Page 18 of The Hot New Bartender in Town

Momneverbrings men around. Unless it’s serious. And it’s never serious.

“In fact, there’s...” She pauses, her eyes full of excitement. “Well, there’s news.”

My stomach twists nervously. “News?”

“Good news!”

“What kind of good news?”

“Tonight,”she says again, leaving me in suspense. “We’ll tell you everything at dinner. Promise me you’ll be there.”

“Okay, sure. Tonight. I’ll be the—fuck!”

Tonight, I have a date with Riley.

“What?” Mom asks, tilting away from my sudden outburst.

“Well, I...”I want to see you again.“I kinda have a date tonight.”

“Reschedule it. Please? You know I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t so important.”

I take a breath, my current view... somewhat strange. My mother has always, one-hundred percent of the time, put mebefore herself. Growing up, it was always just the two of us. She sacrificed so much, worked so hard to raise me all on her own.

I owe her so much.

I can give her one night.

“Sure,” I say, squeezing her hands back. “I’ll reschedule?—”

Mom throws her arms around me, pulling me in for a tight Mama Bear-like hug. “Thank you, honey,” she says. When she pulls back, she regards me sweetly, her hand coming to touch my cheeks. “Our lives are just beginning, babe,” she says, grinning.

“You think so?”

She kisses my forehead. “I know so.” With one last sunny smile, she steps back and waves over my shoulder. “Bye-bye, everybody!” she says.

“Bye, Mrs. T,” Bruno says from the window.

Mom leaves, our gorgeous shared boots thumping along the diner floor as she goes. The entrance doors open again behind her and the first wave of today’s lunch rush plows inside.

It’s another hour or two before I finally get a moment to pause long enough to fetch my phone out of my locker. My mind is bright with memories of this morning, but unfortunately, my hopes for tonight will just have to wait.

I send Riley a standard text greeting, not expecting him to answer right away, but my phone vibrates in my palm before I even get the chance to set it down.

Hot New Bartender

I was just thinking about you.

I nearly collapse.

Fuck, this is going to suck.

I’ve been thinking about you all morning, too.

So... I have to reschedule tonight. :(

My mother insists I come to dinner tonight. She wants me to meet her new boyfriend.

That’s crazy.

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