Page 113 of Set Me On Fire

Chapter 51

Millie

“Millie!”

This was a nice pub. The interior was all dark wood and polished brass fittings, the sheer lack of 80s rock blaring from the jukebox lifting the mood. It looked like a lot of families came to hang out here. Kids ran past me and towards a long table where I saw Belinda and Sally, two of the wives I’d met at the Christmas party, sitting. They waved me over, so I sat down in a chair beside Sally.

“How’s your first week of work been?” Belinda asked.

“In some ways easier than working at a pub.” I nodded to the bar where the staff had people lined up waiting to get a drink. “In some ways harder. Paperwork all day…”

“Getting to you already?” I turned around to see Judy standing there. She took the seat next to me with a grin. “That’s why I decided to give the job up after the babies arrive. Sometimes it’s a fight to stay awake.” She yawned theatrically. “I can’t imagine dealing with the stupid government procurement website when sleep deprived.”

I smiled weakly.

“Yeah, of course.”

“But you’re going to stick with it, right?”

All of a sudden, I had every woman’s eyes on me.

“Absolutely.” I forced myself to smile. “I mean, my mother would kill me for knocking back a government job at the very least.”

The tension seemed to go out of the group.

“It’s not so bad,” Judy said and sipped her orange juice. “I mean, there’s plenty of eye candy to look at.”

As if summoned by her words, the firefighters arrived, walking in through the door and turning every person’s heads. Men gave them a nod as they passed, and the ladies… My hand gripped the edge of the table tight as I saw some of those admiring looks. Charlie got the lion’s share, but there were enough sent Knox and Noah’s way to make a small growl form in my throat. I swallowed it down and then turned back to the table.

“I’m going to grab a drink. Does anyone want one?”

No one did. Sally and Belinda were too busy greeting their husbands, and every kiss, every hug, felt like a body blow. No matter where things went, I’d never have the opportunity to do that. A woman treating three guys like her husband in a pub? Some idiot would have something to say about that, and once the baby came along, some well-meaning soul would call Family Services. I sighed and headed to the bar, lining up like everyone else.

“Something I can get you?”

It wasn’t the barman who was asking that. Charlie’s voice was like a hand sliding slowly up my spine, and I had to resist the compulsion to arch up into it.

“Just getting a Coke,” I replied, turning and giving him my best ‘we’re just colleagues’ smile.

“Doesn’t Coke have caffeine in it?”

“Oh shit…” My teeth burrowed into my bottom lip. How the hell did I space on that? It felt like the world was not set up for pregnant women at all. “I guess a lemon squash then.”

“Two lemon squashes, thanks, mate,” Charlie said over my shoulder, getting the pretty barmaid’s attention instantly. She nodded and went to work pouring the drinks, then handed them over with a dazzling smile. He paid for them, then put way too much effort into escorting me out of the scrum of other customers.

“Charlie! Charlie!” A couple of kids came rushing over to his side and then threw their arms around his legs.

“Oof…!” He winked at me as he stumbled backwards, pretending to be thrown off balance. “And what’re you little monsters up to? Millie, this is Ava and Ryan.”

“Hi guys.”

I felt a million years old as I waved at the children, but I needn’t have worried. I wasn’t their focus, he was.

“Come and play Godzilla with us!” the kids cried.

“We might a bit later…” I watched the kids’ faces fall. “I’m talking to a friend of mine right now.”

“Go.” That came out way more abrupt than I meant it to. “I mean, I can’t be standing around here talking to irradiated prehistoric monsters, can I?” I waved my hand. “Isn’t there a Japanese city you want to flatten?”

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