Page 21 of The Hot New Bartender in Town

“Fourth Street. Red mailbox. What are you doing here?”

“I live here.”

He pauses, his thoughts spinning amid the green specks in his irises. “Right…” he murmurs.

My gut tightens.No.

No, please.

This can’t be what I think it is.

“Are you… Richard Junior?” I ask.

Riley nods slowly. “I go by Riley,” he says.

Nope.

Nope, nope, nope!

“Oh, god,” I whisper.

My mother’s new boyfriend is his father.

His dad’s new girlfriend is my mother.

What a coincidence.

8

TISH

“What?” Riley asks.

Before I can explain, my mother appears next to my shoulder. “Hello,” she greets, extending her hand to him. “You must be Junior.”

Riley flashes a freckled smile; the same freckled smile Richard gave me earlier.

Damn.

Not sure why I didn’t see it before.

“Riley, please, ma’am,” he says. “Only my dad calls me Junior.”

“Well,Riley,”Mom corrects as she shakes his hand. “I’ll agree to call you that if you agree to never call mema’amagain. Tanya is fine.”

Riley bows his head politely. “Agreed.”

“And this…” Mom rests her hands on my shoulders. “Is my daughter, Tish.”

“Yes, I’m Tish!” I say, thrusting my hand toward Riley.

“Tish,” he says as we shake hands. “Yeah.”

“Do you two know each other?” Mom asks, noting the strange aura between us.

“No!” I say as Riley says, “Yes.”

Mom raises a brow.

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