Page 5 of The Bartender's Baby

“Because you’re finally seeing it.”

I glanced behind me. “Seeing what?”

“What’s been right in front of you this whole time.”

I rolled my eyes. “Don’t talk in riddles, okay? Say whatever it is you want to say.”

He shrugged. “You love her.”

Again, I glanced over my shoulder. “Her who?”

“Tabby.”

I choked out a laugh. “I do not.”

Liam tipped his head side to side, that intelligent air about him baiting me. Like,I know something you don’t know.

“I don’t love her,” I said, pounding my fist in my hand because I was serious.

Dylan mumbled a sarcastic, “Okay.”

“I donotlove her. I couldn’t love her.”

“Why not?” Jude asked, benignly curious.

“Because.”

Liam sipped on his coffee. “Because why?”

“Because…” I spun my hands in the air. “She works for me. She’s my best worker—manager. And she’s scary in a probably knows witchcraft sort of way. Plus, she’s…” I tunneled my hands through my hair. “She’s… She’s…”

“Special in a sort of indescribable way,” Jude offered, and I nodded then immediately shook my head because that didn’t help my cause at all.

“She’s pregnant with another man’s kid,” I said, folding my arms.

Dylan grimaced. “Yeah, that one’s a kick in the nuts, huh?”

“It doesn’t matter because I don’t care.”

“No, you don’t care at all,” Jude agreed, while Dylan and Liam nodded along like my behavior made absolute sense for someone who didn’t care.

I sighed. “I don’t want to lose her. Strictly in the work sense.”

Liam dipped his head in acknowledgment. “Right.”

“She’s gonna be done with her degree soon,” I explained. “So she’s going to be leaving anyway, and I already don’t want to think about replacing her. But now she’s baking a kid? What the hell am I gonna do about that?”

Dylan rubbed the backs of his fingers over his jaw. “Doesn’t seem like there’s much for you to do, is there?”

“Because you don’t care,” Jude added.

“Of course I care. I’m—” I didn’t appreciate being trapped, and I wagged my finger at them. “Listen. I came here for advice, but since you want to act like immature assholes about this, I’m leaving.”

Dylan flicked up the brim of his hat, his eyes practically glowing with amusement. “Say hi to Tabitha for us.”

“Fuck off.”

I grabbed my coat but only made it three steps before I swung back around with a warning. “This is cone of silence. Do not tell your girls about this.”

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