Page 59 of Single Chance

We walked in the main door of Clayborne’s. Several tables were occupied, but there were open ones since it was well after the usual lunch hour. I led her to a high-top table tucked into a corner by the stairs.

Within two minutes, Hunter himself showed up at our table. “Hey, Chance. It’s good to see you.” He extended a hand, and I shook it.

“You too. This is Rowan Andrews. She works at the Anchor with me. Turns out she’s a fan of your wife’s bakery.”

Hunter smiled warmly as he and Rowan shook hands. “I am too. One of the many ways Kennedy won me over was by bringing me cupcakes.”

“I haven’t met her, but she seems pretty brilliant to me,” Rowan said.

“She is.”

“You waiting tables now?” I asked him.

He laughed. “Some days, but not today. Becca will be over in a minute to get your drink orders. I just stopped by to say hi. Thanks for coming in.”

“You bet,” I said before he headed up the stairs to his office.

Rowan and I ordered and made small talk, managing to completely ignore the life-changing appointment we’d just come from. I was grateful for shallow topics.

Once our burgers arrived, Rowan brought an end to the easiness by asking, “Chance, what’s going through your head?”

My brows shot up. “I’m hungry.” That wasn’t a lie. It was going on two p.m. Breakfast was a long time ago.

She took a bite, but I could tell she wasn’t appeased by my answer as she watched me thoughtfully.

“You’ve been tense since we left the clinic. Are you having second thoughts?”

I shook my head as I shoved my burger in my mouth. She continued to watch me, which told me I wasn’t going to get away with changing the subject. Didn’t mean I had to offer her more info.

“You were right. This burger is delicious,” she said. “And the pretzel bites… I might need to expand my tradition to pretzel bites with cheese sauce,thencupcakes.”

“What’s your favorite cupcake?” Maybe she’d forget to go back to questioning me.

“Last time I was in, they had a chocolate bourbon pecan pie that was memorable. Or there’s toasted s’mores, Oreo, turtle, butterscotch crunch… I can’t pick a favorite.”

“Do they have vanilla?” I asked dryly.

She stopped chewing and stared at me as if I’d grown a second head. After swallowing her food, she said, “I imagine so on some days. Is that what you’re going to get?”

I chuckled. “I don’t know. I’ll have to see what my choices are.”

“Their baker is creative. She dreams up amazing flavors. If you’ve changed your mind about the baby, you need to let me know, Chance.”

I took a drink to wash down the food that got stuck in my throat. Shaking my head, I said, “I haven’t changed my mind. I’m here for you, and I’ll be here for the baby.” The words came out with extra force and more emotion than I’d intended. Enough that Rowan tilted her head and studied me as she chewed her food.

“I come from a family that wasn’t supportive,” I said, delving into a topic I didn’t like discussing. “My dad is the head of surgery, and my mom is a neurosurgeon at the same hospital in St. Louis.”

Rowan’s brows shot up. “I’ve wondered about your family. Wondered if our baby would have a big one on your side, because it’s just me on this side.”

I shook my head. “Just my parents and my older brother, Devin. He’s a cardiologist, by the way.”

“Wow. You have a very medical family. Did you consider going into medicine?”

“Not once. I saw the downside from a front-row seat.”

“What’s the downside?”

“My parents’ careers completely dominate their lives. My brother and I were raised by nannies and babysitters while they both worked eighty-hour weeks. That’s not the kind of life I want, not for myself or for my kid. Kids,” I corrected.

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