Page 29 of Dr. Baby Daddy

I laugh. “Tempting.” I glance at the clock on the wall and sigh. “Looks like it’s showtime.”

Kate nods and leads the way out the door. “You’re going to go out there and kill it tonight, whether Oliver is in the audience or not.”

She goes one way and I go another. As I stand behind a thick gold velvet curtain, I take a deep breath.

Here goes something.

The last song of the set ends and the crowd cheers. I stand from the piano and take a bow, grinning from ear to ear.

I don’t think I’m ever going to get tired of the rush I get from performing.

As I step off the stage, a man with a saxophone steps on. I nod to him before heading over to the bar, where Kate is already pouring me a margarita. I slide onto one of the stools and sip the drink.

“You were great out there tonight.” Kate slices up a lemon as the other bartender takes care of a couple people at the other end of the bar.

The stool beside me slides out and Oliver takes a seat. “I have to agree with that.”

My heart leaps into my throat as he winks at me. I don’t know what to do. We haven’t been dating long enough to make me feel comfortable kissing him hello. I don’t know if he would want that either. He’s a private person, and Kate is our neighbor.

Before I can get too deep into mywhat should I dospiral, he leans in and kisses me quickly. Kate squeals and claps her hands together. My cheeks feel like they’re on fire as Oliver sits back in his seat.

“I didn’t think you were going to be here tonight.” I take a sip of my drink, trying to figure out what to do with my hands. “Kate, this is Oliver. Oliver, this is Kate. She lives in our building.”

Kate wipes her hand on a towel before holding it out. “Sorry, I get a bit excited for Izzy.”

Oliver shakes her hand quickly before pulling away. “Nice to meet you.”

Kate looks at her watch. “I should be off in a few minutes if you want to go have a couple drinks.”

“Sounds good to me.” I glance around the club, looking for an empty booth. “I’m going to go snag that table over there.”

Kate nods and turns to the next person at the bar while I take my drink and weave through the club. Oliver follows behind me, his fingers brushing against mine.

We take a seat in the booth, him sliding in beside me and leaving the other side for Kate. His thigh presses against mine, shocking those butterflies back to life.

Oliver traces his fingers up the slit of my dress. “You look beautiful tonight.”

“Thank you.” I take another sip of my drink. “Kate will probably bring over a couple beers. It’s what we normally have after the shifts we work together.”

He shifts in his seat, his eyebrows pinching together. “That’s fine with me. I can’t stay long, though.”

My stomach sinks a little as I run my finger around the edge of the glass. “That’s fine. We usually don’t stay out too late either. I have to work on a song tomorrow for the show. The director wants yet another one endlessly tweaked, and I don’t have a clue how I’m going to find the time to do it.”

“You’ll find the time.”

The silence that follows may as well be a scream into the void. Neither of us knows what to say or do, an awkward tension growing thick. When we’re alone, the chemistry is there, but out around people I know, it feels like he’s back to wanting nothing to do with me.

Maybe he’s just nervous. Kate is great, but she can be a lot.

Kate comes over to the table with a few beers a moment later. She slides into the empty side of the booth with a grin. “It really is nice to meet you, Oliver. I probably should have introduced myself at some point over the last couple years.”

His frown deepens as he takes a swig of his beer. “It’s fine. I’m not exactly interested in getting to know everyone in the building. Izzy just wouldn’t take no as an answer.”

The undertone of the words is anything but teasing. I stiffen and finish my margarita before reaching for my bottle of beer. I take a long drink as Kate glares at Oliver.

Oliver finishes half his beer before standing up. He drops a kiss to the top of my head before putting money down for our drinks. “I’ve got to go. I got called in for a shift tomorrow and I have to be up early. Nice meeting you, Kate.”

He hurries away before I can say anything.

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