Page 17 of Callahan

I clapped my hands together and declared, “Okay, I’ll be back with a pepperoni pizza and famous giant cookie!”

“I guess I can start my diet tomorrow,” Lainey murmured.

She didn’t need to diet. She didn’t need to change a damn thing about herself.

****

Lainey

The back door closed behind Adam, and Kristy turned to me with her mouth gaping open and eyes bugging out of her head.

“Girrrl, he is so into you! And he ishawt!”

I brushed her observation off, although it had sort of seemed like he was giving off that vibe. But there was no way I’d even entertain the idea that he could actually be interested inme. I was an overweight, hot-mess owner of a fledgling business, with an eight-week-old son. What could I possibly bring to the table?

“I’ll give you that he’s handsome, but he’s hardly into me. He was a good friend of Shawn’s. If anything, he feels sorry for me.”

Kristy pursed her lips with raised brows.

“Oh, he feels something for you, all right. But it isn’t sorry.”

The absurdity of the idea made me laugh out loud.

“Could you imagine the scandal? The town’s old biddies’ tongues would fall off from wagging so much.”

“Good. Maybe it’d help them mind their own business.”

“This is Haven Springs,” I reminded her. “The town gossip is their business.”

“Well, if he wants to have a scandalous affair, I say you take him up on it. You deserve some fun. The old hags are going to talk, no matter what.”

“I know, but I’d rather they didn’t talk aboutme. I prefer to keep a low profile and not give them any fodder.”

“You realize the mere fact that he’s getting a pizza and bringing it back here is enough to get the rumor mill going.”

I let out a deep sigh. I knew she was probably right. Still, I tried to remain optimistic.

“Well, he went out the back door, so maybe no one saw where he came from.”

“Please. The fact that he’s using the back door, so to speak,” she chuckled at her own joke before continuing, “is going to make them all the more suspicious. Face it, babe. People are already talking, so you might as well get something out of it.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know? Laid? When was the last time you had sex?”

“Probably the night Conor was conceived.”

“Oof.” She pointed at my chest that seemed to have doubled in size in the last year. “Put those puppies to work! I saw him checking out your boobies.”

“You saw no such thing.”

She shrugged and put the last tray of croissants in the oven.

“If you say so. But, yeah he was.”

I’d kind of thought so, too. But I still refused to believe it.

“Wouldn’t that make me a terrible person? Hooking up with Shawn’s friend?”

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