there.” I head to the bar and order myself a beer, thanking the young bartender with a chin dip and some extra cash in his jar as I turn, taking another drink. A person enters my line of sight.
Her hair is in loose honey-blonde waves which fall past her shoulders. Her green eyes are bright as she takes me in. She’s dressed in a pair of black pants that hug her like a second skin. She’s wearing a deep maroon blouse that ties at the waist, accentuating the swell of her hips. Her top shows a hint of cleavage, giving me a glimpse of her large, pillowing breasts. I might be more buzzed than I thought, because all I want to do is take a nap on them. I focus on her face, and I notice her lips are moving.
I fight the urge to shake my head to evade the haze she threw me into. “Um, hi, Jason?” her soft voice cracks, and it’s like I’m thrown backward in time at the sound of it. “You might not remember me, but my name is?—”
I interrupt her. “Fallon,” I say on a heavy breath. Memories of classes together, library study sessions, and a Christmas party that almost changed things swirl in my brain. Wow. It’s been ages since the last time I saw her—since my senior year of college—and to be honest, thememory isn’t one I’m fond of. The earlier attraction I had to her hits me square in the chest, but I shake it off as the attraction is replaced by a familiar ache of loss and betrayal as I realize who this woman is. “It’s been a long time. What are you doing here?” I ask.
Fallon clears her throat. “I work here. I’m the event and wedding coordinator.”
“Wow,” I mutter. “Small world.”
“You could say that.”
“It’s, uh—it’s nice to see you again. You look good.” And she does. The extra curves she never had back in college fit her so well.
“Thanks, but I look like a mess. You look the same as I remember,” she says with an awkward smile and a subtle shake of her head, her cheeks flaming.
“Do you live in Ivy Ridge?” I ask. Has she lived here for long, and I’ve somehow missed her? It’s a small town, but I really don’t go to many places outside of work, and my families’ houses.
She nods. “Only recently. My daughter and I were staying with my mom a few towns over until I got the job here earlier this summer. We moved into a townhome in Ivy Ridge this month.”
“You have a daughter?” I ask, my curiosity rising.
“I do.” Fallon turns, pointing at the table where my own daughter sits. “Her name is Presley. She’s six. Turning seven in May next year.”
I gulp as I watch the two young girls interact. I nod toward them. “That’s my daughter, Lennie. She’s four, turning five in the spring.”
“That’s your daughter?” Fallon asks, her tone full of disbelief. I nod, and Fallon smiles. “She looks like you. And she’s so sweet. You should be proud.”
I let myself smile a little. “I am. She’s the sweetest girl. Though, she looks a lot more like her mom, than me.”
Fallon’s smile grows. “Is she here? Her mom?”
I shake my head, my heart clenching. Taliashouldbe here. Whether we’re together or not, she should be here to see the important moments in her daughter's life. “Just me. It’s a long story.”
Fallon nods, her smile falling. “I get that. It’s just me, too. I’m all Presley has. Lennie is lucky to have you, Jason.”
I blink hard as I glance toward my daughter again. It would be so easy to confide in Fallon, someone who I once considered my best friend. She understands, she knows how hard it is to be a single parent. But I can’t do it. I don’t open myself up to anyone, so why would I with her?
