Page 28 of The Last Time

“Well, ask me something then.”

“What?” she asks with confusion.

“If you want to know something. Ask,” I say before I pop a chip into my mouth.

She leans back in her chair. “Hmm,” she says as she continues to think. Then she smiles. “What’s your daughter like?”

I raise an eyebrow. “That’s what you wanna know?”

She shrugs her shoulders, looking slightly embarrassed. “I’ve been curious. Does she look just like you? Walk around with a grumpy face to match her father’s?”

I chuckle at the thought. “Not at all. Brielle is the epitome of joy. There’s no room for anything but happiness when she’s in the room.”

She rests her chin on her hand, seeming oddly interested in hearing about my daughter.

“What else?” she asks. “Does she talk a lot?”

“She doesn’t stop talking. She doesn’t form long sentences, but they’re long enough to understand. It’s been so fun being able to finally talk to her and have her talk back.”

She giggles. “You’re gonna feel differently about that talking back when she’s a teenager.”

“Uh, I know. I’m gonna fail so miserably trying to parent a teenager.”

“Somehow, I doubt that. But you have plenty of time before you need to worry about that.”

We continue to talk about Brie, and she tells me more about her job working for the NFL. I’m a little bit, or majorly, jealous of the fact that she has been to a Super Bowl before and of the box seats she gets whenever she goes to a game.

After we are done, we decide to get back to work so we can be done by five. The rest of the day goes by without any incidents. We get the sanding done so that we can focus on staining tomorrow. I was also able to replace more two-by-fours on the back deck.

On the drive home, my brain takes me right back to when I almost kissed her. The way she looked in her sports bra and shorts. It was hard as hell to ignore how good she looked in them the rest of the afternoon, but I somehow managed. It was hot as hell, and I didn’t want to ask her to cover herself up.

I did consider getting even and taking off my shirt again but I figured one of us could actually get hurt next time if the sanders kept getting away from us. We’re clearly both in over our heads with this powerful attraction.

Chapter Nine

Charlotte

“So,whereexactlyarewe going tonight?” I ask Layla while she lies on her bed, looking at the ceiling.

“It’s a bar in the historic district of downtown.”

“What’s the vibe? I don’t know what to wear,” I say as I watch her lay like a starfish.

I look through my bag of packed clothes—skirts, dresses, shorts—a whole array of things to try on. I’m not exactly in the mood to get too dressed up. It was a long day of sanding, and my body is aching.

“Umm, it’s a bit more on the nicer side, but not too nice.”

I look over my shoulder. “That isn’t helpful at all. What are you going to wear?”

“I don’t know. Avery just texted and told me she invited the guys, so I’m still trying to get over my frustrations on that.”

“What guys? Why are you mad about that?” I’m still trying to figure out the dynamic between everyone here.

She sighs. “Avery is dating Kyle. He’s one of my brother’s friends. You remember him? I’m not sure if you ever met any of my brother’s friends.”

I try to think back to his friends, but I don’t know that I ever met any of them. Then what she says registers, and my stomach flutters. “You mean your brother is coming tonight?”

“I don’t know if he’s going, but I do know that means Josh will be there.”

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