Page 31 of Up All Night

“That must have been hard,” I said gently.

I couldn’t imagine the type of childhood she’d endured. I had lived the cookie-cutter lifestyle, with loving parents and money to spare. Other than never being able to live up to my father’s expectations, my childhood had been great.

Wanting to know more of her story, I asked, “Did your parents split soon after having you?” Where was her dad in all of this?

She glanced over at her mom again before answering. “My mom doesn’t know who my father is. On her seventeenth birthday, she and a friend snuck into a college fraternity party. A few drinks and a college guy later, I was conceived.”

She said it all like it was no big deal, but I was surprised at how nonchalant she was about it all.

“And she has no idea who the guy was?” I said, trying to understand.

“Nope,” she said. “And from what I’ve gathered over the years, she didn’t want to know who he was. She never went back there to find him.” She moved her hair over her shoulder. “But I really think it was because she didn’t think she would be able to recognize him even if she had gone back.”

“I, uh…” I stumbled. “I don’t really know what to say.”

She waved me off. “You don’t have to say anything. I made peace with it all a long time ago.”

I hoped that was true. It sounded like she’d been through a lot. I wanted to reach out a hand and offer some sort of comfort, but who was I to offer that?

“That’s good.”

“And so you don’t feel too bad for me or think that I somehow, despite all opposition, became some amazing person,” she said, rolling her eyes as if she thought I would never think that. “The whole reason we are here is in the hope that my mom will find a guy and no longer be sleeping on our couch.”

I chuckled and glanced over to where her mom was still flirting with the guy in the charcoal sport coat. Maybe it was wrong of me, but I didn’t blame her. Jaqueline seemed like a lot to handle for an extended period of time.

“Kate has been a trooper to deal with my mom all week. I’ve lost track of how many times my mom has told her all the things she could do to her appearance that would help her attract a man. So when we ran into Cannon earlier today and he mentioned this bar, we thought it would be the perfect place to help my mom find a man.” She shook her head and smiled. “I figured Kate could use a night out as well.”

“And what about you?” I asked.

Her brows creased. “What about me?”

“Are you here to have a fun night?”

She didn’t answer right away, like she was thinking of what her answer should be.

“I probably should be,” she finally said. “I haven’t gone out to have fun in a long time.”

Instead of giving me a chance to ask why she hadn’t, she turned the conversation to me. “What about you? Are you here to find some girl to spend time with? One who shares your passion for schedules and early bedtimes?” The teasing glint in her eyes made me smile. She sure loved to razz me about that.

“Are you hoping to find a guy here who shares your passion for loud dance partieslateat night, eating stinky food, and the sound of wind chimes?” I threw back at her with a smile.

She laughed. “If such an amazing guy like that existed, I’d be all over him.”

We both laughed, and it didn’t escape my attention how surreal this moment was. If someone would have told me that three weeks after knocking on her door to demand she turn down her music, we would be sitting together at a bar laughing, I would have told them they were crazy.

Add on top of that, I’d be wishing Ben’s vacation was longer so I would have more than a week left to train with her every morning—a guaranteed opportunity to see her—then I’d have said I was crazy, too.

“Well, I should probably go.” She pointed back toward the bar. “I’m sorry my mom forced me on you and interrupted your chance to meet a special someone.”

I chuckled. “I’m not here looking for someone special. Cannon dragged me out under the pretense of a guys’ night.” I nodded to where he still stood, talking to the same woman.

She looked over at Cannon. “Ah, I see.”

“He’s quite the ladies’ man,” I informed her.

Her gaze took me in, assessing me. “And you’re not?” she asked curiously.

Her question took me by surprise. I didn’t know how to answer that.

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