Page 44 of Books and Hookups

The rest of us did the same. The scallops were buttery in texture, the taste a perfect mix of salty, herbal, and slightly sweet. “God, Leo, that’s amazing,” I said.

He glowed at the praise and pulled up a chair. “You like it?”

“Who wouldn’t?” I said.

The rest of the meal was just as excellent. As I pushed back my empty panna cotta dish, I said, “When you guys buy the bar, you should serve this.”

Leo beamed, but Danny nodded toward the clump of regulars at the bar. A few of them had left, and the ones who remained looked like they’d landed on an alien planet. “I don’t think it’ll fly with our clientele.”

Right. I probably couldn’t afford to eat like this every night either. And the types of establishments that served amuse-bouche generally didn’t welcome babies. “A supper club would be fun every once in a while though.”

“Yeah.” Both Carbone brothers seemed to deflate.

“Do you have social media or a website?” Andrew asked. “I’d like to come to your next pop-up. And tell my friends about it.”

“Not yet,” Leo said. “I wasn’t sure if it’d fly.”

“It’ll fly all right,” Andrew said. “Let me know if you need help. I learned how to do promotional posts from my little sister, who’s in marketing and public relations. I bet she’d give you a free consult.” He pulled one of his Math Nerd cards from his pocket, scrawled his number on the back, and handed it to Leo. “Call me.”

“Thanks. Your dinner’s on the house.”

We protested, and by the time we’d talked Leo into giving us a bill, which Andrew paid, I was yawning.

“I’ve got to call it a night,” I said.

Carly shot me a concerned look. “I’ve never known you to be the first one to turn in. Are you okay?”

“I know it’s no bigger than a lemon, but growing a baby is hard on the body. And I’m not sleeping great either.” I covered another yawn.

“We’ll walk you up.” Carly rose from her chair.

“I can do it,” Danny said. He stood and pulled out my chair.

“That’s right,” Carly said with a knowing smile. “You’re her neighbor.”

“Fuck you,” I murmured as I kissed her cheek.

“Maybethat’swhat you need,” she whispered, “to help you sleep?”

Damn it, she had a point. I’d slept so well with Danny. And since he’d already knocked me up, it wasn’t like we could get into any more trouble. What was a little sex and a snuggle between co-parents?

Danny and I climbed the stairs in silence. It wasn’t until we reached my door that he spoke. “Thanks for coming tonight. It meant a lot to Leo.”

“I—I didn’t mean to, like, stalk you or anything. I thought you were off on Thursdays.”

“Of course I’m going to help Leo out.” He narrowed his eyes. “Have you been avoiding me?”

“I’m trying to give you space. And myself. This is a weird situation, right?”

“Yeah.” He ran a hand through his hair. “But we don’t have to make it weirder by avoiding each other.”

I winced. “I’m sorry. I’m glad we came. The food was delicious. I hope it was successful for you guys.”

“We had good numbers. I’m hopeful.” He leaned against the door, eyelids drooping.

“Tired?” I fit my key into the lock. “Want to come in for a nightcap?” Did that make me sound sultry like Lauren Bacall in a black-and-white movie, or ancient like my grandma?

He stared at me for a long moment, so long that I regretted saying the wordnightcap.I regretted a lot of things.

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